Alcohol

[Steve B]

I have found that alcohol is very good for cleaning "stuff".

I am going to go through my fishing reels and clean them. I like to put them in a shallow tray with some alcohol, and brush them, and get the reel oil and sand out of them. The alcohol evaporates, and is kind to most plastic parts.

Now I'm confused. I went to get some, and there is isopropyl, rubbing, and another type, IIRC.

What's the difference in alcohols, which ones should be avoided for disturbing plastics, and what's the difference in rubbing alcohol and isopropyl?

I used to know this stuff, but my brain got so full that in order to put some new stuff in, it had to kick something else out, and I haven't found the controller that decides what to kick out. Homer Simpson said the same thing, but I said it a full year sooner than he, but never got the credit.

Thanks. Other reel cleaner suggestions appreciated, too.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

[Stormin Mormon]

There are several types of alcohol on the market. Methyl. Ethyl. Isopropyl. Might be a couple others, which I can't remember.

Rubbing alcohol is 70% alcohol, 30% water, and is great for killing germs. It comes in ethyl or isopropyl.

Denatured alcohol is nearly 100% alcohol. The "denatured" means it's ethyl drinking alcohol with enough poison that you don't want to drink it. Automobile "dry gas" is typically one of the alcohols, and often cheaper than the paint store denatured.

As for cleaning fishing reels. I havn't tried it, but I sense that a pan of warm water, and a spray bottle of Simple Green is what I'd use. Spray the simple green on the reel. Scrub with old tooth brush, rinse in the warm water. I'd wash my fishing reels in the sink, over a strainer in case I dropped a screw. Save me taking apart the drain trap.

Far as I know, they should all be safe for plastics.

[ransley]

I buy denatured by the gallon at Ace, its good for many types of cleaning and doesnt harm plastics that ive used it on, and thats most everthing, I use it in my gas in the winter or when ever I think my gas is bad to remove water, I add it to windshield washer fluid in winter so it doesnt freeze at 0 -20f. Its water soluable so diluting it makes it a great additive to many cleaning products. Rubbing alcohol is ok but you pay a premium and the additives can leave a film on glass and some clear plastics. Buy it from a good store with turnover, I bough a gallon at a small store that someone diluted with water and the can was full of rust.

[LSMFT]

Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol or the medical alcohol. I make my own window cleaner with one cup of isopropyl alcohol, one cup of water and one tablespoon of white vinegar. It's better than Windex and good for your glasses too and many other things.

[willshak]

Before Windex and the other commercial products came out, it was a mix of white vinegar and water, and newspaper to do the wiping. My mother also made her own kitchen soap using lye and fat. There may have been other off-the-shelf ingredients, but I don't remember what they may have been. This was during the war in the 1940s and I was a pre-teen.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 10/28/2010 9:20 AM Steve B spake thus:

1. Isopropyl alcohol *is* rubbing alcohol. Generally not as strong as denatured alcohol (see below). Besides, rubbing alcohol contains water in different proportions, so not an ideal cleaner.
2. Generally speaking, no modern plastics are affected by any alcohols. Some older plastics (like early Bakelite) I'm not sure about. In any case, you can use alcohol around any plastics without fear of damage.

Denatured (methyl) alcohol is one of my cleaners/solvents of choice. One of the few solvents that will remove sticky stuff like tree sap. Evaporates almost immediately, leaving no residue. Great for things like cleaning tape heads.

[krw]

Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol with a "denaturant" added so it's not drinkable. The denaturant is sometimes methyl alcohol, but it has a nasty side effect of killing people so isn't used anymore, at least in the US. Denaturants now in use induce vomiting so the ethanol isn't absorbed but isn't toxic.

[Red Green]

LSMFT wrote in news:0gmyo.2032$ [e-mail]:

Window cleaner? Picked this up from Edwin a couple of years back. Used #1 and best I've tried yet.

From: "Edwin Pawlowski" Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Subject: Re: window cleaner Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 21:17:54 -0400

Window Cleaner

******************* 1/2 cup ammonia 1/2 cup vinegar 2 tbsp corn starch 1 gallon of water

. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Window Cleaner_2 1 cup water

1 cup rubbing alcohol 1 Tbsp. ammonia Use squeegee and cloths.

[Joe]

Here's the real skinny on alcohols that are commercially available and fairly pure. For straight methanol buy the fuel deicer, HEET, or similar brands. For 95% ethanol buy Everkleer at your liquor store. For cheaper ethanol buy denatured (mostly ethanol with methanol poisoning) alcohol at your paint store. For nearly anhydrous isopropyl alcohol buy ISOHEET at your auto supply store. For other alcohols see a specialty solvent supplier, but the ones mentioned here should suffice. If you need a powerful degreaser and are VERY careful with it, get regular aerosol starter fluid at your auto supply store. It is nearly pure ethyl ether, but may be more of a solvent than you need for some things. As always, wear safety glasses and read the labels first.

Joe

[David Nebenzahl]

On 10/28/2010 9:20 AM Steve B spake thus:

1. Isopropyl alcohol *is* rubbing alcohol. Generally not as strong as denatured alcohol (see below). Besides, rubbing alcohol contains water in different proportions, so not an ideal cleaner.
2. Generally speaking, no modern plastics are affected by any alcohols. Some older plastics (like early Bakelite) I'm not sure about. In any case, you can use alcohol around any plastics without fear of damage.

Denatured (methyl) alcohol is one of my cleaners/solvents of choice. One of the few solvents that will remove sticky stuff like tree sap. Evaporates almost immediately, leaving no residue. Great for things like cleaning tape heads.

[Stormin Mormon]

Denatured alcohol is typically 96% ethyl alcohol, and 4% methyl.

[Frank]

Trivial names have lot in ng confused. I suspect there is a good Wiki article they could refer to.

I'm also reminded of old chemistry professor who said he used to analyze alcohol for bootleggers during prohibition to make sure it was safe to drink. He knew what he was doing was illegal but he said he was saving people as there were more people with blindness in the hospitals then there were pregnant women.

[salty]

At the time of Prohibition, hospital deliveries of babies was not all that common. It didn't really get popular until the 1940's.

[PeteFuller]

It's even better for drinking !!!!

[Sjouke Burry]

I like alcohol, sometimes I even clean with it.

[Oren]

I have a lifetime collection of reels, near 25 of them. Mostly all fresh water reels. WD40 was used to spray them down once they were disassembled. Wiped with a cloth/cotton rag. Many are still stored after cleaning and lube with a fine oil. I wrapped them up and stored them.

I've never used alcohol for cleaning any of them. Like oiling a gun, IMHO.

Many date to the '70s and cannot be found in the condition I have kept them.

[Higgs Boson]

...

Women were afraid to go to hospital for delivery; they preferred midwives who were experienced and CLEAN. The rate of puerperal (childbed) fever in hospitals deliveries was so horrendous in the late

19th and early 20th centuries, that hospital delivery was statistically loaded against survival. Doctors (wearing dirty frock coats) would come from straight from the autopsy room and stick their UNWASHED hands inside a laboring woman . Hungarian physician Ignatz Semmelweis, unsung hero to women, tried desperately and largely in vain to get arrogant know-it-all doctors to WASH THEIR HANDS.

[Stormin Mormon]

What use is having something, if you can't find it?

[Stormin Mormon]

As I remember the story, he did succeed in commanding them to wash, for a breif period of time. The mortality and health improved a lot, but the doctors couldn't be troubled. They went back to the unwashed practice after a very short time, and mortality took a hit, again.

[Steve B]

Thank you, Oren. That sounds like a very plausible alternative. I am finding a little time here and there, and it is time to take all my poles, reels, and gear, and thoroughly go through it and get it ready for fishing. I have always disassembled everything and checked it out once a year. The WD thing sounds like it would be as easy as anything.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.