I am in the UK. I think Tippex is not available in the US.
These days correction fluids like Tippex seem to have been reformulated compared to several years ago.
I think the old chemicals used were too hazardous and the dilution fluid for them was something hazardous like 1,1,1 trichloroethylene.
Have you tried water?
On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:11:00 +0100, Andy
xposted to (among other NGs) alt.consumers.uk-discounts.and.bargains,
Real bargain, eh?
Yeah.
"New & Improved" is always a wow.
sniffing it !!
IIRC, the correct, and politically incorrect solvent for proper Tippex (not the girl's school version) is Toluene.
Apparently it clears sinuses as well....
That sounds similar to "White-Out" in the US, and my comments below assume the UK version is similar to the US version.
While that name is chemically impossible, I believe the solvent used to be either 1,1,1-trichloroethane or 1,1,2-trichloroethylene. In my youth, my dad worked in an AEP research lab, and he used to bring pints of what he called "trichlor" or "electrosol" home, but it was never clear to me whether it was the -ane or the -ene. Both have very similar physical properties and chemical properties. While both are very weak acute toxins (LD50 is on the order of 6 g/kg), they have longer-term effects (carcinogen, teratogen and mutagen). Too bad, because nothing beat the stuff my dad brought home for cleaning my bicycle chain. I tried methylene chloride in grad school, but it evaporates too quickly and leaves too much grit behind (not to mention the burning sensation under my watch band.) Trichlor floated the grit right away, leaving smooth metal behind for re-greasing.
The new White-Out (now sold in the US as "correction pens" that dispense white ink) smell to me like they still contain some chlorocarbon (maybe trichlor)...it may be that nothing but chlorocarbons form stable suspensions with the TiO2 (or is it ZnO2?). I also think I smell some toluene and some ketone, perhaps MIBK. The label says "Contains petroleum distillates", which could be the toluene. When the stuff dries, it smells like linseed oil, which may be the binder that keeps the TiO2 (or is it ZnO2) from crumbling away. By smell, it is a real gemisch of solvents.
It may be that no safe solvent works especially well, because more and more, I'm seeing pen-dispensed correction tape replacing the correction fluid.
Actually, ethyl acetate is probably the least hazardous of those three you tried. If it works, I'd go for it. (I used to really like the smell of ethyl acetate, until one time the airlock went dry on a batch of wine I was making, and the air exposure converted a detectable amount of the ethanol to ethyl acetate. It smelled pretty, but boy did it taste awful.
I've used methylene chloride to rejuvenate White-Out in the past. It resuspends the pigment very well, but it doesn't work great--it evaporates too quickly. I would try some trichlor (electronics supply shop?) or methylene chloride (hardware store, as furniture stripper), or maybe toluene (hardware store--paint thinner or lacquer thinner).
Eric Lucas
It was 1,1,1-trichloroethane.
Yes DCM will work. You need a halogenated solvent for Tippex. DCM also tends to make the plastic bottle a bit "soft" and it dries way too fast. I would guess dichlorethane or maybe perchlorethylene would work well
The good old days
I really dislike those things!
Nah, in the good old days, they used mimeograph for school duplication. A good snootful of chlorinated ink solvent really put one in the mood for excellent performance on an exam.
Eric Lucas
Also try dope thinners from a model shop. Or cellulose thinners from builders merchants etc.
The last bottle of TippEx I used was water based. It took ages to dry but worked OK. It is a problem on some washable inks as they wick through.
Of course if you are going to use the sort of solvents mentioned in this thread so far you could probably use hydrogen peroxide and bleach the ink from the paper (doesn't work with lasers but a hot iron works wonders).
And what a great smell it was. Couple that with Tipex thinners and I'm amazed that any of us from that era actually made it to adult-hood :o)
Isn't it called "Liquid Paper" in the USA. I believe that it was invented by the mother of Mike Nesmith - the one with the wooly hat out of The Monkees!
Wouldn't it be easiest to go and buy a new bottle of the stuff? It's quite cheap, you know!
Wouldn't it be easier not to make mistakes?
With word processor programs, I would have thought Tippex is a bit of a dinosaur...
Oh I don't know.
I once knew a blonde secretary who had Tippex all over her PC monitor screen
Aapparently there are these things calls pens which are moved acros the surface of paper. It's an old art.
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