Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
- LtBadd
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- weldin mike 27
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Hmmm...Louie1961 wrote:I would beg to differ.I used 70% Isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) as fuel in my spud gun all the time. It burns quite well.70% stuff we normally use, isn't flammable.
Not doubting you here, I know hairspray Works real well in a spud gun. I don't know how 70% would have worked. Maybe the vapors, after it sits for a while are more flammable.
I just took a lid off a gatorade bottle and put some 70% in it. Put it on the sidewalk and hit it with a propane torch. Until I put the torch flame right in it, it did not light. Once lit, it was a very slow, very weak flame. It never melted the lid. The lid was probably 7/16 of an inch tall, 3/8 deep, and the flames barely rose above it.
I've used a fire extinguisher to put out 90% in the past so I can say there is a very big difference between the two. I have some 91 upstairs but I didn't bother lighting that up.
I poured some 70% on the sidewalk which is of course cold outside. I had to keep the torch aimed at it for several seconds to get it to light. I'm wondering if it wasn't too cold to evaporate enough alcohol so it could light. Maybe the torch warmed up the concrete and then it would burn. It did burn for a little while and was a pretty cool experiment all things considered.
I use 90% IPA quite often for metal prep. I also always keep a bottle on hand of 90% IPA mixed 50/50 with acetone as a cleaner that is sort of "best of both worlds" and not too harsh especially if working near any plastics. That 50/50 mix is also an excellent flux remover for soldering.
I use 70% IPA for the initial cleaning of parts that are particularly dirty. The higher water content is ideal for that since it dissolves dirt and helps to wash it away.
I use 70% IPA for the initial cleaning of parts that are particularly dirty. The higher water content is ideal for that since it dissolves dirt and helps to wash it away.
For me, 90% IPA is just cheaper, more readily available, and is less caustic (better for your skin, won't melt some plastics, latex gloves, etc.). However, I do also use straight acetone quite a bit.JayWal wrote:Whats the advantage of the 90% over acetone?
I dont do much tig, so i don't use a lot of either
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Would Denatured Alcohol work as well?
I don't know what is used as the "denaturing" additive to make the alcohol non-potable, but would think that any 90%+ alcohol should work as a passable cleaner.
Around my area, getting any high proof alcohol has become difficult with the virus going around and people buying up any/everything for cleaning purposes.
I don't know what is used as the "denaturing" additive to make the alcohol non-potable, but would think that any 90%+ alcohol should work as a passable cleaner.
Around my area, getting any high proof alcohol has become difficult with the virus going around and people buying up any/everything for cleaning purposes.
-Josh
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
In 1981, when I took Organic Chemistry in college, we used acetone to clean our glassware before and after experiments. Back then they used to make us use it under a fume hood, and we were told that breathing it would give you liver damage. I don't think that is true, but I suspect it is that sort of thinking that will have some people interested in using isopropyl alcohol over acetone.Whats the advantage of the 90% over acetone?
Multimatic 255
The nice thing about isopropyl is while not as aggressive as acetone, it doesn't evaporate away nearly as fast, but still dries fast enough it doesn't become an inconvenience. I doubt I'm the only one to have SOAKED a paper towel in acetone only for it to start drying before I was done cleaning, or even started.
- LtBadd
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I have chemical resistant gloves for using acetone, although they are a bit cumbersome, I use the IPA probably 80% or more of the time, most of the parts I weld are machined stainless, so nothing too dirtysbaker56 wrote:The nice thing about isopropyl is while not as aggressive as acetone, it doesn't evaporate away nearly as fast, but still dries fast enough it doesn't become an inconvenience. I doubt I'm the only one to have SOAKED a paper towel in acetone only for it to start drying before I was done cleaning, or even started.
Richard
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- weldin mike 27
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Joined:Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:59 pm
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I've also heard that acetone is quite nasty. I believe that people think that if something evaporates, that it's somehow safe.
Side note, in Australia, we call denatured alcohol, methylated spirits.
Side note, in Australia, we call denatured alcohol, methylated spirits.
BillE.Dee
- BillE.Dee
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dunno Richard,,,didn't get into the area with ipa to compare the price of that against the others. the queen said, LET'S GO!
I "try" to not get into the affluence of incohol as some thinkle peep I do it too often.
buggy, IF I didn't live 2 hours out, I'd be over to help.
I "try" to not get into the affluence of incohol as some thinkle peep I do it too often.
buggy, IF I didn't live 2 hours out, I'd be over to help.
I believe that the denaturing agent is typically methanol, hence the name "methylated spirits" used in some places as noted in an earlier reply.hey_allen wrote:Would Denatured Alcohol work as well?
I don't know what is used as the "denaturing" additive to make the alcohol non-potable, but would think that any 90%+ alcohol should work as a passable cleaner.
Around my area, getting any high proof alcohol has become difficult with the virus going around and people buying up any/everything for cleaning purposes.
yes, tho there was a move here years ago to leave the methanol out to stop people getting poisoned by it ie from drinking it.clavius wrote:I believe that the denaturing agent is typically methanol, hence the name "methylated spirits" used in some places as noted in an earlier reply.hey_allen wrote:Would Denatured Alcohol work as well?
I don't know what is used as the "denaturing" additive to make the alcohol non-potable, but would think that any 90%+ alcohol should work as a passable cleaner.
Around my area, getting any high proof alcohol has become difficult with the virus going around and people buying up any/everything for cleaning purposes.
however afaik ethanol is a poorer cleaner than ipa or acetone.
tweak it until it breaks
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