One for the chemists

[Gern]

Hi guys. A friend of mine gave me a container of Trichloroethylene as a degreaser. I'm wondering if it would be safe to use:

1) As a styrene cement
2) As a cleaner for my A/B

Any thoughts?

[Tim Marlow]

I would say a qualified yes, it will do what you want, but only in very small quantities. I certainly wouldn’t spray it through an airbrush though. It was used as an inhaled anaesthetic so the vapours would potentially give you problems, and it has other health contraindications as well. Have a very good read up on its potential issues (look up Trichloroethylene MSDS to get a proper industrial user instruction) and make your mind up from there. The Sigma Aldridge one is pretty good….

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/sds/aldrich/133124?srsltid=AfmBOopf71rVhos5TFL62B__5o4_XEsZl0_2kXT4s0bVVcwmjrR402Mj

I personally wouldn’t use it without a good chemical respirator fitted with an organic solvent cartridge, and these days probably add in gloves and a face mask to minimise the risk of skin contamination. To be frank , it may be more trouble than it’s worth.

[PaulTRose]

Its a carcinogenic so id be careful.....wouldnt want to breathe it after after being atomised in an ab and i do remember it used to leach any oils out of skin and give detmatitis if you wernt careful

Im sure it was banned for a lot of things 20+ years ago

Id read up on the safety side of things on it before you use it

[minitnkr]

......banned in the US 50 years ago. Bad stuff!!! used it as an industrial solvent/cleaner before ban.

[Ian M]

As in dry cleaning fluid? Some friend. Give it back to him so he can have the trouble of disposing of it in the correct fashion.

[yak face]

Back in the day when I was a 17 year old apprentice paint sprayer ( MANY moons ago ), we used to use this as cheap gun wash . We didnt spray it through the guns though, at the end of the week the guys used to strip them down and chuck all the bits in a 25 litre tub full of old mucky thinners . Guess who's job it was to fish all the bits out , clean them with the gun wash and reassemble them . Elbow deep in mucky cellulose thinners , the health and safety bods nowadays would have a fit ! I always remember the Gun wash being very heady and always avoided inhaling any of the fumes .

[Tim Marlow]

Back in the day when I was a 17 year old apprentice paint sprayer ( MANY moons ago ), we used to use this as cheap gun wash . We didnt spray it through the guns though, at the end of the week the guys used to strip them down and chuck all the bits in a 25 litre tub full of old mucky thinners . Guess whose job it was to fish all the bits out , clean them with the gun wash and reassemble them . Elbow deep in mucky cellulose thinners , the health and safety bods nowadays would have a fit ! I always remember the Gun wash being very heady and always avoided inhaling any of the fumes .

Different world then wasn’t it. Back when I was about the same age I used to work in a dye house. One of our most used chemicals was concentrated Formic acid. I used to measure it out into a plastic five litre jug by tipping the 25L drum sideways, holding the jug with the other hand, and then carry it to the point of use. No gloves, masks, or face shield in those days…..
Ammonia was fun, dispensed the same way only outside, but you tried to get the wind at your back to keep the fumes off…..

We used to mouth pipette chemicals at school as well. For those that don’t know, that’s basically sucking chemicals up a graduated glass straw……if you caught an air bubble you got a mouthful of whatever you were working on……when I tried that at Porton a couple of years later the lab super nearly had heart failure……apparently it had been banned for years 😉

[Gern]

I'll take that as a definite no then! I had to give up using enamel paints 'cos of the fumes, so this would be a very bad idea for me.

Thanks guys.

[Tim Marlow]

I'll take that as a definite no then! I had to give up using enamel paints 'cos of the fumes, so this would be a very bad idea for me.

Thanks guys.

Compared to enamel thinners the smell is actually fairly pleasant, but to be honest I think you are making the right call. It’s good for spot cleaning grease off of fabrics, by the way……

[Gern]

It’s good for spot cleaning grease off of fabrics, by the way……

My mate who gave it to me does a lot of work with cars and bikes. He buys 'em cheap and fixes 'em up to sell, so he uses a lot of this stuff for cleaning grease. I have no idea why he'd think I would need it for the same purpose.

Working on bikes and cars is outdoor work if you don't have a garage or workshed - I have neither - and I don't do outdoors. The only time I venture into my back garden is when I need to access my wheelie bin - either to put stuff in, or take it round to the front for the council to empty. And the only time I venture out to the front of my house is to cross the pavement to get to my car - or walking to/from my garage if my car is broke. That's real distance stuff for me. Must be all of 250 yards each way!

In addition, I don't do 'oily' bits on machines and I've come to an agreement with all my motors. Providing I don't mess with them, they won't break down badly enough to stop me getting them to my mechanic! That agreement has worked for at least the last twenty years an' if it ain't broke - don't fix it!