cleaning engine

"Jim Weir" wrote in message
news
You folks do realize, don't you, that if you don't snip the preceding
message
that we just bypass any of your pearls of wisdom.

Jim



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Seems to me that I snipped the message before the one I was replying to, and
most all of the one I left was relevant to what I was responding to.

Would you want me to snip every bit of the preceding message, Jim?

--
Jim in NC

"Scet" wrote

In general discussion, when we talk about thinners, then the thinners used
in that particular industry is the one being discussed.

So it seems there are differences in terminology, between the US and
Australia (funny that) that can lead to some confusion.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Zactly. In the US, paint thinner is mineral spirits, no matter where you
get it. In an automotive type supplier, if you want to reduce the
viscosity, you ask for reducer, then specify the slow medium or fast
reducer. Ask for paint thinner at one of those places, and you will still
get mineral spirits, but they probably will not have it.

I did not realize that this was yet another example of terminology
differences.
--
Jim in NC

"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...
Maybe I'm just getting confused by the global nature of the discussion,
but
I'm seeing a few things that are so obvious on their face that I felt I
should jump in...

Here in the US, paint thinner is not a product, it's a type of product.

Bunk! I defy you to purchase paint thinner that does not say it is mineral
spirits in small print. The other produces are not paint thinner. They are
reducers or other type thinners such as lacquer thinner.

It's
purpose is just as you would surmise from it's name: it is used to thin
paint to provide the proper viscosity for spraying or brushing. And it's
also used for cleaning brushes, spray nozzles, paint cups and similar
items
after use. It does a really dandy job of removing paint! And you use
different paint thinners for different paint types. So you can't really
make
too many generic comments about whether it will remove paint or it's
flammability.

Now, here is the obvious: here in the states we clean automobile engines
with a product called "Gunk Engine Cleaner" which comes in an aerosol can.
You spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes, then hose it off with a
moderate stream. I imagine this is the type of product your mechanic was
referring to. And if Gunk is not available worldwide, I'm sure your local
auto parts and supplies dealer carries something similar.

Sorry to but in, but when I saw a reference to paint thinner not removing
paint I just couldn't stay out of the chat...

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


Scet wrote:

I don't think paint thinner is appropriate to use. It is highly
flammable
and will damage paint, obviously dependent on the type of thinner
used.

Paint thinner in the U.S. is also called "mineral spirits". It's no more
flamable than kerosene (which you call "white spirit"), is less oily,
and
will
definitely NOT harm any paint that's likely to be on an aircraft.

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they
really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy
lifting".

White spirit is a synthetic version of turpentine (or at least it's used
interchangeably with turps). It's used for cleaning off wet or recently
dried paint from things. It's a solvent and I think it can be used to
thin oil based paints, but not sure.

Paul

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...
As far a "white spirit" is concerned, I ran into the term in a book on
wood
finishing years ago and asked a gent from the Britain Isles what it was.
He told
me that he thought "white spirit" is called kerosene over here. Since that
does
not appear to be the case, can you tell me what it would be called over
here?

Paul Sengupta wrote:

White spirit is a synthetic version of turpentine (or at least it's used
interchangeably with turps). It's used for cleaning off wet or recently
dried paint from things. It's a solvent and I think it can be used to
thin oil based paints, but not sure.

Thanks. Turpentine is used here for thinning and cleaning oil paints (as in the
stuff Rembrandt used), but little else. Not sure if I've ever seen a synthetic
version on the market. I think the real stuff comes from pine trees, of which
we have plenty.

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...
Paul Sengupta wrote:

White spirit is a synthetic version of turpentine (or at least it's
used
interchangeably with turps). It's used for cleaning off wet or recently
dried paint from things. It's a solvent and I think it can be used to
thin oil based paints, but not sure.

Thanks. Turpentine is used here for thinning and cleaning oil paints (as
in the
stuff Rembrandt used), but little else. Not sure if I've ever seen a
synthetic
version on the market. I think the real stuff comes from pine trees, of
which
we have plenty.

White Spirit may not be a synthetic version. Maybe I thought that
because it's sometimes labelled "Turpentine substitute".

http://www.tipking.com/Tips/publish/tip_475.shtml

So "mineral spirits" is the same?

Ah, been google-ing. From:
http://www.peg2003.org/hardwood_gard...niture_uk.html
HARDWOOD GARDEN FURNITURE UK : Turpentine is
a derivative of pine oil which is the proper solvent for varnish.
Mineral spirits are a derivative of coal tar distillates and white
spirit pertains to naptha which is also a coal tar derivative but
containing benzene which may be banned in your country.

Other websites say it's the same thing, including:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/hsg/hsg/hsg103.htm
which says "mineral spirit" is a synonym for white spirit.

So I guess we can use it! :-)

Paul

Paul Sengupta wrote:

So "mineral spirits" is the same?

Nope. Completely different smell. It's used primarily here to thin oil-based
house paints and for cleaning stuff. It's an oilier substance than naptha,
which makes naptha better for cleaning applications that must be oil free. So
I used turpentine for oil painting (back when I did such things), I use mineral
spirits for paintbrush cleanup and cleanup of car and aircraft parts, and naptha
to clean items I'm preparing to paint.

I haven't found much on how they're made or what the chemical differences are,
but I did find a medical dictionary which lists them as different substances
and prescribes different treatments for cases of poisoning. That site is
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency

As others have pointed out, mineral spirits is also called "Stoddard's Solvent".

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

Paul Sengupta wrote:

So "mineral spirits" is the same?


Many (too) many years ago, we used a mix of Gunk and
Kerosene;
about 1 part Gunk to 5 parts Kerosene. Didn't have
EPA in
that time so there wasn't a restriction on disposal of
the
cleaning mixture and the residue from the cleaning.

We would spray the engine with the cleaning mix, leave
set 15
to 20 minutes then wash the engine down with straight
water.


Lou.

"Lou Ramsay" wrote in message
...
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:


cleaning mixture and the residue from the cleaning.

We would spray the engine with the cleaning mix, leave
set 15
to 20 minutes then wash the engine down with straight
water.


All washed down the drains into local rivers etc.:-(
--
---
Cheers,
Jonathan Lowe.
/
don't bother me with insignificiant nonsence such as spelling,
I don't care if it spelt properly
/
Sometimes I fly and sometimes I just dream about it.
:-)



Lou.

Model Flyer wrote:

"Lou Ramsay" wrote in message
...
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

cleaning mixture and the residue from the cleaning.

We would spray the engine with the cleaning mix, leave
set 15
to 20 minutes then wash the engine down with straight
water.


I did not say this.

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".