Arfa Daily wrote:
"pimpom" wrote in message
...
David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 7/26/2010 11:49 AM Geoffrey S. Mendelson spake thus:

GregS wrote:

95% is a very good figure. I actually use the NON-denatured
stuff.

How about the drinking stuff? (95% "grain" alcohol).

Here I can by a "fifth" (750ml) for less than 250ml of 70%
Isopropyl.

Well, that's ethanol, which should also work fine, so long as
you
don't mind the 5% water.

I use medical or denatured alcohol as a general-purpose
cleaning
solution. When I need stronger stuff, such as on cruds of old
and
hardened flux or when there's simply lots of it, I use
automobile
paint thinner. Wiping with a piece of cloth or cotton wool is
usually enough and I rarely need to scrub with a brush.

The thinner can dissolve some plastics though. So some care is
needed, as is good ventilation. It looks and feels somewhat
oily but
dries very quickly. A one-liter can costs about $3 US here.


Hope you never use it on a board that's got a lacquer type
coating on
it then ... :-\

I do take care to use it only where it won't do damage. The "some
plastics" was just an example.


What amazes me, and I can't understand, is why all of these
'substitute' chemicals are used by people, when the proper
ones,
designed for the job, are really not expensive in the first
place

Some people use the substitutes because they don't know better.
Others have good reasons: The "proper" ones are not easily
available in many parts of the world, including mine. And the
thinner serves other useful purposes too. It's a good
general-purpose solvent.