"Winston" wrote in message
...
wrote:
(...)
If I want things *really* clean I do a two stage process:
1) Varsol to get the worst of it
Gaaah! Another naptha synonym:
"Varsol™ fluids are traditional solvents that are also known as
mineral spirits or white spirits."
Thanks Michael
--Winston
g You're really getting caught up in an overlapping lexicon. Varsol is a
brand name, but it also became a sort of generic name for unbranded Stoddard
solvent and similar types of hydrocarbon solvent. It was standard-issue
paint solvent and cleaner, moderately slow-drying. It also is 50% of WD-40.
An old-time hardware store in my town, now deceased, sold it from a tap. You
brought your own can.
Mineral spirits, white spirit, Stoddard solvent, etc., are pretty much the
same, unless you're a professional painter and are tuned into slight
differences in drying speed. All of these closely-related hydrocarbons have
similar characteristics. They're aliphatic hydrocarbons (relatively safe),
sometimes with some aromatic hydrocarbons (very unsafe) in low percentages
(making them safe enough for home use, more or less).
Naptha sold for painting use, known as Naptha VM&P ("varnish makers and
painters), is not a precise product. Like the generic "mineral spirits," it
covers a pretty broad range of volatility, and it may have small percentages
of phenol and other dangerous crap in it. I think it's a bit more volatile
than the usual run of "mineral spirits," but that's based on limited
experience and long ago.
There is more, but my knowledge of chemistry taps out right here. I don't
want to lead you astray. For your cleaning use, it seems unlikely that
you'll notice any difference among these products, but maybe you will.
If you want a handy thing to try, give WD-40 a shot. As I said, it's 50%
solvent that's in the Stoddard-solvent class, plus 15% mineral oil of some
type, and the balance is propellant. If naptha works, WD-40 should work.
Maybe. g
--
Ed Huntress