"DeepDiver" wrote:
"Jon Danniken" wrote:
"DeepDiver" wrote:
"Anthony" wrote in message

Either IsoPropol Alcohol, or Acetone will take care of the problem.
Be
sure to use some 3 in 1 oil on them after cleaning.

Most commonly available isopropyl alcohol contains a fair amount of
water,
typically around 30%. I wouldn't use it for cleaning a precision tool.

Then it is not isopropyl alcohol; it is 70 percent isopropyl alcohol,
commonly sold as "rubbing alcohol". Isopropyl alcohol specifies just
that,
isopropyl alcohol, not a dilution thereof.


Excuse me for not being more precise. Allow me to re-phrase my statement:
Most commonly available isopropyl alcohol SOLUTIONS contains a fair amount
of water. Better?

Solutions of IPA are specified as to the percentage of alcohol contained
within. In other words, looking at the label witll reveal the percentage of
alcohol contained in the bottle, and allow the consumer to not have to guess
at the contents.

I don't know what Anthony has available in his shop, but I'll wager that
very few people here have ready access to 100% reagent-grade isopropyl
alcohol. For many people, the recommendation to use "isopropyl alcohol"
would simply imply that they go down to the drug store and buy a bottle of
"Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol" which would be a poor choice for cleaning
precision instruments. That was the cogent point of my original post.

As with many things, there is a tolerance within which the best results are
achievd. That having been said, I doubt that reagent-grade solvents are
required for this application, which is de-gooping a mechanism. Then again,
I usually use white gas, so draw your own conclusions.

I would therefore assume that 99% IPA whould suffice for the intended usage.
This is readily available online, and likely available locally as well - my
local drugstore sells it by the pint for a couple bucks.. If you really do
desire a higher purity, many electronics supply stores do sell 99.953%
anhydrous IPA (GC 824 line), although it is a bit pricy.

Assuming the extremes of either 70 percent solution or reagent grade
chemical is a bit too wide of a swing, don't you think?

Jon