Originally Posted by
BCRider
The carb cleaner and brake cleaner DO work great on these things. But they are pricey and highly volitile and flammable. Use with care and only if your bank account can afford it in more than just special small jobs. Oh, and both of these super powerful degreasers will strip the oils from your skin lickety split and enter your blood stream via the now oilless skin. USE GLOVES!
While gloves should be used with
any degreaser, the body oils have little to do with slowing down absorption of solvents. Carburetor and brake cleaner contain high concentrations of ketones and alcohols. These will absorb into the blood stream more easily because they are more water soluble. Because they are more water soluble they can carry the other components of the mixture...largely toluene...with them.
Originally Posted by
BCRider
I always understood that white gas is what is used for Coleman stove fuel for the old liquid fuel types. If this is correct then white gas is WAY more volitile and flammable than mineral spirits. Not even in the same leage at all. The Coleman fuel is more volitile than even car gasoline. I used some to try starting a campfire one time. I was glad that I was upwind, using a long lit stick and had my head well down by the ground. The WOOMP! ! ! ! as it went off with about a 4 foot fireball was very impressive. Do NOT clean with Coleman or similar stove fuel indoors.... or anywhere for that matter. The smallest spark or flame source and you can kiss your eyebrows and hair goodbye and likely the first couple of layers of skin.
White gas is more flammable than mineral spirits (38C flashpoint) but its flash point (0 C) is no where near that of gasoline (<-40C). Brake cleaner has a flashpoint of -25C.
Originally Posted by
BCRider
Inhaling the burn byproducts for a few seconds a few times a day is a far cry from inhaling the fumes from the solvent itself. Also the fact that again it's more flammable than mineral spirits and you may as well just get a bigger container of the better option and keep the lighter fluid for re-fueling the lighter.
The burn products of any hydrocarbon are carbon dioxide and water. A smoker may inhale a bit of the solvent that is volatilized but that isn't a
burn product. The thing that the smoker is lighting is far worse for them then drinking the lighter fluid straight.
Originally Posted by
BCRider
Gloves or a good barrier cream that is meant for working with petrochemical solvents is a must if you value your internal organs. Solvents not only cut right through grease on the bike parts but they do a great job of leaching away the skin oils of our hands. Once that's gone the solvents are free to enter our blood stream thorugh the skin. The internal organs are the parts that end up removing the solvents from our blood. But because many of these solvents or chemicals such as citrus degreaser are not options they are intended for various issues can occur over time and later in your life. So learn now and use good gloves to avoid skin contact. And avoid using the stuff in enclosed areas. Keeping the fumes confined not only increases the risk of setting off the fumes and burning your place down but it makes it easier for the solvent to enter your blood through the lungs.
Mineral spirits, especially low odor mineral spirits, aren't particularly toxic being composed mostly of long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons, by their very nature, are not water soluble. If you were to swallow them...not recommended...they would pass through the digestive system unaffected. Exposure
should be limited but mineral spirits are much safer than many other options. Brake cleaner, carb cleaner, gasoline, etc. are all much more toxic and dangerous to use.
Gloves should be used with any solvent...water or hydrocarbon based. Ventilation should also be used...don't use the damned things in your house! Barrier creams, however, aren't that effective since they are going to be dissolved like skin oils are. I'd suggest
not using latex gloves, however. Nitrile works better, is tougher and resists more chemicals as well as air oxidation. A box of nitrile gloves (the blue ones) are $10 to $15 at a big box store.