I had a cousin who did something comparable when he was a teenager.
After months in the ICU, he will spend the rest of his life with hideous burn scars all over his face and body.

What they sell in hardware stores as "paint thinner" seems to be about the same as "mineral spirits". I use mineral spirits as a common solvent and cleaner. It's good for removing tar. I also use it 4:1 with synthetic motor oil to make chain lube.

As for which brand. I saw a TV program on history channel. And it turns out that ALL oil company put their gasoline in to one HUGE pipe in Texas, and they all pump it out of the same pipe at the other delivery ends. In another words, they all let their gasoline mingle during delivery. So in fact they are the same gasoline.

I use maybe 1/2-1 cup of it over the course of a year as a cleaning agent. Sometimes there's that decal/sticker/tape residue that turns out to be really stubborn, sometimes I'm away from my shop and the only thing available to clean something with is the fuel can for the chain saw/lawn mower etc.
Sure, there IS a risk to it, a risk that could be further reduced or removed entirely. But at the same time it doesn't really feel like russian roulette either, neither concerning the toxicity nor the flammability. Small amounts, "special" occasions and relatively rare.

I've been reading up on IGH oil baths and of the few how-to guides I found, only one of them mentioned what solvent they used before oiling: petrol, per some British home mechanic. As I don't have kerosene or mineral spirits about, but do have about a gallon of white gas, I was going to use the white gas as solvent later this week when I bathe the hub.

After reading this thread, I think that I might just go ahead and buy a can of mineral spirits instead. Been meaning to try mixing my own chain lube, anyway.

Just to be clear, mineral spirits will evaporate from the part in question without a need for rinsing, yes?

Yes.

You do realize there are different grades of gasoline at the same gas station?
i.e. they could not be putting all of their product into one pipe.

I worked at a gas station when I was a kid and was a bit surprised to see the same tanker fill up our tanks, then go down the street and fill our competitor's tanks.
Then I learned the tanker had multiple tanks inside what externally appeared to be a single tank.

In answer to your last question, yes, but it takes
longer to do so. Heating the chain accelerates
the process, but don't use a flame because mineral
spirits is also flammable-- just not in the same
league with petrol.

Are you talking about disassembling the hub,
cleaning it, and then reassembling? Or are
you planning on just a long soak in its fully
assembled state? I've only used kerosene
on these in the past, but with good results.
Whichever you use, it will take longer to get
it to clear from an IGH fully assembled than
it will from a chain. Possibly this is why your
referenced recommendation for petrol was
given?

As to: thanks, you have warmed the cockles of my heart.

Respectfully,
Mike

Sure they can and do. They pump one product, then follow with another product. The in between product is sold to industry. The only difference between brands is the additives added at the destination.

Not true.
Crude oil and or refined products can go down the same pipeline without mixing because they are separated by a thing called a "pig". Further it does not all come through Texas. Oil and various products moves through many pipelines in our country and across its boarders, as well as in rail cars, a lot of rail cars, and trucks.

Added at the refineries. A refinery may custom blend gasoline and other fuels for various companies to the specifications of the marketing company. It is true that gasoline from one company's station may be the same as from another company's station, they can also be different.
The only problems I've had with gasoline have been due to impurities like water and dirt. I try to avoid stations with really old storage tanks or, even worse, brand new storage tanks.

FYI Gas is Gas and yes different refineries pump their product into the same pipe line. At the terminal the different gas and oil companies mix their additives and take it to your local gas station.

Bottom line on this thread tho is DONT use gas to clean bike parts.

I saw the same hour long show on the history channel. It was quite in depth. So unless you've got some credentials you'd like to share I'll believe you're incorrect.

Incorrect about what? Pigging? Transportation? Refining?
My credentials are 41 years in the oil and gas industry as a geologist and geophysicist.
If you think I'm incorrect about batch fluids being separated in a pipeline by pigs there are many sources of information on the subject. Here is one of the easier to find: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigging

Gasoline is a great solvent for cleaning,it also likes to catch on fire,imagine that.

I like using sodium hydroxide/sodium silicate(laundry detergent) and warm water.Works good and I don't have to worry about lighting myself/house on fire.

That's basically what I use at work in the hot tank for cleaning automotive heads and blocks.