I was wrong about 90% alcohol !


M

MHinLA

Guest
Hi. I can't seem to locate thread now. So I'm replying here. (maybe it wasn't in MRF).
There was a discussion about wheel/track cleaning. I think I said something about using alcohol for this, completely evaporates (+-).
Well, last night I cleaned both my laptop and a urethane coated guitar.. When I held the guitar up to see its glare it had dull streaks all over it..Same with my laptop screen...I had some cotton nearby and rubbed the film off both items.. So I now agree with those who say not to use alcohol to clean train contacts...
Mea Culpa, M
 
MHinLA said:
Hi. I can't seem to locate thread now. So I'm replying here. (maybe it wasn't in MRF).
There was a discussion about wheel/track cleaning. I think I said something about using alcohol for this, completely evaporates (+-).
Well, last night I cleaned both my laptop and a urethane coated guitar.. When I held the guitar up to see its glare it had dull streaks all over it..Same with my laptop screen...I had some cotton nearby and rubbed the film off both items.. So I now agree with those who say not to use alcohol to clean train contacts...
Mea Culpa, M
Click to expand...

Ninety Percent Alcohol? That's 180 Proof!
Hal
 
Actually, its not the alcohol itself that is leaving the residue. The problem with using high percentage alcohols (90%, 91%, 99%) is that, while they do dissolve oils, etc., they evaporate so fast that they just redeposit the emulsified oils and dirt right back on the surface. That's why products like Windex have a high water content - to slow the evaporation so that the application cloth can pickup the residue. Regardless, alcohols are not the best for track cleaning.
 
I was the one who started tha Thread on February 20th, Does Using Alcohol Leave a Residue on Track or Wheels?

Since then I been reading that there are several types of alcohol with different inert ingredients, besides water in the alcohols' formula. Not all blends of alcohol are just alcohol and water.

I stopped using alcohol as a track cleaner and started to use only mechanical cleaners like my Masonite pad car and in some case followed with a conductive , protective coating like ATC 6006.

Goof points Kevin.

Greg
 
Use kerosene. It's at the top of the list for recommended non-polar fluids that won't leave your tracks dirty or compromised for continuity. Also recommended are lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, and transmission fluid (plastics and paints safe, Dexron III Mercon or modern variation).
 
MHinLA: I'll continue using alcohol on for wheel cleaning of my locomotives, but use clean toweling under the wheels as a finishing process to clean the wheels of any alcohol residue. Alcohol is a great cleaner, but can be hard on certain items.

I use water and a touch of alcohol in a sprayer to clean my foliage on the layout and I'll careful not to spray any thing other than foliage materials. Great for hiding dust!!!

Greg
 
MHinLA said:
Hi. I can't seem to locate thread now. So I'm replying here. (maybe it wasn't in MRF).
There was a discussion about wheel/track cleaning. I think I said something about using alcohol for this, completely evaporates (+-).
Well, last night I cleaned both my laptop and a urethane coated guitar.. When I held the guitar up to see its glare it had dull streaks all over it..Same with my laptop screen...I had some cotton nearby and rubbed the film off both items.. So I now agree with those who say not to use alcohol to clean train contacts...
Mea Culpa, M
Click to expand...

The train part of this has been covered, but you should never use anything other than plain water (on a cloth, of course, not sprayed) to clean any flat screen. Alcohol, ammonia, pretty much any chemical cleaner has the potential to degrade or discolor the protective surface of a flat screen, unless something has changed drastically in the last five years, which is the last time I bought one and bothered to look at the manual. That was one huge problem when everybody started switching to flat screens and would wipe them down with Windex just like their old glass tube TVs. Lots of screens ruined that way.
 
Could the residue that remained as the dull film actually be dirt that remained after the cleaning with alcohol and the dry wiping removed the last traces of that dirty film? I know that in the shopping mall operations, windows and door glass was cleaned at least once a day with an alcohol/cleaning solution mixed with water was used. Many times a film was left on the glass that could only be seen only when there was a back light against the glass like a sunrise, sunset or headlites. The then what seemed to be clean glass looked dirty with a film.

I know that I will still use alcohol for wheel cleaning, but run the wheels on clean toweling after the first go around with the alcohol. I find that alcohol does a great job of wheel cleaning.

Regarding track cleaning, a piece of cork roadbed makes a great track cleaner that isn't as aggressive as a Bight Boy or other eraser types of track cleaners.

Greg
 
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