From: RWolf99@aol.com
Message-ID: <ac502217.36e934f5@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 10:38:29 EST
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Subject: Methylene Chloride
Mime-Version: 1.0

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Wow!  I had no idea I'd touch off such a firestorm of comments on Methylene
Chloride.  Thanks for the ideas.  When I used to work for a battery company we
had to clean small metal parts which became battery casings.  It became very
obvious that MC was far superior than acetone for cleaning greases and oils.
Don't know about wax.  I also discovered that acetone gave be a pounding
headache.  I wasn't casual with the stuff, either.  We had chemical
ventilation hoods, we wore gloves -- this was a working chemical lab rented
from the British Petroleum (BP) research lab in Cleveland.  So I don't use
acetone at all.  I will be using pure MC, not because I think the additives
degrade performance but because of the headaches.

MC is dangerous.  It is not flammable, but the threshhold limit value is
exceeded if one drop evaporates in a standard sized room.  The threshhold
limit value is that amount that you can breathe for eight hours per day, every
day, without harm.  So while the TLV is temporarily exceeded while you use the
stuff, I open the garage door  when I start a wiping session, plus I throw the
"used" cloths out in the front yard to dry off while I continue to clean.  I
put butyl gloves on when I do this (you can't work in these but you can wipe
in them) and then I gather up the used wipes immediately and throw them in the
outdoor trash can.  I wait a while before I close the door.  This keeps the
vapors down to the lowest level I can achieve.  Vacuums and such (exhausting
outside) sound like a good idea to me.

It's good stuff.  But be careful.

- Rob Wolf
rwolf99@aol.com