Rubbing Alcohol

[peteski]

That's not what "denatured" means; denatured means something is specifically added so it's not pure.

Maybe it was a poor choice of words. It is not to be ingested, but it will not kill you just by you handling it. You partially quoted my reply to nkalanga stating that it is "very toxic".

Here is my full post (you partially quoted)

Well, IPA also damages paints (we use to strip the paint from Kato shells).  It is toxic if you drink it (that is why it is called denatured), so it is not consumable, but it is fine for its intended purposes.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol  Friend has been using it for years it for track cleaning.

If you notice, I also provided a Wikipedia link.  Quoting info in that link:
]Denatured alcohol, also called methylated spirits (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) or wood spirit or denatured rectified spirit, is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage recreational consumption.

I could be poisonous, but again, fine for use which does not include ingesting it (like cleaning or ballasting track).

[SkipGear]

I cringe when I see people say rubbing alcohol. Typically rubbing alcohol contains oils in it to keep from drying out your skin, similar to the hand sanitizers. These oils will cause stains when it dries. I used it once in a pinch to make wet water for some ballasting. The result yellowed the scenery cement. Had to take it all back up.

I always use Denatured Alcohol (also knows as Camp Stove Fuel), bought by the gallon from Home Depot. I use it as paint thinner for acrylic paints in a 50/50 mix with distilled water, parts cleaner, paint stripper, resin wash for my 3d printer, I also mix it 50/50 with lacquer thinner to make a body wash for my RC cars that won't haze or hurt the lexan bodies.  The last gallon I bought during the covid era was $25.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

*****, I forgot to mention... this is the perfect time to revive using Vodka!!

Get yourself a handle of the rockiest of rock gut and go to town.

[CBQ Fan]

I am looking for it to clean wheels and a couple pieces of track.

[BrionO]

You might want to read this article before stocking up on rubbing alcohol.  I found it interesting and I use DeoxIT DS and Neverstall with good results.  https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh2019-05/publishers-musings

[jereising]

You might want to read this article before stocking up on rubbing alcohol.  I found it interesting and I use DeoxIT DS and Neverstall with good results.  https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh2019-05/publishers-musings

That article spawned a rather large thread on Trainboard, with several members trying and giving results for the various solvents.

I personally have been using contact cleaner - after a trial of mineral spirits and my old standby of Goo-Gone.  Generally speaking, my track is squeaky clean these days.  I believe MRH has done us a service.

[MetroRedLine]

I wouldn't recommend denatured alcohol, or anything with methanol, for two reasons:

It's very toxic, and

It is known to damage some paints.

Even worse, it can melt/deform plastic.

[peteski]

Even worse, it can melt/deform plastic.

While it can affect paint, I have never see it damage any plastics that are used in model trains. Can you provide some specific examples?
I wonder if you mean acetone?

[MK]

I have never damaged any plastic with 70/91 or denatured alcohols.

We used to get nitro fuel all over our lexan car bodies with no issues at all.

[MetroRedLine]

That article spawned a rather large thread on Trainboard, with several members trying and giving results for the various solvents.

I personally have been using contact cleaner - after a trial of mineral spirits and my old standby of Goo-Gone.  Generally speaking, my track is squeaky clean these days.  I believe MRH has done us a service.

Contact cleaner is the ONLY logical fluid we should be using to clean track/locomotive pickup wheels. I mean, the whole point in live-rail model railroading is to make electrical contact...

[peteski]

Contact cleaner is the ONLY logical fluid we should be using to clean track/locomotive pickup wheels. I mean, the whole point in live-rail model railroading is to make electrical contact...

There are many uses for alcohol in our hobby (denatured, isopropyl, and even the indigestible one).  Many use it to reduce surface tension of water (when ballasting). Some use as a degraser/cleaner for metal and plastic parts of model locomotives. Track cleaning is just one of the uses. 

You are now introducing the highly volatile, and often a taboo subject of what  is best as a track cleaner.  That is just as serious as discussing politics or religion.    Some modelers prefer to degrease track and wheel treads, leaving them clean and dry.  Others use oily substances (contact cleaner also contains oily substance that coats the contacts to prevent oxidation).  But there is a school of thought that oily residue makes loco wheels slip and reduces its pulling ability, while others also think that the oily deposit on the track attracts dust and debris (making the track dirty).  Also, you can't add contact cleaner to water, to reduce its surface tension for ballasting track.

But this discussion was about obtaining rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, and later expanded to other alcohols.  It is not a "best track cleaning method" thread.  But I guess on TRW it is sort of expected for threads to go off-topic. 

I would still like to see some specific examples of plastics melted/deformed by denatured alcohol.

[pedro]

I would still like to see some specific examples of plastics melted/deformed by denatured alcohol.

Been there, done that: Kato SD40-2 shell; I tried repeated dunkings/scrubbings in denatured alcohol with minimal effect, so I put a lid on it for a few days. (Honestly, I forgot about it)  Oops. And it STILL didn’t remove all the paint.  Note the blue plastic used on the cab. The green paint came right off of there, but the green paint on the long hood didn’t budge. I’d love to know what that stuff is made of...

[SkipGear]

The only thing I have seen from using denatured to strip shells is on rare occasions, the plastic getting brittle. I've never seen it melt anything. 

That's a rather scary photo.

[pedro]

The only thing I have seen from using denatured to strip shells is on rare occasions, the plastic getting brittle. I've never seen it melt anything. 

That's a rather scary photo.

Well, that was several days (3+) at full immersion. Prior to that, I had been trying brief dunkings, followed by scrubbing with a toothbrush, with only minimal results. Lettering was coming off, edges and corners were getting lighter,  but that was it. There hadn’t been any signs of trouble with the plastic, so I figured it was safe to leave it for a day. Then I forgot about it...

[peteski]

Wow, that is impressive!  I have never encountered the problem, but then again I have never left any plastic in alcohol for that long.  I'll have to remember not to ever do that.