[ARC5] MEK, benzene, acetone for Q dope.

Mon Mar 10 12:43:01 EDT 2014

In my opinion MSDS warnings are for chemical use that occurs in an industrial setting not "industrial exposure".   It is true there are some odd results, such as rubbing alcohol in a home bathroom being "unregulated" and an another bottle of the same stuff at work without a MSDS sticker makes the employer selectable to a serious fine.

However it is a mistake to think MSDS warnings can be safely ignored or discounted for occasional home use.

MEK scares me and I avoid its use at home if I can and use full precautions when I can't avoid use.

On Monday, March 10, 2014 11:56 AM, J. Forster <jfor at quikus.com> wrote:

MSDSs are for Industrial Exposure...  40 hours per week for many years.
Not for occasional, casual use.

You can die from drinking water or eating carrots too.

-John

=====================

> All,
> Here is the Material Safety Data Sheet for the MEK. They always sound
> scary,
> but with the toxicity at greater than 2 gram per kilo you would have to
> drink about 3 ounces to get close to an acute  problem. The most danger is
> it is very flammable so think like gasoline; use in a well ventilated
> space
> away from ignition sources. Best outside unless it is snowing. A basement
> might pose a problem if you spilled a pint bottle.
> I am a voyeur on this site. My dad was W6FKQ and I got on your mailing
> list
> when I asked one member about some WW2 radio gear my dad had in the attic
> and in his rack in the basement. I have appreciated learning from all of
> you
> about some of the gear. There are a number of pieces in the attic, some
> new
> in the box, and one ARC-5 (sans tubes, but I probably have them in the few
> thousand tubes he tested and saved). I plan to get to divesting this gear
> and plan to start here as I know it will find a good appreciative home.
> I never got my ham license though my dad tried to interest me. I am a
> chemist and could not "see" what the electrons were doing vs what I mixed
> in
> a flask. Also, I could not make them explode.
> Regards,
> jim
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> On
> Behalf Of J. Forster
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 10:02 AM
> To: Leslie Smith
> Cc: ARC-5 List
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] MEK, benzene, acetone for Q dope.
>
> If you have a jar of MEK and leave it uncapped for a day, you have an
> empty
> jar.
>
> It does not 'rust' metals. I removes all oil films, and then the metal
> rusts.
>
> An occasional whiff of MEK is not hazardous, but it's stupid to stick your
> head in a tank of it's vapors. You'll probably get high, as with hundreds
> of
> other solvents.
>
> -John
>
> =================
>
>
>>   An observation, but without actual experience.
>>
>>   MEK is prone to rust ferric metals.
>>   I wouldn't breathe fumes from MEK (but I don't think any sensible
>>   person would do that).
>>   Benzene is a known carcinogen, but not liable to rust metal.
>>   Acetone should dissolve polystyrene "chips" but less hazardous than
>>   the other two.
>>
>>
>>   73 de Les Smith
>>  vk2bcu at operamail.com
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 9, 2014, at 8:19, Kenneth G. Gordon wrote:
>>> On 8 Mar 2014 at 14:25, hwhall at compuserve.com wrote:
>>>
>>> > I had done some googling on plastics when thinking about coil
>>> > supports
>>> and the
>>> > polystyrene used in Q-Dope, plastic peanuts, and model airplanes
>>> > was
>>> about the
>>> > most completely RF-transparent common plastic that anyone had
>>> > reported
>>> on.
>>>
>>> The "Q" dope someone here suggested to me, 1/2 pint of MEK and as
>>> many plastic peanuts or styrofoam (same stuff, AFAIK) cups dissolved
>>> in it as it will take.
>>>
>>> Worked absolutely prefectly for me.
>>>
>>> The 1/2 pint of MEK took 16 large styrofoam cups and could have taken
>>> more, but as I said a while back, it was taking longer and longer to
>>> completely dissolve them, so I quit and used it as was.
>>>
>>> Nice stuff.
>>>
>>> Ken W7EKB
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>
>
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