[Hallicrafters] Re: [Hallicrafters]V4#519 - Cleaning solution

[Phil Barnes-Roberts AD6PQ]

At 04:07 AM 4/4/04 -0400, hallicrafters-request at mailman.qth.net juggled the 
keys to produce...
>{snip}
>--__--__--
>
>Message: 6
>Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2004 22:18:21 -0800
>From: Brian Crawford <Brian.Crawford at shaw.ca>
>To: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: [Hallicrafters] Cleaning solution
>
>Just back from holidays so catching up on the List's messages.  There were
>numerous items recently on cleaning compounds some referring to ammonia
>and/or window cleaner.  For those who want to save some money here is a
>formula for glass cleaner that may prove useful for some radio cleaning
>(I've used it on the cabinets and on unimportant plastic but haven't tried
>it on dial fronts yet).
>
>This formula was presented in "Consumer Reports" many many years ago (as an
>improvement over commercial glass cleaners) and I have been using it for at
>least 15yrs+ as a replacement for Windex, at far less cost.  The mix is:
>1 part sudsy ammonia (cloths washing grade)
>4 parts alcohol (99% solution available from you drug store)
>32 parts water
>1 Table spoon dish detergent
>
>I make up about a 3+ liters using the bottle of alcohol (100ml = I think
>slightly less than 4oz ?) as the base measuring point.  You can alter the
>proportions a little if you want, a little more ammonia seems to cut the
>grease a little better.  So  (for about @2.00 total cost)
>25 ml ammonia
>100 ml alcohol
>3200 ml water
>1 tblsp detergent
>Put the detergent in last and shake up to avoid it studying over while
>adding the water.
>
>Sorry but can't remember the exact equivalent imperial measures as our
>(Canadian) alcohol is sold in metric.
>I dilute this in about 1/2 or more for my car's windshield washer.
>
>Brian
>VE7BGC
>{snip}

Thanks, Brian, for posting this.  I've got quite a bit of cleaning to do, 
especially around damaged lettering on a dusty, spotted chassis.

I wonder, though, what alcohol this is, isopropyl, methyl, or ethyl?  We 
use 50% isopropyl at work to wipe down items coming into the clean room, 
and it actually works better for that than 99%, as there are things the 
water dissolves and IPA doesn't.  And it's a lot more benign than other, 
now banned, solvents.  But there are times that 195-proof ethyl (or even 
punctilious 200-proof, poisoned by the ether or lye used to scavenge the 
last water molecules - no party here!) will remove stuff nothing else 
touches - even Industrial Sharpie marker.

An aside:  On vacuum-exposed surfaces, you might use acetone (but a big 
fire hazard - ask me the story of my ex and the Dr's office lab, and the 
spilled dye sometime.)  The molecules are smaller and can be sucked out of 
a surface easier as it's pumped down.  Still looking for a reliable remover 
for really old, dried duct-/gaffer-/ordnance-tape.  Scraping with a 
block-plane blade tends to rough up surfaces.

Down here in SoCal, we can get 99% IPA at drugstores and supermarkets by 
the 16-oz or 437ml.  A good kitchen or medicine measure cup/glass would be 
useful to us metric-challenged Yanks in making up a batch.  Metric isn't 
hard, once you use it full-time; it's a snap.  The crazy-maker is 
constantly converting, and kills Mars missions.  Someday we'll get hip to it.

But at 1:4:32, wouldn't that be 800ml of water?  Still, thanks!

73, Phil Barnes-Roberts AD6PQ < mailto:pbarnrob at acm dot org >
JPL EMC Lab M/S 179-220, 818-354-7043, FAX 818-393-4319
Opinions=Cash Value $0.02; not redeemable for merchandise