[R-390] Cleaning

[Jerry Kincade]

Being a Navy formula, it was probably intended for shipboard use, although I
think the naptha thing would be frowned on by the Damage Control Officer
responsible for fire prevention. With a couple of minor exceptions (exterior
saltwater washdown system, etc.) ALL water aboard a Navy ship is distilled
as part of the steam plant operating process. Oil fired steam boilers
require pure distilled water to operate, so a large capacity fresh water
distilling plant is built into the system. Some of this water is saved aside
for crew use, where it is carefully managed and restricted in its
applications (thus the old term "Navy shower", which means a quick wet-down,
turn off water, soap down, quick rinse, turn off water). Newer gas-turbine
driven ships have a seperate fresh water distilling system for the same
purpose."Water Hours" is a dreaded term used aboard ship to describe water
restrictions which allow use of distilled fresh water only during certain
hours of the day. If you had the watch and missed your shower, tough
bananas. Also, you don't dare cut it too close at the end of the advertised
Water Hours time frame - if you are soaped down and ready to rinse, some
fiendish and diabolical snipe might turn the water off just at that moment.
The same snipe would sometimes cross up some valves and dump a little
flavoring agent (fuel oil) into the fresh water tanks, making for a couple
of weeks of nasty smelling and tasting water, thereby making himself a
temporary outcast among his shipmates. OTOH, it still beat the hell out of
taking a bath in a muddy foxhole using a helmet liner for a bathtub. :-) You
can buy distilled water for about a dollar a gallon today, and I wouldn't be
surprised if it cost dang near that much to produce it aboard ship if all
the costs were figured in. Subject tie-in: we had six R-390A's and a dozen
CV-591A's up in the radio shack on my first ship. They almost never broke.
End of Navy Lore 101.
73, Jerry W5KP  USN(Ret)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Camp" <bob@cq.nu>
To: <r-390@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 7:13 PM
Subject: [R-390] Cleaning


> Hi,
>
> Is on topic judged in relation to one's most recent posts ...... in that
> case I guess this is on topic.
>
> We seem to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to clean off gear
> trains. I just came across an official US Navy process from back in 1947.
It
> *looks* like all the stuff is still available. You use:
>
> Naphtha (70 to 72 degrees Baume)
> 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
> Distilled water
> Cleaning solution a mix of:
>     30 liters distilled water (gulp)
>     300 grams Oxalic acid tech grade
>     3 liters Isopropyl Alcohol
>     800 cc ammonium hydroxide
>     200 cc alkamine (alkyl sulphate)
> Rinse solution:
>     2400 cc distilled water
>     48 grams Orvus flakes (alkyl sulphate)
>
> The process:
>
>     two minutes in naphtha
>     One minute in alcohol
>     two minutes in cleaning solution
>     one minute in rinse solution
>     two minutes in distilled water
>     one minute in fresh alcohol
>     one minute in even fresher alcohol
>     finally dry it with a hot air blower
>
> Except for alkyl sulphate stuff it all sounds like pretty common stuff. I
> suspect it will clean the guck off of gear trains pretty well. It's even
> older than an R-390 so it's gotta be good !!!
>
> Also note - no I"m not going to ask for any more chemestry help from the
> associated hangers on around the house here. You are on your own for the
> alkyl stuff.
>
>     Take Care!
>
>         Bob Camp
>         KB8TQ
>
>
>
>
>
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