[R-390] Cleaning

Thu, 09 Jan 2003 19:38:13 -1000

Just to bring you 'old salts' up to date, they're now installing reverse 
osmosis systems to replace the distilling plants, both surface and subs.  Of 
course, that old navy formula would give the current EPA/haz mat monitor 
fits.  The only things they carry today are probably the water and alcohol.  
But there are no gear trains onboard that need degreasing anymore.

pete, KH6GRT

>From: "Jerry Kincade" <[email protected]>
>To: "Bob Camp" <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
>Subject: Re: [R-390] Cleaning
>Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 06:41:22 -0600
>
>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" <[email protected]>
>To: <[email protected]>
>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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > R-390 mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/r-390
> >
>
>
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