Hope you all had a safe New Years celebration and a blessed 2013, now here’s my question. I was at Kmart this morning and I saw 71% and 91% rubbing achohal, which would be the best to use to clean your tracks, thanks for the help.
Neither. Do not use rubbing alcohol to clean track or wheels; rubbing alcohol has some sort of oil added to it which gums everything up. Avoid avoid avoid!!
Use isopropyl alcohol instead. 70% IPA is cheap, easy to find, and works great. I use it with paper towels and cotton swabs and never have problems with dirty track or wheelsets.
Happy training!
Stu
Hey, I’m no chemist, but I don’t think that is an accurate answer.
Unless I am mistaken, rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. In fact, isopropyl alcohol is derived from denatured alcohol.
I believe that the percentage figure is simply the volume of alcohol, ranging from 70% to 99%, contained in the bottle of liquid solution.
As far as I know, any form of rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or denatured alcohol can be used to clean track.
Rich
I use 91% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning wheels, rerailer tracks and turnouts where crud can collect in flangeways and guardrails.
Just check the labels. Rubbing alcohol is often just Isoproplyl alcohol, but it may be diluted with more than just water, which is bad. Either concentration will work, just besure it’s made up of alcohol and water, no perfumes, dyes, or oils.
–Randy
“Rubbing alcohol” is a name that refers to use of a substance. The term “denatured” usually refers to ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol) that has a poison added to make it undrinkable, and therefore not liable to taxation and regulation as an intoxicating beverage. Isopropyl alcohol does not have to be denatured as it is naturally toxic by itself, without any additive.
I use both depending on what I have and currently it’s the 71% it works pretty keeps track clean and usable, maybe that’s what I could do today that’s train related. they could use a good cleaning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol
I think we’re both right, Rich. The chemical/physical properties section of the wiki article above make it pretty clear that rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol, as you pointed out. It also adds that it may or may not have extra crud added to it, like the oil I mentioned.
So, to the OP, read the label. If it has extra crud in it, pick something else. There’s no shortage of choice when it comes to this stuff.
Stu
Stu,
I do agree with you and Randy and others as well that the isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, call it what you will, should be free of oils and scents. I looked on the K-Mart web site, and some of their isopropyl alcohol items have additives such as wintergreen. Alcohol used to clean rails should be free of such additives.
Rich
I have a bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol here. The list of ingredients says Active Ingredient Isopropyl Alcohol; Inactive Ingredient Purified Water.
For what it is worth, I believe that the Purified Water is actually distilled water
Rich
That’s pretty much it - if it says the only ingredients are alcohol and water, regardless of what they call it on the label, then it’s ok. If it has oil of anything listed as an ingredient, do not use that ont he track or for thinning anything, or for the India ink in alcohol wood staining trick, the oils will leave a redidue or cause the ink to seprate out or other undesireable things. Regardless if the label says "isopropyl alcohol’ or ‘rubbing alcohol’, if it has just 2 ingredients, it’s fine.
–Randy
Thanks all, Alcohol, and water is the only mix, so theres alot of track cleaning in 2013!!!