Hand Cleaner have gotten Wimpy

[Wingnut]

Is it just thinking this: The GoJoe hand cleaner I used in the early 1980's was a heck of a lot better than the GoJoe of today on cleaning grease and grime off!

What happen over the years?

[sixchows]

people died of skin cancers and blood diseases.

[modre]

mud works pretty good as an abrasive in a pinch...Indians didn't have soap, but still did pretty well with the ladies.
detergent engine oil works surprisingly good in a pinch, but then you need soap before you can dig for boogers.
WD40, gasoline, kerosene. mineral spirits ect... works for pine sap.
or just buy the purple Go-Jo with pummice and use an old plastic bristled toothbrush for the manicure...then progressively wash 10 times with soap and water before you get the taste off your fingers.

nothing works on POR paint...it has to wear off.

[Fusion1970]

I think Six has a valid point. Everything nowadays is environmentally friendly, ozone safe, skin safe, etc..

I remember when I used to gelcoat boats, I would stick my arms in a 5 gallom bucket of acetone up to my elbows...and did that many times a day for 4.5 years. Now, I think id rather have a milder hand cleaner even if it takes a bit longer.

Greg

[chipmaker]

I have yet to run up against anything acetone or MEK does not remove, however I may live or actually die to regret that later.......But its been quite some time now that an air hose or just a spritz under some plain basic water does not remove what I get on my hands anymore....I even manage to change my oil without getting so much as a smear of crud on me anymore........and that and pulling the trigger on my pneumatic grease gun is about as dirty as I care to get anymore.

I used to like GoJo, and the claim to being water less, well I could only use it if I had a means to wash it off afterwards as the smel of GoJo does not set with me particularly well.....I have also had great results with Dawn dishwashing detergent, but it works best with warm / ot water, and is probably as safe as it gets next to plain water.......then again if you live in Mexico, water may not be a good idea anyhow.....

[USN_ED]

I think "sixchows" had it right. To further expand, there have been several law suits by people claiming to have had negative results from the use of hand cleaners.

There seems to be a lot more "lanolin" in hand cleaners now-days than there is "cleaner".

I use Turpentine mostly and keep a small can of it right on my work-bench. It does the job and makes me smell like a pine tree.

[Archdean]

I have yet to run up against anything acetone or MEK does not remove, however I may live or actually die to regret that later.......But its been quite some time now that an air hose or just a spritz under some plain basic water does not remove what I get on my hands anymore....I even manage to change my oil without getting so much as a smear of crud on me anymore........and that and pulling the trigger on my pneumatic grease gun is about as dirty as I care to get anymore.

I used to like GoJo, and the claim to being water less, well I could only use it if I had a means to wash it off afterwards as the smel of GoJo does not set with me particularly well.....I have also had great results with Dawn dishwashing detergent, but it works best with warm / ot water, and is probably as safe as it gets next to plain water.......then again if you live in Mexico, water may not be a good idea anyhow.....

Acetone is a precursor used in Meth labs, try to buy it in any large quanity and see what happens!!

Times change man how they change!! Personaly God gave me a brain to reason with and I'm sick of some DS thinking I need to be protected from myself!!:banghead3

[chipmaker]

Acetone is a precursor used in Meth labs, try to buy it in any large quanity and see what happens!!

Times change man how they change!! Personaly God gave me a brain to reason with and I'm sick of some DS thinking I need to be protected from myself!!:banghead3



Arch
YOu can buy acetone all day long at any Home Depot or Lowes in 1 gal cans without a problem. I routinely buy it in 5 gal pails (tech grade) and usually but 2 pails at a time when I do buy it. I also buy lots of potassium Permangante, Tech grade which is yet another biggie with the DEA and the back yard chemists.

About 3 months ago, I went and picked up 165# (3 55# buckets) of Ppotassium Permaganate, 5 gal of Nitric Acid, and 10 Gal of Acetone, and 25# or cyanide crystalls, and 20 gal of Trico 1.1.1. all at the same time, and the chemical supply house here never batted an eye.........

I use the Potassium Permaganate for oxidizing ponds etc, and use a lot of it myself as well as clenaing up other folks ponds, and since it takes approx 20# for one of my ponds I always try and keep at least 50# on hand all the time.
I use Nitric acid to remove broken taps, and also to color steel items I make in my shop, as well as a few other uses.

The acetone is used mainly as a degreaser and cleaner and thinner.
The Cyanide I use it for case hardening odds and ends
The trico 1.1.1. I use as a bath for my ultrasonic parts cleaner and also general cleaing of items so no residue is left.

Back a few years ago Trico1.1.1. was used like water in the military for all kind sof things, Every Friday wewould mop the entire hanger with it, Can you picture a dozen or more troops with mops, and bucket fulls of Trico, slopping it all around. We used to spray gallons of it and I mean gallons of it in aircraft engine bays and on aircraft engines to clean em up before dissassembly. Used to have a engine shipping container (the typical steel case in half sections and secured with a ton of bolts) the military ships jet engines in, and we had it full of trico, and used to soak our after burner sections in it.......Our environmental shop used to take care of oxygen systems and cryogenic storage containers, and used trico 1.1.1. by the 55 gal drum fulls to clean O2 equipment........It used to be sold for cleaning the platens on typewriters as well.........Seems all the good stuff that worked great is now for the most part hard to get in lots of cases, and the better something usually did the job the more hazzardous it wound up being.......In vietnam we used to take 55 gal drums of benzine and dump it in the choppers and APC's to clean em up....Now they have a law suit as to the problems Benzine cased.....back then.

I have a question for y'all........anyone care to take a guess at what the worlds most used solvent/thinner is today?

[Archdean]

Chip,

All I can say re: acetone is when I owned my HW/paint store in AK, If you wanted to purchase over 1 gallon you either needed a contractors licence or sign a paper for it's intended use!!

I sold the store in 1991 and perhaps it, the Fed Reg has been relaxed!! don't know!!:trink39:

[MowHoward2210]

...............
....................................
I have a question for y'all........anyone care to take a guess at what the worlds most used solvent/thinner is today?

Water. :D

[Archdean]

Water. :D

Water has been acclaimed as the Universal Solvent!! can't really comment on the cleaner aspect! I really don't know!!

[Fusion1970]

Water is a great guess now that I think about it. Im amazed at the amount of things that say to use warm water, soapy water, etc. for clean-up. "Epoxy fortified" garage floor paint for one. I also sealed the driveway on Wednesday, and it suggests warm water to clean off of yourself, tools, etc.. Must be a fear of liability with chemicals or something, as there is no way water would take that stuff off- not by the time I got to it anyway. Im out of acetone and paint thinner, and had to use naptha, and it still did not do too much.

But then again, I can see where water could be considered a "thinner", but dunno about a solvent. I would say gasoline, in which I have also used many times to clean engine parts...and thats back when leaded gas was still sold. Like the saying goes "If I knew I would live this long, i'd have taken better care of myself."

I'll go with gas...but then again, at the time acetone or paint thinner is almost cheaper. LOL

Greg

[CatDaddy]

I use mineral spirits to remove grease & oils, followed by a wash-up with dish soap.

Even though it's not the best for most 'mechanical' purposes, water does disolve more stuff than any other liquid.

[professor]

Try "Fast orange". Delightful stuff. If that doesn't take it off I let it wear off. Here's why: My feet were painful for no reason. Missdiagnosed by 2 doctors, searching the internet gave me the answer- Periphial nerve damage. Has many causes, including toxic metals, SOLVENTS........... I had been working in oil a lot and use alcohol as a solvent and occasionally laquer thinner for years.
Some of the guys in the shop wear the blue surgical type gloves at times. Now I do.
There are many things I would like to do but can't (like going for a walk or to the drags) Eventually I will be victorious over this, but I am telling you guys about it so you can avoid what I've been going thru.

Mike

[chipmaker]

The answer is "Water"..yep good old plain water. I never viewed water as a so called solvent either, but it sure is.......its just that what I usually try and dissolve took more than water, but water dissolves lots of stuff we don't actually think about in daily life.....

[USN_ED]

Try "Fast orange". Delightful stuff. If that doesn't take it off I let it wear off. Here's why: My feet were painful for no reason. Missdiagnosed by 2 doctors, searching the internet gave me the answer- Periphial nerve damage. Has many causes, including toxic metals, SOLVENTS........... I had been working in oil a lot and use alcohol as a solvent and occasionally laquer thinner for years.
Some of the guys in the shop wear the blue surgical type gloves at times. Now I do.
There are many things I would like to do but can't (like going for a walk or to the drags) Eventually I will be victorious over this, but I am telling you guys about it so you can avoid what I've been going thru.

Mike

professor -

I know you're a religious type of guy but I also know you drink in a moderate fashion because you told me you did. Remember the three beers at some function you went to? :trink40:

Everything ya said was ok until ya got to the part about using alcohol as a solvent. :fing20: Good Lord man!!!!! Ya drink alcohol!!!!! You'd do a lot for your feet if ya'd just put you feet up and drink a beer three times a day.

[professor]

Hi Ed, I know you are pulling my chain (again). I began using alcohol at the shop because I considered it the least harmful of the available solvents as far as I know. It is used in Brazil for motor fuel- super high octane too. Isn't it different than the stuff you drink?
I could follow your suggestion on the three beers but that would wipe out a couple of months drinking in one shot!
Seriously, have you tried the citrus-based cleaners? I also use "Awsome Orange" spray for general cleaning, from the Dollar store.

Mike

[USN_ED]

Hi Ed, I know you are pulling my chain (again). I began using alcohol at the shop because I considered it the least harmful of the available solvents as far as I know. It is used in Brazil for motor fuel- super high octane too. Isn't it different than the stuff you drink?
I could follow your suggestion on the three beers but that would wipe out a couple of months drinking in one shot!
Seriously, have you tried the citrus-based cleaners? I also use "Awsome Orange" spray for general cleaning, from the Dollar store.

Mike

I WAS serious. Strain any type of alcohol through a slice of bread and a piece of charcoal and you're good to go. If ya want some color, add a splash of tea and viola -- ya got good booze. :trink40:

Yep, I happen to have some orange based cleaner in my shop but as I said earlier, it seems to have more lanolin in it than cleaner. I prefer to use my turpentine and go around smelling like a pine tree. The only draw back to that is that you've got to be careful when a dog's around as he might lift a leg on ya. ROF

Ok, forget my original prescription and modify it to an occassional beer. :trink39:

[chipmaker]

Straining alcohol through bread as well as Streno brings back some awfull memories as a teen! I often ask myself how I have ever made it this far in life witout killing myself or becoming a vegetable. At least now I have to belive I am older, maybe not too much wiser, but I learn awfuly fast. I think I will still keep drinking my alcohol from containers with a legit tax stamp, that is unless my buddy makes up another batch of home brew or shine and then the tax stamp thingie is moot!

[jdkubotamurray]

people died of skin cancers and blood diseases.
Yea, but they died with clean hands. ROF Lately for the same reason I have returned to using Lava Soap like I did in the 70's. :fing32: I was thinking they must have cut back the solvents in the and jelly cleaners. :fing20:

[HydroHarold]

Greg, nice to meet another veteran of the "Resin and Roving Wars"! I used to work for Duratec boats in Southern NY during the late fifties and did the elbow deep in acetone or MEK baths too. Then I got a GOOD job where I could wash up with toluene and the ol' "Tricloroethylene Family of Personal Hygene Products". Having read all the stuff I wonder what long term effect it will have when I'm 90 or so.

My favorite hand cleaner for many years has been any cheap-o hair shampoo. It works well on most automotive grease but not sap, NeverSeize or eel slime.

Modre, according to the writings of Jeramia Johnson, Indian women rather liked the scents and feel of Grizzly Grease and Buffa-lube... Sort of like the effect of Hai Karati cologne on the younger ladies in the sixties... AWSOME!
:D

[CatDaddy]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers Jeremiah Johnson.

When we got our class rosters for the new year, I saw that I had a kid named Jeremiah Johnson in my 7th hour class. I pointed it out to my other team-mates & nobody got it. I got an even better laugh when I called roll the first day & Jeremiah was a short, black, bucktoothed kid. Not much resemblance to Robert Redford. ROF ROF ROF

[Fusion1970]

HH- It was a dirty job. I remember going home with needles poking me in the legs, arms, feet hands, etc., from pieces of "chop". I also remember a straight shot of MEKP in my left eye; thought I was going to go blind. With the acetone, polystyrene, MEKP, PVA, mold wax strippers, toluene, etc., I am seriously amazed I am still here. I just hope it doesnt give me trouble down the road. I am without a doubt more cautious as to what I subject my body to.

It has been about 11 years since I worked there, and still can recall the Magnum gelcoat gun, the 626 tip, the 55 gal. barrels of gelcoat, the lovely smell of 2-part foam, and with all that in mind, I still miss it. It was a dirty job that I would not wish on anybody, but the thought of a perfect 25 mils after 3 or 4 passes is enough to make me miss it. It was definately an art back then, and is much more intense nowdays with multi-colored gelcoat schemes and patterns.

What kind of boats did Duratec build?

Greg

[Fusion1970]

While I reflect, heres a pic of a 25 or 26' Pro Line. The biggest boat I gelcoated was a 29.5', as I worked in the Sport building. Dont want to stray too far from the subject at hand, but its nice to hear from another fiberglass guru.

As for hand cleaner, I have been using NAPA brand stuff. It works good, but stinks pretty bad. It also makes your hands feel oily even after washing with regular dish soap a couple times afterwards.

Greg

[Ingersoll444]

Latly I have found the best hand cleaner is to wear rubber gloves. I go through boxes of those blue gloves, and my skin thanks me for it.

[jdkubotamurray]

When I really get in something hard to get off I have used WD-40 and Gumout, since WD 40 changed formulation is seem to be not as good a solvent.