starting fluid

[peerlesscowboy]

Has anybody used starting fluid to degrease new moulds? Ya' know, that stuff that comes in aerosol cans that's made for starting reluctant diesel engines when it's cold.
Got a couple of new RCBS moulds in the mail yesterday, wiped 'em dry and thinking it'd be good to squirt 'em down with starting fluid to remove any last vestages of oil?

John C. Saubak

[onondaga]

YUCK! Pretty stinky and way low flash point. Hot water and dish detergent works fine. Mean Green works great too, then a good HOT rinse and dry before you lube.
Gary

[pdawg_shooter]

Starting fluid, (ether) is a great degreeser. However it is so inflammable as to be extremely dangerous to use.

[gray wolf]

Get to close to it and you will take a little nap = ZZZZZzzzzzzzz

[JSnover]

You can use it but it's pretty toxic stuff, especially if it's exposed to heat. Another member had a bad experience a few months back. Use it outdoors and make sure the mold is dry before you go near the pot

[woodyubet]

I use Carburator cleaner or Brake cleaner. Both dry almost instantly.

[stubshaft]

Kroil

[geargnasher]

Most carb cleaners contain a light lubricating oil that is left behind as a residue to keep throttle and choke linkages from seizing, and also to provide a measure of corrosion resistance to the clean aluminum alloy surfaces of carbs.

Starting fluids contain a valve and upper-cylinder lubricant to prevent galling when dry-starting diesels.

As we know, oils in our mould cavities are undesireable. Use Brake cleaner or water-based detergent cleansers.

Gear

[lwknight]

The stuff we get now days is not even ether. Either .
When I was a kid , my dad sold used cars and ether was what he used to clean the nicotine haze
off the windshields. It worked better than anything else.
I tried it recently and it was a no-go. The new stuff just don't cut it.

[geargnasher]

If you get the right brand, K&W IIRC is one of the better ones, it will contain up to 50% ether. It's the other 50%+ that's the rub. I wish the EPA hadn't banned and limited raw hydrocarbon emisisons so much, right now I'm really missing the Global Warming!!!!!

Gear

[btroj]

You Texas boys whine when it gets below 50. I can send you a few 5 below nights if you want, we seem to have plenty this year.

As for mold cleaning, I like good old Comet, hot water and a toothbrush. Seems to work pretty darn well. I also find that many moulds benefit from a cleaning again after the first use. Seems the hearing of the mould brings out more oil. I view the first casting with a new mould as a break in anymore.

Brad

[dragonrider]

Dish soap, hot water, toothbrush is all you need.

[Bret4207]

Yes, I do. I use it for lots of stuff you aren't supposed to.

[JIMinPHX]

The last I checked, which was a while ago, starting fluid was a mixture of ethyl ether & propane.

To get an ether molecule, you basically slam together two alcohol molecules & remove 1 water molecule. That should give you a pretty good idea of what ether's properties are. It is a much stronger solvent than alcohol is & it is much more flammable than alcohol is. It also evaporates very quickly.

I believe that the propane was added to make the ether unattractive to sniff. Ethyl ether is the same stuff that used to be used for anesthesia many years ago. Some thieves have been known to spray old fashioned (100% straight ether) starting fluid into the vents of coffin sleepers on trucks at truck stops, then break in & rob the occupant. Apparently, that doesn't work so well with the modern mix. I think that propane is just plain toxic, but I'm not completely sure about that. I am sure that it has an undesirable effect when inhaled. I'm just not sure how bad that effect is.

Ether will dissolve grease & grime very well, but you need to move quickly to wipe up the dissolved mess before the ether evaporates & leaves the crud behind, now stuck worse than it was to begin with.

As has been said before, there is the flammability issue to consider too. That stuff will start an engine that did not start from gasoline alone. That should put the fire risk into perspective pretty well.

[richbug]

Yes, I do. I use it for lots of stuff you aren't supposed to.

Great all purpose solvent. I have started carrying a can in my range bag for cleaning my AR 22 conversion kit.

Usual caveats apply, some brands have more ether than others(Pyroil/Valvoline is a good one). Use it outside.

[DIRT Farmer]

Most old tractors have a can or 3 in the tool box. Great stuff and it also can be used to get a cold engine to start, I just used it for that today. Great for getting tubless ag tires to pop out to the rim to air them up just set the loader bucket on the rim to keep them in place or leave it on the hub, drying out distrubitor caps and as a propellant on high grade tater guns. Also used in meth production, you might get your picture taken if you buy to many cans.

Yes I have used it to clean moulds, the propane is the propelant to make it spray. Cold propane sucks as a propelant so you have to heat the can on the defroster to get it to spray.

[bumpo628]

Can you use rubbing alcohol?

[btroj]

Rubbing alcohol is not a great degreasing solvent. Too polar. Soap and water will do better than alcohol.
I like Comet as I can make a thick paste out of it and let it sit on the mold for a few minutes to an hour. Gives it time to soak up all the oil and pull some out of the metal. It is also cheap and safe.

Brad

[rockrat]

I use Berryman B-12 Chemtool. It has acetone, ether, alcohol, and mekp. Use it outside and it doesn't leave any oily residue.

[theperfessor]

To clean a new mold I use acetone first and soap and water afterwards. Buy more than one or two cans around here and people will think you're setting up a meth lab. I don't need that grief when other things work better.