Tape Project Modified Machines: is isopropyl OK?

[xcortes]

I should have asked before but yesterday, while cleaning my machine I figured I wasn't sure if isopropyl is ok for the new parts added/replaced by the hot rodding. I use Fantastic (or watever is called - the one that Doc recommended -) for the rubber and 99.9% isopropyl for the rest.

Thanks

[docb]

Yes Isopropyl alcohol is the right thing to use. 99.9% is a top flite grade and more than adequate. For the rubber tires I actually recommend Formula 409. I think that Fantastik may be a bit more harsh, but I have not tried it and can't say for sure. Fantastik works well as a degreaser for paint preparation of metal stuff like Bottlehead chassis plates.

[xcortes]

Yes. You're right! Formula 409 is the one I use. And somewhere in my mind I had the Fantastik name from your recommendation for chassis plates prep work.

thanks

[Brian]

Yes Isopropyl alcohol is the right thing to use. 99.9% is a top flite grade and more than adequate.

I used to work for a radio station that was part of a Big 10 university.  To simplify ordering, university purchasing had one master contract for alcohol for all departments - Reagent grade Ethyl Alcohol (apparently it was cheaper than Isopropyl in the quantities they contracted for).  So, that is what we used to clean our Ampex 350 heads - and one of our engineers also regularly used to "warm-up" his coffee!

[ironbut]

I've never understood why the government beat around the bush and called consumer grade stuff "denatured alcohol". They probably could've prevented a lot of deaths if they'd just come out and called it "poisoned alcohol" and be done with it.
I grew up in the southeast (Georgia) in a "dry" county and aside from the occasional explosion of a still in our backwoods (we lived way out in the sticks) there was a local practice to drink a thing called Solox shellac thinner. My friends and I would stumble across an old campfire with empty gallon cans of it laying around. They used to boil it and strain it through bread. Needless to say, those guys didn't live too long. Early 60's stuff.

BTW Brian,
Those Badgers had a little run the Men B-ball tournament!

[Brian]

The university was Michigan State - so now that I am living in Badger country I have "split loyalties".  UW does produce some good sports teams, but MSU also did ok in the NCAA Basketball this year - right up until the end :-(

Brian