Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Toxicity is NOT an issue - I really really hate my wife's cat!
Cheers, Dave.
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Ronsonol lighter fluid.
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I use Ronsonol as well.
I used to use carbon tet but it is no longer available. Used it to clean slot car tires as well ....... great stuff.
You can also use rubbing alcohol ....
Keep in mind that any of these can possibly cause damage to stamps, although over the course of 60 years and tens of thousands of stamps checked I have never personally experienced any damage.
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Have always used Ronsonol Lighter Fuel. Get from your local drug store or super market.
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Carbon tetrachloride is a well-known carcinogen.
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"Carbon tetrachloride is a well-known carcinogen."
Which is why it is no longer available. But it was used by many for decades to watermark stamps, to remove stains and to remove yuck that no other cleaners available at the time could touch. We probably went through a bottle a month back in the 50's - there is nothing comparable in today's marketplace (or I have a poor memory - it's possible).
It was used by dry cleaners, for refrigeration and extensively used in fire extinguishers (Halon-104 is carbon tet).
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06:22:13am
Isoprophl Rubbing Alcohol available at almost any drug store.
I've been using it for Watermarks for fifty years and recently to unstick the unstickable. Most of the self-adhesives respond quite well to a short soak.
Walgreens Isopropyl Alcohol 70% (32 fl oz)31191712265
32 fl oz $3.39
I am pretty sure I bought an identical bottle, but for the Walgreen Label, the same size, strength, and volume at Walmart or about $2.50 or so about a month ago. I have last years empty Chloraseptic bottle, rescued from the trash and cleaned out with its handy spray head that I use to apply to the stamps.
Why anyone would use lighter fluid, which I believe is somewhat more flammable and definitely more than triple the cost, is a puzzlement e.g. Zippo lighter fluid 12oz $6.00
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Rubbing alcohol is certainly flammable and can also cause liver and kidney damage. It is between 70 and 90 per cent pure isopropyl alcohol. That doesn't make it a bad choice but we should remember that whatever we use there are going to be risks. If there are no risks known wait a few years. Those of us old enough to remember when Thalidomide was the drug of choice for morning sickness remember.
http://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1076.pdf
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12:32:29pm
I can easily agree that Isopropyl has its drawbacks, but I hope you are not implying that it is more dangerous than lighter fluid ?
Use of either in a well ventilated area goes without saying, although I suppose it should be said anyway.
Use of either in a well ventilated area is strongly advised !
Four pages of love notes
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"I hope you are not implying that it is more dangerous than lighter fluid ?"
No such implication was intended - I was trying to point out that any type of solvent can be dangerous under the right (or wrong) conditions, and that even those considered "safe" by today's standards may someday be found to be unsafe.
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Any suggestions on other liquids that could be used? Prefer common household stuff if possible - the rare stamp store near me is almost impossible to get to when I'm free.
Toxicity is NOT an issue - I really really hate my wife's cat!
Cheers, Dave.
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re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
Ronsonol lighter fluid.
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03:03:38pm
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
I use Ronsonol as well.
I used to use carbon tet but it is no longer available. Used it to clean slot car tires as well ....... great stuff.
You can also use rubbing alcohol ....
Keep in mind that any of these can possibly cause damage to stamps, although over the course of 60 years and tens of thousands of stamps checked I have never personally experienced any damage.
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this post
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
Have always used Ronsonol Lighter Fuel. Get from your local drug store or super market.
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this post
12:21:00am
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
Carbon tetrachloride is a well-known carcinogen.
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06:15:20am
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
"Carbon tetrachloride is a well-known carcinogen."
Which is why it is no longer available. But it was used by many for decades to watermark stamps, to remove stains and to remove yuck that no other cleaners available at the time could touch. We probably went through a bottle a month back in the 50's - there is nothing comparable in today's marketplace (or I have a poor memory - it's possible).
It was used by dry cleaners, for refrigeration and extensively used in fire extinguishers (Halon-104 is carbon tet).
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
15 Dec 2015
06:22:13am
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
Isoprophl Rubbing Alcohol available at almost any drug store.
I've been using it for Watermarks for fifty years and recently to unstick the unstickable. Most of the self-adhesives respond quite well to a short soak.
Walgreens Isopropyl Alcohol 70% (32 fl oz)31191712265
32 fl oz $3.39
I am pretty sure I bought an identical bottle, but for the Walgreen Label, the same size, strength, and volume at Walmart or about $2.50 or so about a month ago. I have last years empty Chloraseptic bottle, rescued from the trash and cleaned out with its handy spray head that I use to apply to the stamps.
Why anyone would use lighter fluid, which I believe is somewhat more flammable and definitely more than triple the cost, is a puzzlement e.g. Zippo lighter fluid 12oz $6.00
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09:20:46am
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
Rubbing alcohol is certainly flammable and can also cause liver and kidney damage. It is between 70 and 90 per cent pure isopropyl alcohol. That doesn't make it a bad choice but we should remember that whatever we use there are going to be risks. If there are no risks known wait a few years. Those of us old enough to remember when Thalidomide was the drug of choice for morning sickness remember.
http://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1076.pdf
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
15 Dec 2015
12:32:29pm
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
I can easily agree that Isopropyl has its drawbacks, but I hope you are not implying that it is more dangerous than lighter fluid ?
Use of either in a well ventilated area goes without saying, although I suppose it should be said anyway.
Use of either in a well ventilated area is strongly advised !
Four pages of love notes
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this post
04:49:30pm
re: Checking watermarks without expensive/hard-to-get "watermark fluid"
"I hope you are not implying that it is more dangerous than lighter fluid ?"
No such implication was intended - I was trying to point out that any type of solvent can be dangerous under the right (or wrong) conditions, and that even those considered "safe" by today's standards may someday be found to be unsafe.
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