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Author Topic: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol  (Read 20964 times)

charlest

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? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« on: January 13, 2008, 09:36:17 AM »
No, not the alcohol in bourbon.

Ok, to test this concoction I mixed some SG concentrate with denatured ethyl alcohol, 50/50. It turned a funny milky green. Immediately I am wary. I used it but it seemed neither as effective as straight SG nor as effective as plain ethyl alcohol. It was okay, but nothing special.

I'm wondering what happened to the mixture, because it turned that strange color.

Should I use plain isopropanol (isoprpyl alcohol), instead of the much stronger denatured ethyl alcohol??

By the way, in case anyone was worried if I were cheating, while straight denatured ethyl alcohol is illegal, it is or was the main ingredient in many Storm cleaners. I saw it on their labels. So, if it is diluted enough, I assume it's safe for resin coverstocks.

Any ideas, guys?


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JohnP

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #16 on: January 13, 2008, 07:31:24 PM »
quote:
I used 70% isopropyl since that was all we had in the house. I have been looking in several different supermarkets and drug stores and it's been a long time since I've even seen the 91% isopropyl. It's out there somewhere.


I bought 91% at WalMart.  I really don't see any advantage over the 70%, though.  When I mix it with SG, I also add water, so just buy the 70% then use a little less water.  --  JohnP
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700Virgin

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #17 on: January 13, 2008, 07:32:54 PM »
I use one part black velvet, two parts coke....no wait, that's what I drank last night.  

Equal parts 90% iso alcohol, SG, H2O.  Works fine.
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justdale

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2008, 07:33:04 PM »
if your using simple green why would you want to use alcohol with it, Simple Green is great all by itself
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J_Mac

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #19 on: January 13, 2008, 07:34:57 PM »
quote:
if your using simple green why would you want to use alcohol with it, Simple Green is great all by itself


Assists in drying time and gets rid of the residue that some people report seeing with SG and water alone.
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burly1

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #20 on: January 13, 2008, 07:37:07 PM »
I also use one part each simple green concentrate green or crystal clear, 99% iso. alchahol, and water. I make two passes just to be sure I got it good. I have also run the straight 99% iso. after my mixture to see if I could pick up any residue from the simple green, I also did the same with the lanemasters cleaner and I have not been able to tell that any residue has been left. This is not very scientific or controlled, but just my experience.
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charlest

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #21 on: January 13, 2008, 07:58:13 PM »
quote:
What is wrong with going to the proshop and buying a cleaner that is FORMULATED FOR USE ON BOWLING BALLS!? Not something that you would use to clean you toilet.
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BECAUSE, as I said above:

"I still prefer Legends cleaner, but I wanted to see what others have found in this often recommended mixture of SG and alcohol."

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Brickguy221

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #22 on: January 13, 2008, 11:16:10 PM »
quote:
it's been a long time since I've even seen the 91% isopropyl. It's out there somewhere.
 


Charlest, I buy 91% isopropyl alcohol at a CVS Pharmacy. I don't know if you have CVS Pharmacy Stores in your area or not.
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Edited on 1/14/2008 11:14 PM
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shelley

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #23 on: January 14, 2008, 08:22:08 AM »
I wouldn't want to count on my own mixture of unapproved cleaners being legal.    I've never used denatured ethyl alcohol, only isopropyl, but it does ok.  For a daily cleaner it's better than straight alcohol but definitely not as good as Legends.

SH
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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #24 on: January 14, 2008, 08:28:26 AM »
Last time I checked denatured alcohol is also illegal.  I've used Simple Green and water mix (50/50) for years and it works for me.  The key is to spray it on the ball then WAIT 20-30 seconds to give it a chance to break down the oil.  Then you can wipe it off.  Not many cleaners are good unless you give them that time to do their job.

I use Simple Green to clean motor oil off the driveway, so it's strong enough to clean lane conditioner off the ball.  

On edit, here's the link to USBC ball cleaners:

http://www.bowl.com/specs/ballCleaner.aspx

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Edited on 1/14/2008 9:34 AM

Edited on 1/14/2008 9:40 AM
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Strapper_Squared

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #25 on: January 14, 2008, 08:57:23 AM »
SG (I believe) is a surfactant.  Basically, one end of the molecule likes dirt/grease/oil and the other end likes water.  When you mix denatured alcohol (ethyl alcohol) with the SG, you are likely occupying the dirt/grease/oil end of the molecule with the alcohol, and therefore removing most, if not all, of its ability to clean.  This is evident by the milky color that is appearing.. the same "should" happen if you mix a couple drops of SG together with a couple drops of oil.  Isopropyl alcohol doesn't interact with the oil-liking end of the surfactant (SG), and therefore you will see much better cleaning power.

S^2
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charlest

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #26 on: January 14, 2008, 10:20:31 AM »
Thanks, Strapper!!!
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charlest

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #27 on: January 14, 2008, 10:25:40 AM »
quote:
Last time I checked denatured alcohol is also illegal.


Yup, notclay. I posted that in one of my replies up above. Note that it is also in STorm's cleaners, since diluting it must reduce its ability yo soften resin coverstocks.

quote:

 I've used Simple Green and water mix (50/50) for years and it works for me.


FWIW, same here. keep 2 bottles on a garage shelf: one, 50/50 SG + water and,two, the concentrated spray bottle for when the mix is not strong enough.

That's how I discoovered that you shouldn't use it on windows AND that it leaves a film that must be double wiped off.

quote:

 The key is to spray it on the ball then WAIT 20-30 seconds to give it a chance to break down the oil.  Then you can wipe it off.  Not many cleaners are good unless you give them that time to do their job.
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Brunswick Amateur Staff


especially true of some, if not all degreasers.

Thanks for the comments.
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1MechEng

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #28 on: January 14, 2008, 10:49:57 AM »
Charlest -
I think the issue with your test is that the denatured alcohol typically has additives that render the alcohol undrinkable (i.e. - the "denaturing process"). Depending on the additive, you are likley seeing a reaction between that and the simple green which results in a color change to the solution.

FYI - the ethanol used as a flex fuel is typically 70-85% ethanol, and 15-30% denaturant (usually unleaded gasoline). You can find small retail bottles of ethyl alcohol with other additives (usu. 10% methanol), but to avoid the alcohol tax for consumptive products you have to have a minimum of 5% of denaturant.

It would be interesting to see if the cleaning power was affected by the denaturant ...

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JohnP

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2008, 01:23:55 PM »
My answers to a couple of questions that have been posed:

1.  Why use Simple Green/rubbing alcohol/water instead of a good known ball cleaner?   Answer:  $$$$$ + the mixture does an adequate job.  And yes, I have several very good cleaners.

2.  Why add the rubbing alcohol?   Answer:  rubbing alcohol is better than Simple Green for removing belt marks.  --  JohnP

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charlest

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Re: ? for those who use Simple Green + alcohol
« Reply #30 on: January 16, 2008, 08:45:32 AM »
I mixed up 50% Simple Green and 50% of household (70%) isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol). I'll use it over the next several weeks to see how it does.

Not sure if I'll use it after bowling or not. If I want to remove lane oil, I want it off "now" for it doesn't soak into the ball. I'm still unsure about the SG mixture. Maybe I'll try it on Lanemasters and Visionary balls because of their coverstock's nature.

Thanks for all the replies, suggestions and comments (of a positive nature, anyway )
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