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I used to us MS for wiping wood down, but now I just use a damp cloth and then with a dry one and it is ready to finish. One other thing I like about water is I can easily clean the cloth in the sink also and no streaks/ing.
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Petroleum is "cracked" to break natural occurring large chain molecules into smaller ones leading to a mixture of many different compounds from very short chain hydrocarbons to long chain compounds as well as cyclical compounds (aromatics) such as benzene. This mixture is then distilled to produce fractions based on boiling point. Typical "mineral spirits" consists of low molecular weight hydrocarbons typically with chain lengths of 6 carbons or lower (thus a low boiling fraction). The higher the molecular weight, the lower the vapor pressure so if the idea is to eliminate volatility (odor, air pollution, etc) using a high boiling fraction with chain length in the 10-12 carbon range will create a product with much reduced odor, thus "odorless" mineral spirits. The chemical characteristics apart from volatility are very similar and it can generally be used exactly as with the low molecular weight mineral spirits.
Odorless mineral spirits are much safer from a health perspective. Breathing low molecular weight hydrocarbons is not good for you and in addition will also contain benzene and other aromatic compounds which are known carcinogens. My wife is an artist and uses the odorless mineral spirits to clean her brushes and to dilute artist oil paints. Her brushes will stay wet for days consistent with the low volatility of the fraction but for an artist who is going to put the brush back into an oil based paint, this is not a problem. Another feature of the odorless mineral spirits that artists use is that it has been purified to remove the aromatics (carcinogens)--important for artists and I would propose, woodworkers as well. And last, odorless mineral spirits is good for the environment because hydrocarbons are an important component of smog. If the mineral spirit fraction you use is non-volatile, then it doesn't get into the atmosphere to worsen the air pollution problem. As to how some of the odorless mineral spirits are white instead of colorless, I would guess that it has been emulsified with water or something to lessen its fire hazard. I was trained in organic chemistry in undergraduate and graduate courses but it was a long time ago and if I have some of the details wrong, I apologize. Ken
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12-17-2017, 06:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-17-2017, 06:48 PM by bhh.)
The label “odorless” regarding mineral spirits doesn't just mean it's less smelly. It's less toxic because it has been stripped of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene, which make up about 15 to 20 percent of regular mineral spirits.
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodw...give-facts
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Took the eco stuff back, unopened, to lowes. Got a can of the old school stuff.
Thanks for the heads up. I still has a quarter of the quart container left of the eco stuff I had been using, I put that in with the paint stuff for brush cleaning.
Jim in Okie
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(12-11-2017, 10:54 AM)mound Wrote: Sorry if this is common knowledge, I feel stupid.
I picked up some of this Klean Strip MS from Home Depot. I normally use MS for cleaning off sanding dust, or for a quick check of how grain looks, cleaning brushes etc.
I opened it up, poured some into a rag and wiped it on my project only to immediately see that it was milky white and nothing like what I expected so I stopped wiping it on immediately.
Normally MS evaporates away in minutes. It's been over 24hrs and the wood still looks wet.
Not sure if I'll have to sand it off or if it'll eventually dry or what, but be careful woodworkers, this stuff is not what you'd expect!
A quick google search shows that I'm not the only one to be bamboozled by this product.
I had that experience when it got old. I think it started dissolving the container and that's where the white came from.
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I buy my mineral spirits in two pack bottles at Sams club. It's way cheaper than buying it anywhere else. Most charcoal lighter fluid is mineral spirits these days but much cheaper in that package... It's roughly half the price of the borgs cans of mineral spirits...
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12-23-2017, 03:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-23-2017, 03:45 PM by Mike Sieweke.)
I used some OMS to thin Minwax poly for wiping. This went reasonably well, but all the leftover mixture congealed in the tub and eventually formed a plastic plug. Not sure how long this took, probably 3-4 months. Be aware that poly mixed with OMS has a limited shelf life.
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(12-18-2017, 06:38 PM)Robert Adams Wrote: I buy my mineral spirits in two pack bottles at Sams club. It's way cheaper than buying it anywhere else. Most charcoal lighter fluid is mineral spirits these days but much cheaper in that package... It's roughly half the price of the borgs cans of mineral spirits...
Hi Robert,
So are you saying you buy lighter fluid in the two pack at Sams club and use it in the shop in place of MS?
Proud maker of large quantities of sawdust......oh, and the occasional project!
