alternative to thinners? - Woodworking Talk

vinnyb76 · 10-03-2007, 08:21 AM

hello all,
in my work we sometimes use melamine chipboard (for bedrooms and kitchens units). at the the moment we use cellulose thinners to rub of pencil marks and for general cleaning of units it works fantastic but as you can imagine it is a bit toxic,could anybody tell me if they know of any product on the market ideal for the job.
thanks in advance.

edp · 10-03-2007, 09:09 AM

soap and water.

Ed

vinnyb76 · 10-03-2007, 11:13 AM

thanks for reply edp, used soap and water before but tended to leave residue but the denatured alcohol sounds promising,ive never really heard of it though is it widely available? and also is it expensive?
thanks again.

cabinetman · 10-03-2007, 11:51 AM

Denatured alcohol is a solvent, and can be bought at most hardware or paint supply establishments and the big box stores carry it. It's used for a variety of things including thinning/cleaning of shellac. It is considered toxic.

Have you tried Windex, or 409? There is also a sponge type cleaner you can get at the grocery store called "Magic Eraser".

johnep · 10-03-2007, 02:58 PM

Denatured alcohol standard solvent/cleaner in UK. Known as methylated spirit. I will be using it to wipe over paintwork before repainting.
Other common solvent is called white spirit. Believe is product of wood destillation.
cellulose thinners also used but well known as toxic.
johnep

vinnyb76 · 10-04-2007, 06:19 AM

thanks cabinetman and johnep for response, ive heard of methylated spirit and white spirit i didnt realise it was denatured alcohol though so thanks johnep.
ive seen those sponges about cabinetman although not from the same company(see link) so i will definitley give that a go, thanks again.
Magic-Eraser-PM4712/

JCCLARK · 10-04-2007, 11:45 AM

Another product that works real good,
"Wax and Grease Remover"
It's usually sold by the gallon at auto paint stores but I've
seen it in a aerosol spray can at auto parts stores like Autozone.
It's real good for cleaning a lot of things and leaves no residue.

vinnyb76 · 10-05-2007, 06:29 AM

thanks jcclark i will look out for that and give it a go.

vinnyb76 · 11-28-2007, 08:47 AM

just wanted to give you all a update,
we purchased the sponge and i can tell you it works great,all you do is wetten it with just water it even works on getting very old pencil marks off mdf and wood so saves on sanding

. we purchased another product too called panel wipe,we use that for general cleaning and the sponge to get rid of the stubborn marks and pencil lines.