I may get chastised for suggesting this, but I just must inform you of this. Please, allow me to present the history of the mistake first, then I will describe the cure. The cure is more controversial than the original mistake, so please don't give me a really bad time on this one. It works, so what else can I say?
I noticed several cases of RTV in the trash at work. A note attached stated that they were "expired", referring to the "use before date" code on the cartridges. Haw! I thought, they cannot be bad, maybe we cannot use this RTV for our manufactured products that we intend to sell to our customers, but the RTV should be OK for me to use for simple projects at home. So I knabbed these tubes of RTV out of the trash barrel (a whole case of them - 12 cartridges or tubes) and paid $2 for the whole lot. I didn't know what I was ever going to use them for, I just didn't like the idea of throwing them away merely because of the date code thing.
Well, it took me another two years to find a use for this RTV. I thought I would be saving money and getting a useful product. Well, I guess the expiration date was probably more valid than I expected. Of course, the stuff was even MORE expired by the time I tried to use it.
This RTV silicone sealant just would not cure. It remained as tacky and as sticky as it was when it was first pumped out of the tube, it just wouldn't set up and cure. Now, I needed to clean this crud off all my fittings and start over. How the heck am I going to get this sticky junk removed?
Well, I first tried 3M's general purpose, adhesive remover, then acetone. Both solvents worked OK with a LOT of elbow grease, but I ran out of both. I was eager to finish the cleanup, so I just tried what I had available to me. Gallons of Coleman lantern fuel for my fishing lanterns, sometimes referred to as white gas.
I placed the fittings in a small pan and added the Coleman fuel. The solvent action of the Coleman fuel darn near washed the bad RTV right off of the fittings. I merely had to use a rag to wipe it completely clean. It worked so much better than any other solvent that I had been using previously.
The mfg of Coleman Lantern Fuel states explicitly that their product is NOT to be used as a solvent (that is not the purpose of their product). So, I am NOT telling anyone to use this product in this manner.
Just wanted to inform you of what I observed. Use at your own risk for cleaning purposes and be very cautious because this fuel is highly flammable.
Gordy
I noticed several cases of RTV in the trash at work. A note attached stated that they were "expired", referring to the "use before date" code on the cartridges. Haw! I thought, they cannot be bad, maybe we cannot use this RTV for our manufactured products that we intend to sell to our customers, but the RTV should be OK for me to use for simple projects at home. So I knabbed these tubes of RTV out of the trash barrel (a whole case of them - 12 cartridges or tubes) and paid $2 for the whole lot. I didn't know what I was ever going to use them for, I just didn't like the idea of throwing them away merely because of the date code thing.
Well, it took me another two years to find a use for this RTV. I thought I would be saving money and getting a useful product. Well, I guess the expiration date was probably more valid than I expected. Of course, the stuff was even MORE expired by the time I tried to use it.
This RTV silicone sealant just would not cure. It remained as tacky and as sticky as it was when it was first pumped out of the tube, it just wouldn't set up and cure. Now, I needed to clean this crud off all my fittings and start over. How the heck am I going to get this sticky junk removed?
Well, I first tried 3M's general purpose, adhesive remover, then acetone. Both solvents worked OK with a LOT of elbow grease, but I ran out of both. I was eager to finish the cleanup, so I just tried what I had available to me. Gallons of Coleman lantern fuel for my fishing lanterns, sometimes referred to as white gas.
I placed the fittings in a small pan and added the Coleman fuel. The solvent action of the Coleman fuel darn near washed the bad RTV right off of the fittings. I merely had to use a rag to wipe it completely clean. It worked so much better than any other solvent that I had been using previously.
The mfg of Coleman Lantern Fuel states explicitly that their product is NOT to be used as a solvent (that is not the purpose of their product). So, I am NOT telling anyone to use this product in this manner.
Just wanted to inform you of what I observed. Use at your own risk for cleaning purposes and be very cautious because this fuel is highly flammable.
Gordy
So you know she didn't use too much lighter fluid (or the dryer never got hot enough to light it)