![]() Emulsified furniture polishes are better cleaners because they remove both solvent- and water-soluble dirt. Many furniture polishes are emulsifications of petroleum distillates and water making them appear white (like milk, which is an emulsification of water and animal fat). But it’s still not wise to use them in a room with a flame such as a pilot light, and you should protect yourself with better ventilation if you use them for long periods of time.įurniture polishes are primarily petroleum distillates in the evaporation range slightly slower than mineral spirits. ![]() The petroleum distillates we use in wood finishing evaporate much slower than gasoline and are relatively safe to use in small quantities, even with poor ventilation. Gasoline is sometimes used as a cleaner, but it is very dangerous because it is explosive. Heptane and octane are used to make gasoline, a liquid that evaporates very rapidly. Then there’s ethane, propane, butane, etc. The first gas to come off is methane, which doesn’t condense at room temperature, only at much colder temperatures. The process is called distillation-and thus, petroleum distillates. To produce solvents from petroleum, the liquid is heated and gases are taken off and condensed as the temperature increases. The only sector in which turpentine is still used in any quantity is fine arts. With the growth of the automobile industry and its need for petroleum products, a large number of petroleum solvents were introduced and these have almost entirely replaced turpentine because they are less expensive and have less unpleasant odor. Before the mid-twentieth century, turpentine was widely used as a thinner and clean-up solvent for oil paint and varnish and also as an oil, grease and wax remover. Turpentine is a distillation of pine-tree sap. Petroleum distillates are also used to remove oil, grease and wax. Their primary use in wood finishing is for thinning waxes, oils, and varnishes, including polyurethane varnish, and for cleaning brushes. They include mineral spirits (informally referred to as “paint thinner”), naphtha, toluene, xylene and some “turpentine substitutes” such as turpatine and T.R.P.S. Petroleum distillates are distillations of petroleum. For an explanation of lacquer thinner, which is composed of about half-a-dozen individual solvents, see Lacquer Thinner. For a deeper understanding that better relates all the finish solvents to each other, see Understanding Solvents, Part II. You will never feel really comfortable with finishing until you have an understanding of solvents.įollowing is an overview of each of the most commonly available solvents. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |