Does anyone use 99.9 percent isopropyl alcohol on their tracks or trains ?

First off, Isopropyl alcohol will take paint off, so you want to be REALLY careful where you use it!  I use it on track, but I'm real careful around painted locomotives and rolling stock with it.  I typically use either the 91% or 99% stuff.  Locally, I can only get 91%, but if I mail order from Amazon, I can get 99%.

As John said...I only have 91 octane .....it’s only used on track cleaning duties, I’m very careful with that around anything painted.......Pat

I wipe the track down once a year.  Well sometimes.

I use CRC 2-26 spray lubricant.

PW style layout so I have have classic tin track. Works great.

 https://www.crcindustries.com/...-16-fl-oz-02007.html

MTH Suggest Denatured Alcohol. That is what I use on my track. As for Isopropyl 99 prof or other wise. I use that but as John stated above be very careful with it. I use it to remove pen ink from my shirt pockets, so I'm sure it could make short work of most painted hobby surfaces.

If you have MTH DCS on your layout, then the best thing to clean the track with is either Denatured alcohol of Lacquer thinner. Neither of those will leave any sort of film remaining on the rail head to damage traction tires nor the DCS signal.

I use denatured alcohol and terri cloth. I have also used a product called simple green (as opposed to what? complicated red?) with scotch brite pads. Do not under any circumstances use steel wool, period, the end. 

I get 99% proof free at work,  I only use it for cleaning track and flux off of pc boards

Isopropyl 99% won't leave anything either.

Yep, that's it's primary use here, I keep some old toothbrushes, and dip those and scrub the flux off the boards.  Works grea.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Isopropyl 99% won't leave anything either.

True, but if one has to purchase it, then Denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner is a LOT less expensive.

SAILLOCO posted:

I wipe the track down once a year.  Well sometimes.

 

Lucky; I need to wipe my Flyer track down at least weekly. 91% seems to work well...

Mark inOregon

Hot Water posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Isopropyl 99% won't leave anything either.

True, but if one has to purchase it, then Denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner is a LOT less expensive.

Be real careful with lacquer thinner.  

Hot Water posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Isopropyl 99% won't leave anything either.

True, but if one has to purchase it, then Denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner is a LOT less expensive.

Yep, but when I read the MSDS for Isopropyl Alcohol and then for Denatured Alcohol, I go with Isopropyl.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

First off, Isopropyl alcohol will take paint off, so you want to be REALLY careful where you use it!  I use it on track, but I'm real careful around painted locomotives and rolling stock with it.  I typically use either the 91% or 99% stuff.  Locally, I can only get 91%, but if I mail order from Amazon, I can get 99%.

Takes the paint off what?  Or should I say what brands of locos and Rolling stock does it take the paint off ?

You blokes must have different chemicals to Australia. I have been using this Alcohol brand for about 20 years for cleaning all kinds of items and it doesn't take paint off I wish it did because I would not have to buy Paint remover as well. Roo.

Well, many people soak train items in Isopropyl Alcohol to do paint removal, and I've personally experienced it taking paint of several different items, so I know that to be fact.  I have no idea what kind of paint you use down under, but I can assure you on the other side of the equator that it will remove many kinds of paint.

Hot Water posted:

If you have MTH DCS on your layout, then the best thing to clean the track with is either Denatured alcohol of Lacquer thinner. Neither of those will leave any sort of film remaining on the rail head to damage traction tires nor the DCS signal.

Lacquer thinner will dissolve many plastics and nearly all paint so the same care as using pure isopropyl apply. My cans of Lacquer thinner all warn about having adequate ventilation and one has the california cancer warning. A friend who painted my 68 Chevelle  came down with liver cancer about 5 years ago and his doctor warned him to close his paint and body shop.  They used an experimental procedure on him and he is doing well. He hired a guy to do the painting and now sticks to body work. And invested in a hi-tech ventilation system.   j

Roo posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

First off, Isopropyl alcohol will take paint off, so you want to be REALLY careful where you use it!  I use it on track, but I'm real careful around painted locomotives and rolling stock with it.  I typically use either the 91% or 99% stuff.  Locally, I can only get 91%, but if I mail order from Amazon, I can get 99%.

Takes the paint off what?  Or should I say what brands of locos and Rolling stock does it take the paint off ?

You blokes must have different chemicals to Australia. I have been using this Alcohol brand for about 20 years for cleaning all kinds of items and it doesn't take paint off I wish it did because I would not have to buy Paint remover as well. Roo.

 

Though I prefer sodium hydroxide for stripping paint off plastic I will second Gunrunners assertion that Isopropyl alcohol will take the paint off toy trains. Even in lesser concentrations than your 100%. I have used 70% and soaked plastic in it and off comes the paint.  I don't know about every paint ever made but whatever Lionel and MTH are using comes off. The US gov. forced the removal of lead in paint around 40 years ago and I will state that isopropyl alcohol works a lot faster on paint without lead than with the lead.      j

While 99 Iso works well for track cleaning, I find that Goo Gone still works much better. Lifts dirt with no effort.

After wiping the rails with a saturated rag, I then wipe any moisture with a dry cloth. Have never had any issues with traction tires, etc. 

graz posted:

While 99 Iso works well for track cleaning, I find that Goo Gone still works much better. Lifts dirt with no effort.

After wiping the rails with a saturated rag, I then wipe any moisture with a dry cloth. Have never had any issues with traction tires, etc. 

 

Want to use a  concentrated form a goo gone on your track?  Use this, but watch out it will eat some plastics.  Great at removing any tape residue 

Micro Care MCC-EC7M Citrus-Based Flux Remover -2 pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P...cp_tai_I-UkCbWH9YEKD

I use and recommend Naphtha. It is a great cleaner/degreaser, does not leave any residue, and does not attack plastics or the paint on our trains.

Larry

tncentrr posted:

I use denatured alcohol and terri cloth. I have also used a product called simple green (as opposed to what? complicated red?) with scotch brite pads. Do not under any circumstances use steel wool, period, the end. 

You may want to reconsider using Simple Green.  One of our former members used Simple Green on his Fastback layout and because it pitted the rails so badly, he had to replace the track on his whole layout.  He posted a thread about the issues about three or four years ago on this forum.  If you search, you may be able to locate the posting.

I have been using the 70 something percent alcohol for 40 years now and have had good results.

Happy railroading,

Don

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, many people soak train items in Isopropyl Alcohol to do paint removal, and I've personally experienced it taking paint of several different items, so I know that to be fact.  I have no idea what kind of paint you use down under, but I can assure you on the other side of the equator that it will remove many kinds of paint.

I'm not trying to be a smart A  or anything like that because I am sure you have much more knowledge than me as far as modelling goes but before I wrote that reply I tested the Alcohol on this Atlas CSX caboose that I am going to repaint. I rubbed it on the "X' nothing came off. So what you mean if the model is left to soak in the Alcohol before the alcohol evaporates it will remove paint ? And all my locomotives and rolling stock that I have not repainted have American/Chinese paint on them ! Roo 

Hi Roo,

My experience has been if the Isopropyl Alcohol is over 90 percent as is used in the US it strips paint pretty easily. At a lower content level it usuallyndoes not. My guess is US labeling and Australian labelling are different. I have also seen the high content Isoprpyl Alcohol soften plastics, real hit and miss.

Always prefer stripping metal to plastic.

Miketg

Roo posted:

I'm not trying to be a smart A  or anything like that because I am sure you have much more knowledge than me as far as modelling goes but before I wrote that reply I tested the Alcohol on this Atlas CSX caboose that I am going to repaint. I rubbed it on the "X' nothing came off. So what you mean if the model is left to soak in the Alcohol before the alcohol evaporates it will remove paint ? And all my locomotives and rolling stock that I have not repainted have American/Chinese paint on them ! Roo 

I think I can explain this. Find a suitable small container preferably with a snap on lid. Remove the body you wish to strip from it's chassis and perhaps any add on hardware railings etc. Now set the body in your container and cover it with alcohol. Put on the lid and let it soak till a soft brush can remove the paint with a light scrubbing.  Most alcohols will remove paint given enough soak time. Some will also soften the plastic however Isopropyl Will do no damage to the plastic of our trains before it removes the paint. All that said, I prefer to use lye, sodium hydroxide it is cheaper and won't burn. I don't think it is any more effective than alcohol though.  Lye does have a trick that alcohol does not, it will remove metal plating from plastic.  I have a 5 gallon bucket with a snap on lid that I have been using for at least ten years.  It has about 4 gallons of the lye solution in it. I tie a string to what ever I want to strip and lower it into the bucket let it sit for a couple days and use a soft all plastic toilet brush to scrub the paint off several times a day till all the paint is gone. The stronger you mix the solution the faster it will remove the paint. However mix it too strong and it will generate a LOT of heat and warp your plastic.  I prefer slow with between one and two cups of lye crystals dissolved in my 4 gallons of water. Warm water will speed up the mixing of the lye but make sure it is room temp before you put any models in.  Wear goggles and gloves !    j

Rubbing Iso Al can stain some plastic, and lifts even more paints. Denatured is just as bad.

On track I use various things; it kinda depends on what I'm cleaning off; gunk, an errant coffee drop, dog food flung thru the air by a head shake ..   etc.

Alcohol is my go to on track. Power off, evap. time allowed.

 Another plastic stainer and finish fogger is either fantastic or 409... I forget which, but use neither on gloss /clear plastic or paint except hard enamel)

Citrus based cleaners have a tendancy to creep they sheet so well and in long term use in one area, seek ground, saturating and dissolving some more porous things that dont show short term damage. ( like accelerated crumbling particle board near laminate edges where it might be used often, similar to long term water damage) 

Regular oil leaching into the groundcover is enough for me

   I'd kinda avoid naptha on track.  Slow an evaporation rate and very flamable. (careful Beavis )

  Mineral spirits or paint thinner (low odor's ok) have some nice trace oils and less flammability than the other solvents mentioned.  They work well too imo.

  Sometimes, if I see rust rise above the web of my old tube I use hair clipper oil. The ho crowd does it a lot and I tried it once. After a simple damp wipe of the tracks contact areas I could run. The slight wheel slip vansihed in two or three passes. My tiny surface rust specks, pox, & patches down low either dissolved enough to be sopped up,  vanished with a firm wipe, or remain dark and dormant. 

  Later cleaning took a dry wipe of a few spots as cracks and crevasses were already saturated and excess oil was greater, but a 20min wait and I think it would have settled enough to skip the dry wipe (important if you try it with a cleaner car & remote track)

I do think it is improving oval looks and connections slowly over time. I'll need to another big wheel cleaning to decide if I'll stick with it. 

I wonder if it just mineral oil or a light petroleum?

I would never use a normal steel wool on track, but heavy stainless steel wool used carefully with all the "tinsel" sized strays rounded up carefully can help power thru a serious need for heavy abrasion on track.  I've recently used a tightly packed 1/2" ball on "so old it was black" track, to get an express, but decent shine before going to Scotch Brite. It went very well.

Stainless steel will not (usually) be attacted to a magnet (check yours)... therefore, nor the magnetic fields of your track and motors like regular steel wool would.  

91% isopropyl alchohol works just fine on track and pickup rollers. Its been safely  used on cassette,VHS tape players, records ,CDS, and DVDs for decades.

I tried Denatured alcohol but it made the train room smell like an automotive body shop.

I have a whole quart of the stuff ( minus 1 rag full) for free if anyone wants to swing by and pick it up.

I sprayed my track with Rustoleum Camo Brown paint to simulate a "rail brown" color.  Ballast is fixed with diluted white glue.  Pretty standard stuff.  Given that Isopropyl Alcohol dissolves paint, should I be concerned that cleaning the track with it will ruin the paint on the rails?  

I've been using denatured alcohol as a track cleaner on my old lionel track for several years now and it does a great job.  I am no expert on chemical compounds but I think that even 91% isopropyl alcohol has a certain amount of water in it.  I used to use the 91% alcohol blend but on one occasion when I was wiping the track dry I was distracted and left a small three foot section unattended.  A couple of weeks  later that section had a real nice rust covering on it.  For whatever its worth, I don't know if  it was a fluke but if I ever use the 91% blend again I'm going to make sure that the track is going to be completely wiped dry. 

I use the 91% on my track, would use the 99% if it was available here, I apply with an AC Gilbert American Flyer track cleaning car followed by my own track cleaner.

Ray

graz posted:

While 99 Iso works well for track cleaning, I find that Goo Gone still works much better. Lifts dirt with no effort.

After wiping the rails with a saturated rag, I then wipe any moisture with a dry cloth. Have never had any issues with traction tires, etc.

I would use real caution with Goo Gone, it's a citrus based cleaner (aka acid), and with steel track like tubular or Fastrack, I suspect long term it would cause rust, especially in the joints where you can't immediately wipe off all the moisture.  I prefer a solvent of some kind that doesn't promote rust.  Naphtha (aka lighter fluid) is an excellent choice, it's the other common cleaner I keep around.  As stated, it rarely affects paint, so if I have something on a painted car or locomotive, I'm more likely to use that to try to remove it.

superwarp1 posted:

I get 99% proof free at work . . .

Remember, percent alcohol is not the same as proof. Proof only applies to ethanol in it's drinking form. In the United States 50% alcohol by volume is equal to 100 proof.

91% Does a great job, no need for anything higher. For those stubborn areas and track connection areas I use Electronic Contact Cleaner in a spray can.

99% will also evaporate faster.

Neighbor, who had a layout in his garage, (he moved away 2 months ago), told me he got his cleaning car which he soaked pads in alcohol start smoking then saw flames coming from it as it ran down the track. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening with alcohol?

Quit using Isopropyl and switched to Denatured. After plugging in some 8x lenses in my magnifiers I was able to see the film the isopropyl left behind.

Also tried an experiment on used track I bought. Cleaned it with IA until the rag was clean. Let it dry and hit it with denatured and got more junk of the track. A minimal amount, but enough to see (without magnifiers).

josef posted:

Neighbor, who had a layout in his garage, (he moved away 2 months ago), told me he got his cleaning car which he soaked pads in alcohol start smoking then saw flames coming from it as it ran down the track. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening with alcohol?

Yes, Lee Willis had a similar experience with a track cleaning car and alcohol.  The flames were nearly invisible, and he said it melted part of the cleaning car but he caught it before any significant damage.  Any spark will set off the alcohol or Naphtha if you use that.  If you're going to put it on a track cleaning car, it's safer to use a non-flammable track cleaning solution.

Quietman,

You jogged my memory, l too now use denatured alcohol with my track cleaner

Ray

I have used Acetone for many years on my tubular track with great success and also use it on my wheels.My Layout is DCS and Legacy Controlled with 800 ft of track.

Mikey

Scott R posted:

I sprayed my track with Rustoleum Camo Brown paint to simulate a "rail brown" color.  Ballast is fixed with diluted white glue.  Pretty standard stuff.  Given that Isopropyl Alcohol dissolves paint, should I be concerned that cleaning the track with it will ruin the paint on the rails?  

That would depend on just how much alcohol you are using to clean your track. All I ever did was wrap a soft cotton rag tightly around a short piece of 1X2" pine, then just moisten the rag with either denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner. Nothing I ever did "cleaning the track" ever affected the weathering on the sides of the rails.

mikey posted:

I have used Acetone for many years on my tubular track with great success and also use it on my wheels.My Layout is DCS and Legacy Controlled with 800 ft of track.

Mikey

Well, Acetone will certainly take paint off, and it requires really good ventilation!  It also dissolves many plastics, so I keep that away from my trains.