Now THAT'S "Black Friday"!

Zippo?

Yer crazy. One good spark from the engine will light your rail on fire, all of it. And your tanker car turns into a proper Bomb.

I certainly would not recommend it to anybody else.  But it did get the job done!

Jon 

+1. NEVER use an easily ignightable fluid to clean track. I use isopropyl alchohol(90%). it is lots safer, as a spark won't set it off.

WOW!   I thought I took chances!  Let's see, evaporating lighter fluid on the rails that are powered with the locomotive sparking away.  I think not!

Might as well use gasoline.

Pete

Lighter fluid is more volatile than gasoline, with a lower flash point.  It's actually worse than using gasoline!

Between you and Policastro I'm learning a lot today!  Gracias.

Pete

I guess I should stop using charcoal lighter fluid.....

Well it keeps the weeds down.

Probably a good idea.

I am sorry for my inflammatory and explosive comment in this thread.

It would work, no doubt. But man... the risk...

Makes me wonder if I can simply spray CLP and wipe it off the rails instead.

If you have your Extinguisher at the ready, coat the rails with lighter fluid evenly(careful not to spill) then set the rails ablaze burning off unwanted gunk, then follow up with a belt sander with the roughest grit you can find to remove the blackened rails.

Just stay away from Simply Green. It doesn't burn but apparently cause other problems.

Brad

Before gasoline was used as a fuel it was considered a cleaning fluid.

Alan

And some petroleum products were even used as a treatment for head-lice at one time.  (That's why Mrs Benz had to buy some Ligroin at an apothecary when she famously 'borrowed' the car. ) 

So, I should cancel my order for Napalm?  My tank car has the proper placards AND I have an MTH firehouse.

Are we competing for "The Darwin Award" here???

Are we casting for an episodic spot among Tru TV's 'dumbest'???

What would Sheldon Cooper say about this???  (Big Bang, indeed!)

What would your insurance agent say about this???

What would...

Oh never mind....have a blast.

......

Maybe the Mayans were right.

Time to put on my space suit and pack a bag.

First, though, a morning cup of joe.

The forum safety meeting, November 25, 2012

My foggy head needs a quick explanation of "flash point". Lighter fluid, my favorite, lacquer thinner, White gas, camp stove fuel, etc. are all very good cleaners that leave little residue on the tracks.   Compromise is that they evaporate, (liquid to gas) quickly, and as a gas can flash over or ignite at the "flash point"????  I believe WD40 should be added to the list.  It also can ignite.   Just some thoughts. All these materials have an MSDS sheet.  Material Safety Data Sheet, that should be reviewed.  This information is available on line and should be available from the purchase source upon request.

There is additional concern about breathing vapors of these materials. Information also available on the MSDS Zippo lighter fluid.  This is a link to a (5) page information source. 

Be safe, life is too short.  IMO

Mike CT      

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To make you all feel oh so much better, I've edited my original post. 

I will say this however: if given the choice between the compound I used which came recommended by a highly regarded name in the toy train industry, or the chemical compound recommended by one of the major manufacturers in the 1930's which turned out to be highly carcinogenic, or the "green" and "safe" choice of "Simply Green" which is apparently carcinogenic to Toy Train tracks, wheels, gears, and axles, then I stand by my choice.

It was used under direct supervision with proper ventilation. 

And unlike many of you here, I have been into year round Toy Trains since 1968 and have NEVER had any kind of injury.  And yes, I was aware that Xacto Knives were sharp, and that Lionel's "General" was plastic.

Jon 

Thanks for the correction.  I didn't look it up, but made the assumption based on my experience with lighter fluid.  I know it's not hard to set it on fire!

I use the Tony's car. It is probably the safest with the solvents with it's excellent metering feature. The really volative solvents can be set to disappear by the time the end of the car passes by.

Aw, man.  I learned a wrong thang.  Dang. 

Pete