"Do not use solvents on electronic equipment"

I use BBQ lighter fluid on plastics, with great results. No damage of finish or paint. Best to test a inconspicuous space first, of course.

Alcohol is one of the more innocuous of the organic solvents. I doubt that it would attack any plastic case, but other solvents can. One thing that alcohol can do is dissolve the labelling ink on some circuit boards or components. This would make repair (i.e., replacement based on the component value or board number) difficult, maybe dangerous if it happened that a lower-voltage component were substituted, for example, because the original component's label had become smudged or obliterated. Solvents might dissolve the lubricant on switch contacts, or sliders, or disperse it over potentiometer tracks causing later problems. Spraying solvent into equipment may damage speaker cones or piezo speakers.

Liberally dripping solvent into equipment may cause it to malfunction, e.g., an air-gap capacitor trimmer will have different parameters when the dielectric is liquid solvent, and if the solvent is flammable it might cause a fire from static electricity or a switching spark. If a cleaning solution were to leave an hygroscopic residue on a circuit board this could initiate electrochemical corrosion (copper/brass + lead/steel/ aluminium in contact in a conductive solution). Water-based cleaners with ammonia will be conductive, so could short out tracks on a board.

-- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 23:20:37 GMT, John Savage Gave us:

Not true. Chlorinated solvents, yes, but alcohol, a resounding no!

If your PCB maker is using a component silk screen ink that solves in alcohol, I would question a lot about the quality of other aspects of his manufactured product as well.

All of the inks I have EVER heard of were all enamels that were hardy to weak solvents like alcohol. It is actually a UL requirement IIRC. Same holds true for the makers of heat shrink wrapped and labeled parts like EL caps and the like.

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 23:20:37 GMT, John Savage Gave us:

A PCB is ALREADY hygroscopic unless it has been conformally coated.

An effective goo remover is peanut butter (aka peanut paste). In the absence of peanut butter, use WD-40. Both leave a smudge of oil, but that's easily cleaned up with a drop of detergent on a damp tissue.

On a metal or glass surface, tea tree oil and mineral turps are both good at removing sticker goo, but these can attack paint and plastics so don't use on such surfaces unless you are willing to accept some surface spoilage.

-- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 05:21:55 GMT, David Peters Gave us:

Also, bought in store tube of "RTV" The acronym means "Room Temperature Vulcanization". It isn't rubber, and there is no heat or sulfur involved.

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 05:21:55 GMT, David Peters Gave us:

It appears that it firms up rubber, and makes it stronger and better, but it seems to "firm up" plastics, and make them brittle or even cause micro-fractures in their molecular lattices.

I am sure the chemistry group boys could explain it a lot better than a lay person such as I as it relates to plastics and their interactions with various solvents. If they are even reading the thread.

One of the great unexplained mysteries of my life; why I have not yet killfiled you.

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 06:08:33 -0500, JW Gave us:

You're a retard, You're a retard, You're a retard, Yes you are... You're a retard, You're a retard, You're a retard, Stay outta the bar.

Peanut butter? Heh! Now that will give me an excuse to keep a jar of peanut butter in the house.

Must try the peanut butter because although I haven't tried the tea tree oil you suggest for removing sticker glue, I have tried eucalyptus oil and it works rather well. Presumably eucalyptus oil is quite similar to tea tree oil in this respect.

Now here's another: if you are a sweaty sort of person then I find that skin oil (say, from the brow) works remarkably well!