Solvents - acetone vs. toluene for hypalon repair

entropy · 14 March 2010, 04:34

What do the repair pros on this site think about using acetone instead of toluene for cleaning hypalon prior to repair?

Toluene is such nasty stuff, I'd like to avoid it as much as possible. I'd still use it where absolutely required, such as cleaning up excess glue or as a thinner, but for routine cleaning of the surface prior to roughing it up I was wondering if acetone could be used instead.

Acetone isn't the type of solvent to take a bath in either, but it's much less toxic than toluene. Just wondering if it can be used as a substitute for toluene sometimes.

biffer · 14 March 2010, 08:49

wipe a section of tube with both of them and see what's on the rag afterwards, you should have your answer

Chris · 14 March 2010, 09:33

Proper Hypalon glue thinner (Toulene) is by far the most effective at removing dirt and grime and prepping the surface to take glue.

audiobill5 · 14 March 2010, 16:42

Hi,
Use the same care while using either.
Play it safe by using gloves and a respirator.
When you're done, properly dispose everything.

Bill

kelson · 14 March 2010, 17:44

Acetone flashes off much faster than tolulene. While it might clean up the hypalon okay it doesn't do a very good job of surface prep. If you are doing the proper three applications of solvent to prep the surface you are not going to get the same result with acetone. A hypalon surface that has had three applications of tolulene does not feel the same as one with three acetone wipes. For any serious repair on structural or load bearing surfaces or accesories you will get a better bond with Tolulene.
If you need proper instructons look at this site.
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOHYPNEO.html

m chappelow · 14 March 2010, 17:59

i dont use either and never had any problems with patches or seams parting or lifting ,,i just abrade the surface lightly with a wire brush or grit paper and then use 2 pack glue .i tryed using acetone once but it dident seem to have much effect ,,we have litres of the stuff as my wife and girls use gallons of acetone when they remove their false nails , they warm it up and dip their finger tips to remove the acrylic nails.

chewy · 14 March 2010, 19:22

Same here, never had any trouble with any of the repairs I've done, I usually clean the area with acetone first then apply the glue.

jyasaki · 15 March 2010, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by m chappelow

i tryed using acetone once but it dident seem to have much effect ,,we have litres of the stuff as my wife and girls use gallons of acetone when they remove their false nails , they warm it up and dip their finger tips to remove the acrylic nails.

I hope you have a 55 gallon drum of skin moisturizer as well...

jky

jyasaki · 15 March 2010, 16:53

Not really much safer than toluene, but easier to come by, MEK is available at most hardware stores (as opposed to Toluene, which, in California, I have only found at certain Ace Hardware Stores.) Both MEK and Toluene are more aggressive than acetone.

jky

m chappelow · 15 March 2010, 18:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

I hope you have a 55 gallon drum of skin moisturizer as well...

jky

They use just normal hand cream,,,after ,,,they get the 100% acetone in 1 ltre bottles from acylic nail wholesalers.,they put some acetone in a small dish and then place that in another dish of hot water to warm it up ,cover with a towel to stop fumes then dip finger tips in to remove the acrylic nails for 5/6 mins ,they have been doing it for years ,with no effects as yet ,lol

jyasaki · 16 March 2010, 08:55

Be a little careful heating the stuff too: the fumes are very, very volatile.

Once had a safety demo at work: the guy put, oh, perhaps a quarter cup of acetone in an empty plastic 5 gallon water jug, swished it around a bit, and had basically built a flamethrower. Impressive gout of flame.

jky

buckley470 · 15 August 2011, 22:55

Kelson or jyaski, where do you guys get toluene or Mek in Cali? Went to local inflatable guy (sals)n he said no way you can get it here.

ribraff · 16 August 2011, 00:25

Toluene is very good at reactivating the glued surface when required and that comes in very handy sometimes.

jyasaki · 16 August 2011, 05:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by m chappelow

They use just normal hand cream,,,after ,,,they get the 100% acetone in 1 ltre bottles from acylic nail wholesalers.,they put some acetone in a small dish and then place that in another dish of hot water to warm it up ,cover with a towel to stop fumes then dip finger tips in to remove the acrylic nails for 5/6 mins ,they have been doing it for years ,with no effects as yet ,lol

Make sure they keep well away from open flames and smokers. Acetone fumes are pretty spectularly flammable (as are MEK and Toluene, but I wouldn't suggest dipping fingers in either of those, either.)

The effects from all of these solvents are, for the most part, pretty long term. Short term, there's not much obvious unless you suffocate from fumes or blow yourself up. I'd suggest perusing MSDS's (Material Safety Data Sheets; readily available in the US; don't know about the UK), as health effects and safety are the main reason they exist.

jky

papapaul · 16 August 2011, 09:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckley470

Kelson or jyaski, where do you guys get toluene or Mek in Cali? Went to local inflatable guy (sals)n he said no way you can get it here.

You can order on line this is the link MEK PVC Solvant at NRSweb.com
and if you need glue I recommend Sta-bond from the same place is very good and they have instructions on the web site how to use it, this is the link Stabond™ Adhesive at NRSweb.com they ship ground only because this products are HAZMAT and are not allowed on plains.

jyasaki · 16 August 2011, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckley470

Kelson or jyaski, where do you guys get toluene or Mek in Cali? Went to local inflatable guy (sals)n he said no way you can get it here.

Toluene used to be available at Ace Hardware, but was not in stock last time I looked. It can be ordered online (I saw no restrictions about shipping to California.)

MEK is pretty widely available: Ace, OSH, and Home Depot all carry it; almost always in quarts. If you need gallons or larger, you may have to go online for that as well.

jky

achilles2011 · 19 August 2011, 17:32

MEK is available (only) in gallon sizes at Lowes, in quart sizes at Home Depot (just looked yesterday).

bottompaint · 19 August 2011, 18:50

My Valiant Rib has gone gummy, but only on the oar pads, rub rail anf the parts that hold the stern. What is going on? Can it be stopped.

Bigmuz7 · 19 August 2011, 19:13

I thought the main problem with toluene is that its been confirmed as carcinogenic ?..

I recently did a repair using MEK for the first time but IMHO thats only for PVC or PU work ? Its very effective but Its probably carcinogenic too .. what the hell .. I had dinner later with a nice malt whisky and a cigar afterwards

S4Simon · 02 September 2011, 11:35

I've never used a chemical solvent for a hyperlon repair. We only use MEK on PVC boat repairs. For Hyperlon you just need to abrade the top surface (mechanical clean) so that the adhesive bites in. Using a solvent will not help in the adhesion process. The old man has been repairing hyperlon and pvc inflatables for over 50 years and the process is always the same and works without fail.

As a general rule hyperlon boats will last around 25-30 years if looked after - after this they become porous and air will seep through the entire skin (some people will pay to have liquid latex poured into the tubes and this will give you another couple of years. Whereas pvc boats have a life span of around 15 years, after this the fabric becomes brittle and won't take adhesive anymore.