Brake cleaner is REALLY nasty stuff...
Turbo Mini Forums

I used to work for a company who makes Brake Cleaner. From my memory Chlorinated solvents used in brake cleaner have been banned in the UK (and Europe) for some time, but not in the USA.

Again, from memory, modern brake cleaners are just heptane based solvents. Nothing nasty, good solvency power and some have a non flammable propellant so you can't even blow yourself up.

Nick.

Also, don't mix hypochlorate and peroxide bleaches....unless you want to make loads of oxygen/chlorine gases!

The really really nasty one is HF produced when teflon rubbers decompose. You can find this in your boots and gaiters. Get it on you and you could be looking at bones turning to powder, sores that don't heal and possibly amputation! Really really horrible stuff. I think perhaps the nastiest of all chemicals.

Bugger off, I'm getting there.

I don't know how you would get HF when Teflon, which is PTFE, decomposes, as there is no hydrogen in it. Anyway, PTFE is about the most stable organic compound there is, it doesn't even begin to soften until nearly 400 deg C so no need to worry too much about your feet rotting away! Oh, and that should be hypochlorite, by the way...:)


Geoff

Geoff

Thats scary shit.............!

I've suffered minor phosgene poisoning in my early working life, it was a hazard of the job. Perhaos that is the reason why I suffer with catarrh and tend to clear my throat alot. CFCs decompose with high heat producing phosgene. Compressor motor burn outs also produced this phosgene, but there was also the added bonus of Hydrogen chloride acids created from the coctail of CFC and hydrocarbon oils decomposing. If you managed to get any contaminated oil on your hands you could feel it 'tingle' and you would after a couple of days start to loose a layer of skin.

PCB's are nasty shit, used to recover is from old telecoms equipment a few years ago, cost a forune to dispose of.

Although cotten braided cable and asbestos was/is worse. (in terms of electronics disposal)

Edited by Anton on 6th Aug, 2009.

Hypochlorite....yep. Confusing with perchlorate...that I've been mucking around with recently! I get your comment about PTFE being mega stable. Odd how the HF warning is given if it is so stable.... There will be an oxidation of the molecule and then a reaction with water.... under what circumstances, I have no idea....that's assuming it happens, which the formation of CO2 and HF would be thermodynamically favourable (without resorting to a book).

Bugger off, I'm getting there.

MOWOG! Isn't that the name of the gorilla that used to over tighten crank pulleys on morris engines in the factory?

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Following several posts on Hydrofluoric acid, you'll notice at the start of the Wiki article it mentions "used to dissolve glass". A "good citizen" post here to let y'all know that vandals are using HF to 'tag' windows on public transport - if glass looks etched don't sit near it!

From memory, I think HF is "painlessly" absorbed through the skin, but then strips calcium from bones. Unless you have the antidote gel you're a bit buggered.

Pottsy

Edited by Pottsy on 2nd Oct, 2009.

the brake cleaner from frost smells delicious, im tempted to spray it on toast

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

Resurecting this topic since I have been researching WW1, and cam across this extract from wikipedia

Edited by Sprocket on 13th Mar, 2011.

Fuck!

you you only need to be near it!

that is nasty stuff

Audi s4 b5 - 470bhp & 486ft lbs

On 30th Apr, 2012 Brett said:
yeah stick the bit in and give it a wobble

Bloody he'll, a good heads up! I used to use the stuff alot.

I'll have to remind myself to check the can of brake cleaner I've got, definately not using on stuff to be welded. The stuff stings to high hell if it rebounds off something and ends up spraying in your eye, plenty of pressure in those cans

blimey that makes you think twice, some of the shit i've inhaled working on the car, like paint burning while welding and stuff like that. sounds like our brake cleaner is fairly safe here.

Colin, have you seen the R 134A replacement?? HFO1234yf. It's the global car air-con replacement and it's finding it's way into air conditioning too, we're testing a water chiller with it at the moment. Its flammable - which makes great sense putting it into cars, and the chemical burns humans receive releave you of limbs... It passes right through the skin.

Lovely