Cleaning before welding with acetone

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Hello all. I always see people talking about cleaning before welding using acetone, mineral spirits, or alcohol. It may be a stupid question being that everyone uses it, but are there any harmful effects from welding over an area that is cleaned with any of the above mentioned? I see people that TIG weld use it a lot pre welding, can it be used in any application (ie tig, mig, stick)? Is it something that youd have to worry about if lets say its not fully dried like in that phosgene gas article where the welder didnt know there was some brake cleaner that hadnt evaporated yet? Sorry if they are silly questions but I just wanted to make sure. I also searched and I could really find anything on the topic as far as it being dangerous which leads me to believe that its not, but it cant hurt to be careful right? Thanks in advance!
Reply:Threadkiller, acetone fully vaporizes at room temp, so there's no acetone left on the surface from degreasing operations, and the rag usually carries away the grease that was solvent lifted (dissolved)  by the acetone. So there is no acetone left to 'do anything'  The process of cleaning with a solvent, like acetone, may not fully clean the metal if its not done with clean rag/wipe and repeated a few times should  the coating be heavier than a single pass with a damp rag will dissolve and pick up.Mineral spirits is a light oil and will not provide a cleaning like acetone; in aluminum at least.  The only real danger with acetone is cleaning inside a tank, vessel or enclosed volume, it the evaporated acetone is not vented/purged/removed then when you light up you can get a small explosion, of that vaporized acetone.  Acetone should not be inhaled, so working around it within a well ventilated area is important, it will hose your kidneys as I understand, but an occasional whiff is not in that category.   But if you're working in a closed space with acetone regularly; an "organic vapor" or charcoal cartridge on a half-face, air purifying, rubber frame, skin conforming, respirator is minimum protection for your air ways and blood stream.Cheers,Kevin MorinKenai, AK
Reply:the only thing acetone, mineral spirits or alcohol would cause is a quick flash if it's still wet when you try to weld over or near it.  if it's really wet, make sure you have someone posted as a fire watch so things don't get ugly.  cant tell you how many times I've caught the grass on fire and not known it until I smelled something burning.  lol
Reply:Make sure metal is cool when you put the acetone on it... And wait for it to evaporate before you weld over it. If you get it hot, its got a VERY potent smell that'll burn your throat if you get a good whiff of it...[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Keep in mind the flammability of solvents. Be sure to keep rags and the container well away from the welding area. Sparks travel quite a distance when doing mig or stick, and solvent rags will quickly ignite even if you think they are fully "dry"..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I remember reading something about a guy that got messed up using carburetor cleaner. I can't recall the details but I am sure you can google it.And it should be said that the things mentioned above already are not something you want to breath in in the first place let alone a weld over.
Reply:Mike, I think you are talking about this:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ht=chlorinatedDave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWKeep in mind the flammability of solvents. Be sure to keep rags and the container well away from the welding area. Sparks travel quite a distance when doing mig or stick, and solvent rags will quickly ignite even if you think they are fully "dry".
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWKeep in mind the flammability of solvents. Be sure to keep rags and the container well away from the welding area. Sparks travel quite a distance when doing mig or stick, and solvent rags will quickly ignite even if you think they are fully "dry".
Reply:Umm......holy crap!!!Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by LanseIf you get it hot, its got a VERY potent smell that'll burn your throat if you get a good whiff of it...
Reply:Also wear rubber gloves when wiping parts with acetone as your skin can absorb acetone
Reply:Hi freq and acetone DO NOT MIX.You can have a rag..stainless brush...the can itself go off with no sparks anywhere near it at all.Hi freq will set it off so make sure all that stuff is not anywhere near your work area..Acetone will ignite very fast but you will not see any flames at all.The flames start when other things catch fire.But by then it's too late....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterAcetone will ignite very fast but you will not see any flames at all.
Reply:On the topic of "playing with fire", if you bubble propane through soapy water, this happens:[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f95XNSISKYM[/ame]Can you tell I hang around people who like to play with fire as a hobby? Here's an example of something we did:[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdmlVsn_7No[/ame]Last edited by joshuabardwell; 07-28-2013 at 12:23 AM.Everlast PA160-STH... and that's about it!
Reply:Cremora bombs are awesome!  I miss making those.
Reply:Originally Posted by hazmat5760Cremora bombs are awesome!  I miss making those.
Reply:Do you not have proper weld prep spray there in the states, in the UK cleaning Ally prior to welding we have a spray at work made just for that job.Its so dangerous to just use any old solvent because not only the fire risk but also the risk to your health breathing in fumes, some of which you may not notice until its too late.Buy the proper stuff than simply using what you may have in your garage or workshop, it could save your life
Reply:I have always tried to be as health conscious as practically possible in my choices. When I started my shop I decided not to bring in anything worse than alcohol until I needed it. A couple years later I still don't have acetone or anything like paint thinner or anything in my shop. Even for things like my ceramic coatings that suggest to clean up with Acetone I have found out isopropyl works fine on as long as you get on it quick enough. I have never used anything stronger than rubbing alcohol on welding prep and have never had a problem as far as contaminants go. So it begs the question. Is there any downside to using alcohol? Why use something harsher than necessary? Of course I don't think many people realize that Acetone is much worse for you than a lot of stuff out there. Even worse than that is MEK and laquer thinner which has Acetone, MEK and other nasty stuff in it.Lincoln precision TIG 275Millermatic 140 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by Gerry1964Do you not have proper weld prep spray there in the states, in the UK cleaning Ally prior to welding we have a spray at work made just for that job.
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellGerry,Do me a favor--satisfy my curiosity. Look at the ingredients label or whatever and tell me what your weld prep spray is made up of? What solvents does it contain?
Reply:Originally Posted by Gerry1964I've not got any at the moment but in the states you can buy something called Weld O Preweld Aluminum Cleaner. By downloading the PDF file (MSDS) you can see a list of ingredients Basically most cleaners are made up of similar chemicals which have safety data sheets on the best way to use them, be it paste form or spray
Reply:Thanks for all the replies guys.
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellRight. Got it.So, Weld-O contains... Hydrofluoric Acid < 6% and Nitric Acid < 1%. Ahhh... thanks. I think I'll take my chances with good old acetone. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not sure how anything containing HF is safer than anything not containing it.