Secret of silicone

[Frank S]

I disagree with taking this down.

With all due respect RG, they are lots of things, shown here and life in general, that require some level of intelligence and caution to use. I will venture to say are very few subscribers to this list, that are not aware of the explosion hazard of vaporized solvents.

It is dangerous to eat. It is dangerous to drive. It is dangerous to just sit and watch TV. It is dangerous to be alive. The trick is NOT to remove all of the dangerous things, the secret is to be aware.


Shifting gears..... My question centers around silicones compatibility with gasoline. I know that most silicone formulations are suitable for use in contact with gasoline. There are some that are "resistant". I do not know however if this true for "purified" gasoline, as I am not sure what that is. When I was a kid, we could buy "white gas" from a special pump at the gas station. We used it as a cleaning solvent, and fuel for camp stoves and lanterns. Perhaps it is the additives in modern gasoline that are the problem. So, maybe Coleman fuel would work for this?

As I recall white gas was quite a bit more expensive, maybe 30 cents a gallon instead of 22 cents for regular gasoline(that . Of course to keep things in perspective, I got paid 50 to 75 cents, maybe a $1.00 for mowing the neighbors lawn with push mower... the kind with NO ENGINE on it!!! Of curse that did save me the ?? cents I would need for fuel if I had a power mower.

We bought our gasoline, Diesel and white gas in bulk, delivered to the farm in North Central Texas, less than $200.00plus the $15.00 delivery fee would fill the 2 500-gallon tanks with gas and diesel and the 75-gallon tank with white gas AKA Naphtha.
Cigarettes were also sold in vending machines for a quarter a pack or 21 cents over the counter.
Using gasoline as a solvent for cleaning greasy parts, or a mixture of gas & diesel was quite common since it was cheaper than having the white gas drum refilled before time to fill all 3 tanks. Sometimes even today I still use a 50/50 gas diesel mixture when cleaning greasy parts, not my go-to solvent anymore since there are detergent solvents which can almost do as good a job nearly as fast.
Silicone before it cures can be blended quite well with many products or the excess cleaned and wiped away. I use the original Dawn liquid dish washing detergent on the tip of my finger to shape the calking joints and on a paper towel to wipe away the excess, but WD-40 works great as well.
KP has explained how silicone can be utilized in many different consistencies of thickness, buy using varying amounts of different chemicals The oner thing he may not have explained is many or most of these procedures should be done with caution and in well ventilated areas. But then again rattle snakes don't have a warning label on the top of their heads either but most of us wouldn't pat them on their heads