Reusing naptha

[tonyb]

With vintage prices going the way they are, finding bargains may soon mean going after the hats others dismiss just because the poor old lids are dirty and/or misshapen. But even do-it-yourself renovating runs into a bit of dough. Naptha costs a little over $10 a gallon at the local home-improvement warehouse store, and that's if you buy it by the gallon. It's about twice that if you get it by the quart. So .... I figure I ought to get more than one use out of it.
Besides the dirt, naptha apparently also removes a bit of the dyes used in the felts. (Dark hats leave a dark residue in the bottom of my large Pyrex hat-dunking bowl; light hats leave a light residue.) Some hats leave more color behind than others. The dirt and such settles to the bottom of the bowl after the hat is removed. So I've taken to putting the used naptha back in the can, using a metal cup and a funnel with a coffee filter, and leaving that funkiest little bit at the bottom of the bowl to evaporate. Then the bowl gets washed. Seems to work OK.
Any opinions on this? It makes sense, I suppose, to use one can of naptha for dark hats and another for lighter ones. But besides that? Does naptha lose its effectiveness with use, or can I keep recycling it until that little bit I lose with each use adds up to a gallon?

 

[Art Fawcett]

Keep recycling Tony and yes, keep them separate. Once it gets too dark you need to dispose of it, in an environmentally friendly way, of course.

 

[tonyb]

Thanks, Art. By "environmentally friendly" I assume you mean taking it to a haz-mat disposal station, maybe? I was thinking of watering the neighbor's petunias with it, but the boss lady says I can't do that.

 

[Art Fawcett]

hmmmm, if the neighbor was one of THOSE neighbors I'd have to give it some thought. Fortunately my nearest neighbor is almost 1/2mile drive...very good neighbors

 

[Andykev]

Be careful

I pray you are doing all this in a very well ventilated place, away from open flames like the water heater:rage:

Yes, OPTIMO hats uses two batches, one for light and the other for dark felts. That's that are cleaned and blocked can have color powders, grease, and of course the dirt.

Naptha is nasty stuff. I bet some day you won't be able to buy it. Be careful. I have found that after cleaning a hat in it, then letting it AIR DRY outdoors, you cannot smell the chemical.

 

[jay_b]

Ya, naptha should totally evaporate from the hat.

It works well for cleaning glass.

 

[tonyb]

That warning can't be emphasized enough, Andykev. I NEVER use naptha anywhere but the great out of doors. I keep it away from any source of ignition and several feet from any flammable surfaces, should a spark fall from above and set the whole works ablaze. (Could give me a sneak preview of what eternity has in store.) And I usually let the hats dry in a well-ventilated shed, unless the weather is fair and is expected to remain so for several hours. In that latter case, I let 'em dry outside, in the shade. And I concur with you and Jay--you indeed cannot detect any odor of naptha whatsoever once it has evaporated.

 

[riccardo]

Naphta

I always read hereabout naphta.
What's naphta?
I've founded into a store an item called "AVIO" it was near "TRIELINA" another item used by milliners or laundry to clean,without water, the clothes.
Is this naptha or, simply, naptha is only the liquid used in zippo lighter?

Before I should damage my felt...please help!!!:rage:
Riccardo.

 

[EricH]

Is there a good alternative to Naptha? Here in Minnesota doing things outside in January other than icefishing is pretty difficult and working around the furnace isn't really a good idea. It would seem that with all the environmental emphasis on solvents that someone would have something non combustable that would do the trick. Has anyone found something? Also, I've wondered how ultrasonic cleaning would work on a hat as it does wonders for other tricky things. Eric (Hey Tony save some of those big bargain hats for me!)

 

[tonyb]

Riccardo, naptha is commonly used as a thinner for certain types of paint and is usually found in the paint department at hardware stores over here in the states. Beyond that, I can't tell you much, having never studied chemistry. But there is a thread or two here where its properties are more thoroughly discussed.
And I don't know diddly about alternatives to naptha, EricH, but I'm interested in learning more. Until we come up with a method that can be safely executed indoors, you may have to wait for the thaw. Besides fire safety, there are also environmental and health considerations.

 

[John in Covina]

Wikpedia

Production of naphtha in refineries and uses
Naphtha is obtained from petroleum refineries as a portion of the distillation (also referred to as a cut). It is an intermediate between the lighter gasoline and the heavier benzine. Naphtha has a specific gravity of about 0.7. The generic name naphtha describes a range of different refinery cuts used in the different applications. To further complicate the matter similar naphtha types are often referred to by different names.

The different naphthas are distinguished by:

density (kg/m3 or specific gravity)
PONA or PIONA analysis, which measures (usually in volume percent but can also be in weight percent):
Paraffin content (volume percent)
Isoparaffin content (only in a PIONA analysis)
Olefins content (volume percent)
Naphthenes content (volume percent)
Aromatics content (volume percent)
[edit]
Paraffinic naphthas
Generally speaking "lighter" or rather less dense naphthas will have a higher paraffin content, these are therefore also referred to as paraffinic naphtha. The main application these naphthas are used for are as a feedstock in the petrochemical production of olefins. This is also the reason they are sometimes referred to as "light distillate feedstock" or LDF (as described above a variety of names exist and these types can also be called "straight run gasoline"/SRG or "light virgin naphtha"/LVN).

When used as feedstock in petrochemical steam crackers, the naphtha is heated in the presence of water vapour and the absence of oxygen or air until the hydrocarbon molecules fall apart. The primary products of the cracking process are olefins (ethylene / ethene, propylene / propene and butadiene) and aromatics (benzene and toluene). These are used as feedstocks for derivative units that produce plastics (polyethylene and polypropylene for example), synthetic fiber precursors (acrylonitrile), industrial chemicals (glycols for instance).

[edit]
Heavy naphthas
The "heavier" or rather denser types are usually richer in naphthenes and aromatics and therefore also referred to as N&A's. These can also be used in the petrochemical industry but more often are used as a feedstock for refinery catalytic reformers where they convert the lower octane naphtha to a higher octane product - reformate. Alternative names for these types are straight run benzene/SRB or heavy virgin naphtha/HVN.

[edit]
Other applications / descriptions
Naphthas are also used in other applications such as

(as an unprocessed component - in contrast to reforming above) in the production of petrol/motor gasoline.
as industrial solvents and cleaning fluids
as an ingredient in shoe polish
as an ingredient in some lighter fluids for wick type lighters such as Zippo lighters.
as an adulterant to petrol
[edit]
Etymology
There is a theory that the word naphtha came (via Greek, where it meant any sort of petroleum) from the name of the Vedic Hindu and Avestic god Apam Napat, who was a form of Agni and his name is Sanskrit and Avestic for "son of waters", referring to flames from natural gas or oil seepages surfacing through water. See this link about a fire temple at Baku in Azerbaijan.

See also: naphthalene olefin refinery.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphtha"
Categories: Petroleum products | Solvents

 

[Raindog]

One thing of many that bugs me about living in England is the fact you can't buy ANY of these things easily. It might as well be illegal for the difficulty it takes in getting stuff.
I once asked for plaster of paris in a chemist....They refused to sell me any and grilled me about what it was for! A more innocuous thing you couldn't ask for.
If you're into making anything involving chemicals or even hardware then emigrate to America. You can't buy anything in England....It's pathetic.
Ok, I've had my rant....Back to hats



Jeff.

 

[tonyb]

Can you readily procure denatured alcohol over there on your side of the pond, Raindog? I've used it, too, but it doesn't seem as effective as naptha, and for that reason I don't see it as a real "alternative." But then, I'm still learning the basics of this stuff, so don't take my observations as gospel. Should you try it, though, the same precautions apply.

 

[Raindog]

Hi Tonyb,
You can barely get anything. In America you seem to have hardware shops with real pure chemicals, heavy duty machines, materials for basic engineering and building of projects.....Over here we have 'DIY' warehouses with prepackaged packets of small screws (no buying by weight or single screws or anything), flat packed furniture, stuff for decorating your house....In other words Cr*p....
Denatured alcohol? Unlikely...Although you might get a bottle of something which has it as an ingredient for an extortionate price.....
Anyone over here who wants to try some chemistry or use chemicals more potent than Bicarbonate of soda or iron filings is stuck. Like I said...Pathetic country.
I might emigrate....

Jeff.

 

[John in Covina]

How about cheap vodka?

 

[Raindog]

Hmmmm....Now there's a thought!
I suppose you could build a still and get some pretty pure alcohol out. Probably not as good as Naphtha :cry:
Having said that, this countrie's made stills illegal too. What a pathetic mollycoddling bunch of losers we have in power here.
I suppose soaking the hat in vodka could work. Then you could (erk) drink it afterwards.....Dissolved hair grease on ice.....

Jeff.

 

[John in Covina]

Naptha reuse filtration.

:beer: don't use like this!

I believe Naptha was the first dry cleaning fluid and they had to re-use it so there must be a filtration system for it. I would think that after using the coffee filter for the big stuff either an activated charcoal filter or even a gas filter might be a logical next step in filtration to lengthen re-use ability.I think you can still get activated charcoal at the pharmacy you could make a filter with a large funnel and cheese cloth of coffee filter to keep the charcoal from leeching thru. Also the charcoal has to rinsed to get the small particles off it.

Maybe there's an article about the filters the early dry cleaners used.

 

[John in Covina]

Any one un-stiffend a shelaced hat with ALCOHOL?

In the Hat trade like Cowboy styles the hat stiffener is Shelac Shelaq? anyway, to un stiffen, alcohol could be used to disolve and remove the shelac. A lot of the guys prefer a soft and floppy hat that was prevelant during the WWII years. Supposedly the hat makers dropped shelac as a war item, and that's why these hats are soft.

 

[Fedora]

Many of us older guys carried naptha around in our pockets for years. Inside of Zippo lighters. I also used it in a Svea backpacking stove years ago. I think it has been used for cleaning hats since it was discovered. Like Art, I have two containers, One for light hats, one for dark hats. As someone mentioned, you will get the sediments at the bottom. I just sipon off the good fluid, and discard the colored liquid. At 10 bucks a gallon, it is prudent to do so, especially when you have to top up your cleaning containers periodically.

Denatured alcohol is more dangerous, as it is a deadly toxin, due not to the main ingredient, which is nothing more than ethanol alcohol, but rather the methanol alchohol that they cut it with so folks will not try to drink it!! The methanol is the bad stuff, and is only in the mixture to inhibit a cheap drunk. I figure, if you want use this stuff at all, for its intended purpose, just buy 190 proof Everclear grain alcohol at your local liquor store. Once you use it, you could take a drink instead of throwing it away. :cheers1: Fedora

 

[Fedora]

Supposedly the hat makers dropped shelac as a war item, and that's why these hats are soft.

You know, I read in the Stetson Book, that the early "staple" hats, or western hats as we call them now, were all soft hats. The shellac came later on. A soft brim will yield with the breeze generated by a galloping horse, and the hat is less apt to blow off the head. Made sense to me. I think once the hat became a fashion item, rather than a work item, they made the hats purty, for purty cowboys, and make em stiff, so not as to ruffle the style. Course, I could be wrong, but if I am on a horse all day, give me a soft brim. I detest climbing on and off a horse just to pick up my hat. Too time consuming. :cheers1: Fedora