Xylene ... Can it be used safely

S

ShawnF350

New member
We were given my mother's car yesterday for my son. 2000 Olds Intrigue
She previously had a parking lot bump while someone backed into her and had paint transfer on the plastic bumper.
I tried my rotary with an lc orange 3" pad and some propolish2.
It removed some but I was afraid of doing some burning since it was in an inside curved area.
I decided to try some Xylene on a rag.
With a few firm rubs it removed the scuffs with ease.

So I'm asking was there risk involved in what I did?

This leads to my next question.

My MIL has a 2009 Tuxedo Black Ford Fusion. I'll be detailing it soon.
She had a scratch/chip or two on her door and a few on the bumper.

She touched up the areas with black nail polish..I never saw the damage before she covered it.
It looks like blobs of tar.

Is it safe to use the Xylene with a soft cloth or should I go about it another way to remove the gunk?
After that I want to touch it up with the Ford touchup paint that matches.
 
That sounds like it might be ok on clear...if you've got touchup spots that have gone through the clear I'd be worried about it removing the base and primer--maybe we've got someone who paints who can be more definitive.
 
Youll be fine as long as it doesnt sit on the paint very long. Its about the same as putting gasoline on your paint, both of them are hydrocarbons.
 
Xylene and Toulene are in the same class and both will eat the daylights out of paint. NOTHING like putting gasoline on your paint.

Toulene is the active ingredient in model airplane glue. That works by melting plastic.
 
I'm with Ccrew on this one, I wouldn't do it.

Xylene is one of the few products I'm a bit leery of...I wear gloves and try to avoid breathing it and I only use it to clean out brushes/etc. when using products where it's the only thing that'll work. Ditto for Toulene.
 
Accumulator said:
I'm with Ccrew on this one, I wouldn't do it.

Xylene is one of the few products I'm a bit leery of...I wear gloves and try to avoid breathing it and I only use it to clean out brushes/etc. when using products where it's the only thing that'll work. Ditto for Toulene.
Click to expand...
Any suggestions on how to remove the nail polish.. Or just leave it?
 
I believe Toluene and Xylene are used in the Aircraft Industry for cleaning and they are deadly toxic - you need gloves and an Osha rated respirator if you want to mess around with them..
If nail polish remover is acetone, then you will need that to remove it.. I always thought that lacquer thinner was used to remove mail polish..
Whatever you use, of course, you will take a sharp pointed Q-Tip and just touch a tiny spot not anywhere near, hopefully on an underside spot, and remove it quickly and see if it hurts the paint..
And whatever you use, you have to be very quick and accurate touching only the product you want to remove..
I have had great success on alot of paintwork removing tree sap and crap, artillery fungus, etc., with Goof Off Professional in that little metal can sold at Home Depot in the paint section, using QTips..
Never hurt anything, never had paintwork go bad later..
Good luck,
Dan F
 
I used to use Xylene as a pre-treatment for prepping tires for racing on dirt.

If you included a propane torch to heat the chemical after brushing it on (read- catching the tire on fire... and shortly after it wold go out on its own after the chemical burned away and evaporated out of the pores of the slick)... it would drop the durometer reading 5- 20 points, depending on number of applications. Which is huge for suspension/ chassis setup on a dirt, circle track.

Regarding paint... I wouldn't use it pure. I believe it is a portion of the makeup of body solvent. Which I do use often and for many reasons.
 
Stokdgs said:
I believe Toluene and Xylene are used in the Aircraft Industry for cleaning and they are deadly toxic - you need gloves and an Osha rated respirator if you want to mess around with them..
If nail polish remover is acetone, then you will need that to remove it.. I always thought that lacquer thinner was used to remove mail polish..
Whatever you use, of course, you will take a sharp pointed Q-Tip and just touch a tiny spot not anywhere near, hopefully on an underside spot, and remove it quickly and see if it hurts the paint..
And whatever you use, you have to be very quick and accurate touching only the product you want to remove..
I have had great success on alot of paintwork removing tree sap and crap, artillery fungus, etc., with Goof Off Professional in that little metal can sold at Home Depot in the paint section, using QTips..
Never hurt anything, never had paintwork go bad later..
Good luck,
Dan F
Click to expand...

Thank god I rarely use it. Didn't wear gloves when I used it on the bumper.
I'm putting a reminder on the can to wear gloves.
Always use outdoors too, but when I caulked my windows with OSI quad I used it to clean my hands if it got on me.
I like Googone. But from what I read before GoofOff is Xylene. That's why I never bought Goof Off again since I had the Xylene.

I'll try the qtip idea too.
 
ShawnF350- I *might* try the Acetone if Mineral Spirits prove ineffective, but to be honest I just don't have a good answer. I *do* however think that avoiding seriously bad-news stuff (for you and/or the paint) is a good idea ;)

Stokdgs- Yeah, that "gloves and respirator" sounds right. Some seemingly safe products can Kill. You. Dead. And slowly too...
 
Here is what is in Goof Off from their website --

Licensed to W.M. Barr and Company: MIRS MSDS, (c) A V Systems, Inc. GHS format
Revision: 04/15/2015
Printed: 04/15/2015
Page: 5
Goof Off Professional Strength VOC Compliant
SAFETY DATA SHEET
Supersedes Revision: 03/03/2015
Other Precautions: Keep away from heat, sparks and open flame. No smoking.
8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS/PERSONAL PROTECTION
CAS # Partial Chemical Name OSHA TWA ACGIH TWA Other Limits
PEL: 1000 ppm TLV: 500 ppm
STEL: 750 ppm
67-64-1 Acetone {2-Propanone} No data.
PEL: 100 ppm TLV: 100 ppm
STEL: 150 ppm
1330-20-7 Xylene (mixed isomers) {Benzene,
dimethyl-}
No data.
PEL: 100 ppm TLV: 100 ppm
STEL: 125 ppm
100-41-4 Ethylbenzene {Ethylbenzol;
Phenylethane}
No data.
98-82-8 Cumene {Benzene, 1-Methylethyl-; PEL: 50 ppm TLV: 50 ppm
Isopropylbenzene}
No data.
If exposure cannot be controlled below applicable limits, use the appropriate NIOSH
approved respirator such as an air
purifying respirator with organic vapor cartridge. Consult the respirator manufacturer's
literature to ensure that the respirator will provide adequate protection. Read and follow
all respirator manufacturer's instructions.
Respiratory Equipment
(Specify Type):
Eye Protection: Chemical goggles, also wear a face shield if a splashing hazard exists.
Appropriate chemical resistant gloves should be worn, such as nitrile rubber. Wear
gloves with as much resistance to the chemical ingredients as possible. Other glove
materials may provide protection. Glove selection should be based on chemicals being
used and conditions of use. Consult your glove supplier for additional information.
Gloves contaminated with product should be discarded and not reused.
Protective Gloves:
To prevent skin contact wear protective clothing covering all exposed areas.
Various application methods can dictate the use of additional protective safety
equipment, such as impermeable aprons to minimize exposure.
Other Protective Clothing:
Use only in well-ventilated areas. Ensure adequate ventilation, especially in confined
areas. Where the product is used in a hazardous classified area, use explosion-proof
electrical/ventilating/lighting/equipment.
Engineering Controls
(Ventilation etc.):
Wash hands thoroughly after use and before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the
restroom.
Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the work area.
Discard any clothing or other protective equipment that cannot be decontaminated.
Facilities storing or handling this material should be equipped with an emergency
eyewash and safety shower.

I have only used this in the garage with all 3 doors open, and wearing Nitrile gloves.
Since I only put a little bit on the end of a sharpened Q-Tip, there is less exposure than pouring it out, etc..
It sucks when you have 100+ Artillery Fungus dots to remove, but I will use 1 Q-Tip or more per dot, to control the process more tightly, and minimize exposure..
Yeah, I ran through boxes of Q-Tips a year..
Dan F
 
ShawnF350 said:
Here's a nice article I found. I don't fully understand all the categories but it reads well.
I remember in late 80s... There was a tetra chloride or something they used at a electronics assembly place.

http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/harts1/HARTS_library/solventhazards.txt
Click to expand...

OMG. Carbon TetraChloride. That stuff is very nasty. My dad owned a machine shop, they used that for degreasing in a big kettle with a hotplate with condensing coils around the top so the fumes didn't escape. I remember young me sticking my nose in it. You'll only ever do that once I tell ya. Turns out you need the coils because once heated it becomes Phosgene gas.

Worst one I ever did though was Hydrofluoric acid. Hey, i dodged those stupid warning labels in the past. They sell it for cleaning A/C condenser coils. So I decided I could clean car parts with it. Worked great.

About three hours later all my fingers were burning. Cold water helped that. Three hours after that I was ready to cut all my fingers off and the wife called poison control. Had to go to the ER under Poison control guidance and get injections into all my fingernail beds. Want something that hurts?

Three or 4 days later all my fingernails fell off and all was good. (NOT) It took weeks obviously. You tend to remember ones like that.
 
Ccrew said:
OMG. Carbon TetraChloride. That stuff is very nasty. My dad owned a machine shop, they used that for degreasing in a big kettle with a hotplate with condensing coils around the top so the fumes didn't escape. I remember young me sticking my nose in it. You'll only ever do that once I tell ya. Turns out you need the coils because once heated it becomes Phosgene gas.
Click to expand...

Um...what you're describing is a vapor degreaser, and you've kind of missed some of the finer points of the operation and design of them.

Ccrew said:
Worst one I ever did though was Hydrofluoric acid. Hey, i dodged those stupid warning labels in the past. They sell it for cleaning A/C condenser coils. So I decided I could clean car parts with it. Worked great.

About three hours later all my fingers were burning. Cold water helped that. Three hours after that I was ready to cut all my fingers off and the wife called poison control. Had to go to the ER under Poison control guidance and get injections into all my fingernail beds. Want something that hurts?

Three or 4 days later all my fingernails fell off and all was good. (NOT) It took weeks obviously. You tend to remember ones like that.
Click to expand...

And people wonder why I try to discourage the willy nilly use of wheel cleaners like Meg's Wheel Brightener or Poorboy's Spray and Rinse, among others, because they contain HF (hydrofluoric acid) or its precursor, ammonium bifluoride (ABF).
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Um...what you're describing is a vapor degreaser, and you've kind of missed some of the finer points of the operation and design of them.



And people wonder why I try to discourage the willy nilly use of wheel cleaners like Meg's Wheel Brightener or Poorboy's Spray and Rinse, among others, because they contain HF (hydrofluoric acid) or its precursor, ammonium bifluoride (ABF).
Click to expand...

dont forget Malco brake off that stuff will put a hem in your dress.
 
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