# 202 Solvent vs. Acetone



## Timm40 (Nov 7, 2002)

Is 202 Solvent Wash glorified Acetone?


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## DelmarRey (Aug 25, 2001)

Look on the lable or get the MSDS info. One of those should tell. Who is the manufacture of 202?


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## Silmaril (Feb 22, 2003)

Take a look at the Interlux website, they have a complete sundown on their Y202 product. Looking at the MSDS info sheet, it appears to be completely different than Acetone. I is slower to evaporate and allows you to remove the surface imperfections instead of just moving them around like Acetone.


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## Timm40 (Nov 7, 2002)

I was looking at it from a perspective of is it essential to wipe down a hull or would acetone surfice?


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## Silmaril (Feb 22, 2003)

If you were just doing general clean-up and the Acetone works, use it, it is less costly. 

But if you are planning on the final cleaning prior to applying a topside high gloss finish and want the best possible results, go with the 202.


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## DelmarRey (Aug 25, 2001)

I checked it out. It is MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone)It is basiclly the same as Acetone, just that it dries slower. And it''s about $15 per gallon. A little more then Acetone. Acetone would dry so fast that cleaning brushes or surfaces would be difficult. The stuff would dry before you could get the residue off.


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## Thermal (Aug 21, 2002)

But MEK is essentially lacquer thinner, but when it''s called lacquer thinner, it''s half that price!


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## efatzinger (Nov 30, 2000)

MEK and Lacquer thinner are the same? A J30 and a hunter 17 ft are both sailboats but I would never say they are the same. the chemical properties of the formerly mentioned are not the same,but they can do the same job just don''t mix them.


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## c25 (Sep 14, 2003)

I offer the following for informational purposes only. I don''t work for Interlux, I''m just observing what''s on their website. 

I looked at the interlux sight under the MSDS for the 202 wash. Not a bad MSDS as MSDS''s go as they actually give some info about relative composition. Most often, companies go out of their way to fill the legal requirements of an MSDS & still tell you nothing with repect to what''s in the can.

From Interlux''s MSDS it looks like 202 is a mix of various solvents that try to optimize solvency, dry rate, and low raw material cost. They leave themselves a lot of room in the formulation probably to allow them to build it with whatever is cheap at the time(though usually it''ll be one optimized formula as it''s easier to make, package, & distribute)...and to hide the actual formulation. 

>"psuedo-cumene" (10-25%)--gotta love this stuff. There''s no such thing as "pseudo cumeme" as an organic molecule. Sounds like a trade name for the mixed dregs of some distillation (read: CHEAP).
>cumene (minor amount)
>xylenes (minor amount)

The above materials, mostly the psuedocumene, is cheap in cost and adds solvency as well as slower evaporation. 

>MIBK...methyl-isobutyl ketone (25-50%). This is not the same as MEK...methyl-ethyl ketone and MEK isn''t the same as lacquer thinner. Lacquer thinner is a generic name for many different solvent combinations & MEK isn''t used much (from what I''ve seen). MIBK is a good solvent, stronger than the psuedocumene, that evaporates a fair bit slower than MEK, but faster than the cumene. I''d stay away from using MEK as a substitute for acetone. MEK has some health-impact problems and has been removed from many consumer products & industrial applications, though it''s a great solvent. There would be no issues with mixing acetone & MEK, but I wouldn''t use MEK. 

>Cyclohexanone (10-25%)...this is a cyclic ketone & would have solvent properties very close to MIBK.

>Naphtha (25-50%) ...this is a mixture of small carbon number paraffins. Mostly this is CHEAP stuff(dirt cheap..15-20 cents a pound?) that is very safe in most applications. It has lousy solvency(& thus acts like a solvent, but won''t damage some plastics & coatings like acetone, an aggressive solvent, will), but it''s good inexpensive filler in the formulation. Naphtha may help with removing light waxes. The other solvents above do the real work in the application. 

I''m not sure what the 202 solvent costs, but, given access to the raw materials at industrial prices, you could mix up this stuff for maybe 50-60 cents a pound ($3-$4 a gallon, or less).

Given all the above, and what''s available locally without getting carried away, I''d mix maybe 1/3 xylenes(xylol in some stores)), 1/3 acetone, & 1/3 VMP Naphtha and give it a try.  Naturally I''d use all manufacturer''s suggested safety precautions & make sure you have lots of ventilation when it''s used. If you''re going to use a good amount of this you might buy a small can of 202 and mix up some of the home-made stuff and compare how each works.


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