Naphtha

Ray

Hello
Where can I buy Naphtha?
Thanks - Ray

Gearhead

Hey I saw this place just South of the Vaal, close to Vereeniging, where you'd guess they make some of that. Place looks kinda biggish though, maybe depends on how much you need?

Fish-Eagle

Well you are most probably not going to believe me but Zippo Lighter Fluid is what you are looking for. And that you can buy at any Tobacco store, I know there is one in East Rand Mall, you could also try outdoor warehouse or Mica Hardware store.

Neon-Gecko

Fish Eagle wrote Well you are most probably not going to believe me but Zippo Lighter Fluid is what you are looking for. And that you can buy at any Tobacco store, I know there is one in East Rand Mall, you could also try outdoor warehouse or Mica Hardware store.

Most other brands of lighter fluids consist of it too and are available at most supermarket’s cigarette counters… 8)

Ray

Ha! Thanks boys. Gearhead, I'll opt for the closer place. So when I see a can of stuff at Dischem or so and it says lighter fluid and there may be something like butane on the label, I'm OK?

psyx

well... Im a bit confused as to what youre looking for and why? The term Naphta may refer to a number of things. In some south american countries they refer to petrol as Naphta and on an oil refinery, Naphta is unrefined fuel and there are light and heavy Naphtas depending on the boiling point... So its a highly flammable liquid. Arent you looking for Naphtalene? to stop the fish moths from eating your guitar??

Not trying to be silly, but you may end up dosing your guitar in Octane which may not be what you intended ... 8)

Fish-Eagle

So when I see a can of stuff at Dischem or so and it says lighter fluid and there may be something like butane on the label, I'm OK?

Nope, Butane is gas so it will only be a liquid while under pressure... And I'm thinking you want the stuff that can be applied to something... Thus just ask for lighter fluid that they use to fill Zippo type lighters, these are always in a liquid form hence the use of "Naphtha" in them.

Ray

Ja, it is the lighter fluid I'm looking for. I think so anyway. Just everywhere I'm reading that it's the stuff to use on wood at certain points in the finishing process becasue it doesnt raise the grain and so forth.

Fish-Eagle

well... Im a bit confused as to what youre looking for and why? The term Naphta may refer to a number of things. In some south american countries they refer to petrol as Naphta and on an oil refinery, Naphta is unrefined fuel and there are light and heavy Naphtas depending on the boiling point... So its a highly flammable liquid. Arent you looking for Naphtalene? to stop the fish moths from eating your guitar??

Not trying to be silly, but you may end up dosing your guitar in Octane which may not be what you intended ... Cool

He he ok the stuff that Ray is referring to does this:

Behlen Naphtha Solvent

Naphtha solvent is safe for use on most metal surfaces or guitar finishes, to remove waxes, grime, oils and sticker adhesives. It can be used to help remove oils and waxes from wood surfaces before finishing, and is recommended for cleaning oils from fretwire prior to installation.

As per the guys at Stewmac. Unfortunately the stuff they advertise on their site can not be shipped here thus we guys here in S.A. need to get the closest replacement witch is Lighter Fluid.

psyx

Well I know alot more about chemistry than woodwork, so I cant really give much advice as to which is the right Naphta to be used on wood, but I think fish eagle was right

Neon-Gecko

Ray I use benzene on raw wood, it removes dust, skin oils and any grime. Benzene evaporates quickly and so doesn’t cause the wood grain to “pop” or expand.

On sealed surfaces I prefer to use a proper degreaser designed for painted surfaces. I lean towards Kapci’s Degreaser (product code 605) as it removes any contaminants instead of just shifting it around the surface as benzene would. I also recommend using a proper pre-wipe cloth (no point in using a rag that may have detergents, fabric softeners or worse machine oils from the weaving process!)

All of the above is available from Apollo in your neck of the woods.

Ray

Thanks aplenty.