What % of rubbing alcohol is best for electronics and cleaning games?

[needler420]

I just don't understand why people spend $10-12 on that Formula 420 stuff when rubbing alcohol works better and costs... what, $2? Really, if you don't let it get too gunked up then hot water should be enough.

That is what I do now I don't buy that expensive 420 solution. I use 99% ISO for that and 50% on electronic equipment.

99% is better for cleaning heavy crude and lots of dirt, resin etc.

[RP2A03]

Most plastics are not affected by IPA and games do not contain rubber parts. Glossy labels can briefly withstand liquids if it does not get under the label. Alcohol is safer than soapy water because it evaporates faster and leaves behind no residue. I have used IPA to clean really dirty labels and, yes, it can remove some of the color, but so will water. If you do not over clean and you avoid getting it under the label, the damage is only perceptible under magnification.

[wiggyx]

Having just cleaned my games I think I'm going to stick with what I read in the video game collector magazine about using a 2:1 ratio.

This happened to my coffee table in a matter of minutes. Mind you this damage happened in a matter of minutes using 50% concentrated
Attachment 6843


Now I know rubbing alcohol is extremely corrosive against wood and paper products but it is also corrosive against plastics and rubbers. And the game boards are not 100% metal. I am a bit pissed now that I ruined my coffee table. It's not the first thing I have ruined with rubbing alcohol.

I am almost certain you can damage your games now using too strong of a solvent. Those pre-caution labels on NES games saying not to use alcohol wasn't pulled out of someone's ass. Those Nintendo kits that contain rubbing alcohol aren't near 100% concentrations.


I'm guessing that pre-caution label on the back of old NES games is not a joke when they say don't use solvents. If I do I will dilute it for now on.


I am actually going to put it to the test and purposely let different dosage concentrations get corrosive with whatever it can on the game board.

I want to test which will ruin it faster. I will use a cheap dunk hunt or something.

Correct. The board is made of silicon, as I already stated. Isopropyl will not damage silicon, as I already stated.

Just because it ruined the finish on your coffee table, doesn't mean it will destroy everything it touches. Water will ruin the finish on the table if you leave it long enough.

[Jorpho]

I was once in communication with a guy who wigged out because I had the nerve to try to clean shrink wrap with isopropyl alcohol, and who insisted that nothing less than lighter fluid would do.

[Polygon]

This is a pic I just took of a old project I did months ago. I realized the pattern of what it was. Look what I put next to it for reference.
Attachment 6846
I am 100% sure if you put 99% ISO on a video game paper label you will eat through the color of the label instantly. Even if you wipe it on then right off, do it with a clean napkin. Notice how the napkin won't be white. That is the color of your game label coming off.

Like I said, I don't know what's in your mixture, but in my straight 99% ISO is used it to clean sticker residue off a couple of labels recently. Not only did it sit on the label, I used a Q-Tip and a paper towel to clean off the residue from the sticker. Not only that, I had to do it twice. There was absolutely ZERO damage to the label. To pile it on, I've done this MANY times in the past with the same result. I believe you're either adding something to your mixture or you're not using ISO that would cause that to happen because ISO will not cause that to happen. Unless they're selling me different ISO from the rest of the world, and have been since I was a teenager, since that's how long I've been using it to clean games back in the 90s.

[needler420]

I was once in communication with a guy who wigged out because I had the nerve to try to clean shrink wrap with isopropyl alcohol, and who insisted that nothing less than lighter fluid would do.

Polyurethane is very corrosive with isopropyl. Both will probably do the job and neither with no more noticeable difference then the other but that doesn't mean that one chemical isn't better then another. In this case some ronsonol lighter fluid would have been better.

If you want a breakdown of what chemicals are ok to go with certain materials I use.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Chemical-Resistance


And to the guy saying I'm not using ISO, go take a retro cartridge game and make a youtube video of wiping some on and off with a napkin. It's going to eat through it like butter. Paper is not a friend of ISO.


As wiggy said silicone is safe against ISO. I do believe game boards contain more then just metal and silicone though. So there still is a risk. If any material in that chart gets below an A rating it means it's corrosive. I am willing to bet there are materials on those boards that are corrosive. Hence where the pre-caution about using solvents on the back of games came from.

[Polygon]

And to the guy saying I'm not using ISO, go take a retro cartridge game and make a youtube video of wiping some on and off with a napkin. It's going to eat through it like butter. Paper is not a friend of ISO.


As wiggy said silicone is safe against ISO. I do believe game boards contain more then just metal and silicone though. So there still is a risk. If any material in that chart gets below an A rating it means it's corrosive. I am willing to bet there are materials on those boards that are corrosive. Hence where the pre-caution about using solvents on the back of games came from.

I don't know what you're doing, all I'm saying is that you're doing something wrong as ISO is not that caustic. Also, as I already said, Nintendo has said that warning was there as due to liability as they didn't want children somehow lighting themselves on fire.

Also, video is on it's way.

[Polygon]

Here you go... proof!

[needler420]

Nothing is mixed in my rubbing alcohol its 50% You barely rubbed it in. I rubbed it in too long. But you get the point.

[Polygon]

I barely rubbed it in? I would say I gave it plenty of rubbings, especially since you said instantly.

I am 100% sure if you put 99% ISO on a video game paper label you will eat through the color of the label instantly. Even if you wipe it on then right off, do it with a clean napkin. Notice how the napkin won't be white. That is the color of your game label coming off.

And to the guy saying I'm not using ISO, go take a retro cartridge game and make a youtube video of wiping some on and off with a napkin. It's going to eat through it like butter. Paper is not a friend of ISO.

Seriously, you're doing something wrong. It's you, not the ISO that's the problem. I'm done with this. I've NEVER had ISO damage anything I've poured it on in over 15 years of using it. You seriously can't be reasoned with. You can't see the other side of things. You're seriously one of the most obstinate, obtuse people I've ever talked to. You ask for people's advice only to tell them they're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about. That's made clear by your usage of the word corrosion. Wood, plastic, paper, etc do NOT corrode. Corrosion is the result or organisms eating metal and corrosion is the waste they produce. I suggest you sit back and listen to people that do.

[needler420]

Most plastics are not affected by IPA and games do not contain rubber parts. Glossy labels can briefly withstand liquids if it does not get under the label. Alcohol is safer than soapy water because it evaporates faster and leaves behind no residue. I have used IPA to clean really dirty labels and, yes, it can remove some of the color, but so will water. If you do not over clean and you avoid getting it under the label, the damage is only perceptible under magnification.

I tested with modern games which is extra glossy. Older game labels aren't. I have faded a few labels with ISO.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Nothing is mixed in my rubbing alcohol its 50% You barely rubbed it in. I rubbed it in too long. But you get the point.

That's fucking ridiculous.

First of all, there's a difference in the printing process and material finish of a NES game cartridge label and a paper DVD case insert.

Furthermore, ANY liquid applied to a paper towel (which are abrasive) and then applied with circular motion/pressure in that fashion is going to net the same results.

[Polygon]

I didn't even bother to watch the video. I can't believe he was using the DVD insert as an example. Why are you taking ISO to the insert? Nobody told you to do that. This was about cleaning cartridge based games. And now you've twisted it around because you have it out for ISO for some reason and you're grasping at straws to prove ISO is somehow corrosive when you don't even know what that means. I did exactly what you asked me to do. I got a retro game, and rubbed 99% ISO on the label and nothing happened. I proved you wrong but you can't admit that you're are and that you don't have a damn clue what you're talking about. You then counter with a video of using it on a DVD insert. Franke said it best there.

"Furthermore, ANY liquid applied to a paper towel (which are abrasive) and then applied with circular motion/pressure in that fashion is going to net the same results."

Just let it go. You're wrong, you don't know what you're talking about. Admit it or just stop digging your hole even deeper.

[needler420]

I didn't even bother to watch the video. I can't believe he was using the DVD insert as an example. Why are you taking ISO to the insert? Nobody told you to do that. This was about cleaning cartridge based games. And now you've twisted it around because you have it out for ISO for some reason and you're grasping at straws to prove ISO is somehow corrosive when you don't even know what that means. I did exactly what you asked me to do. I got a retro game, and rubbed 99% ISO on the label and nothing happened. I proved you wrong but you can't admit that you're are and that you don't have a damn clue what you're talking about. You then counter with a video of using it on a DVD insert. Franke said it best there.

"Furthermore, ANY liquid applied to a paper towel (which are abrasive) and then applied with circular motion/pressure in that fashion is going to net the same results."

Just let it go. You're wrong, you don't know what you're talking about. Admit it or just stop digging your hole even deeper.

You did do damage though. Its only perceptible under magnification.

Most plastics are not affected by IPA and games do not contain rubber parts. Glossy labels can briefly withstand liquids if it does not get under the label. Alcohol is safer than soapy water because it evaporates faster and leaves behind no residue. I have used IPA to clean really dirty labels and, yes, it can remove some of the color, but so will water. If you do not over clean and you avoid getting it under the label, the damage is only perceptible under magnification.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

You did do damage though. Its only perceptible under magnification.

Handling the cart label with your hands, or friction against other materials also causes damage perceptible under a microscope.

If you're looking to keep your games in a state that is un-altered UNDER MICROSCOPIC CONDITIONS ... just don't even touch them.

For that matter, the uncertainty principle states that the mere act of observing an object alters its state, so don't even look at them.

[Polygon]

You did do damage though. Its only perceptible under magnification.

You've got to be kidding me. You're really grasping at straws here. What does that matter? It's imperceivable. Furthermore, read what Frankie had to say below in case you missed it.

Like I said, completely obtuse.

Handling the cart label with your hands, or friction against other materials also causes damage perceptible under a microscope.

If you're looking to keep your games in a state that is un-altered UNDER MICROSCOPIC CONDITIONS ... just don't even touch them.

For that matter, the uncertainty principle states that the mere act of observing an object alters its state, so don't even look at them.

[bust3dstr8]

Video footage released from needler's former employer.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5M--0CSZ1I&t=1m10s

[Aussie2B]

I've never had isopropyl alcohol damage a label, at least not a label that wasn't damaged to begin with. The glossy coating of cartridge labels protects them pretty well from liquid as long as you work quick and don't scrub like a madman. Personally, I prefer to just go over a dirty label with a soapy rag, then a slightly wet rag to clean away any soapiness, then wipe it down dry as quick as I can. I find that's even more effective than isopropyl (really, I mostly just use alcohol on contacts; soap and water is all that's needed for the rest of a cartridge or case). Whether it's plain water or isopropyl alcohol, both will damage a label equally, just as any liquid would, if there are tears or if liquid sits around the edges for long. You don't want the liquid absorbing into the papery parts. Sometimes it's a matter of give-and-take, though. I'll let a little water seep into a tear if I know my efforts are still going to make the label look better than if I leave it alone. Depending on how it goes, when it dries, the water that was absorbed might be unnoticeable anyway.

[Nesmaster]

I use 99% ISO to clean my labels too, without damage.

The trick is to be sure of what type of label you're trying to clean. N64 and Made in Mexico SNES labels will absolutely be damaged by rubbing them because they lack the glossy protective layer that NES and Made in Japan SNES labels have. For this reason I don't even bother messing with the former.

[needler420]

I use 99% ISO to clean my labels too, without damage.

The trick is to be sure of what type of label you're trying to clean. N64 and Made in Mexico SNES labels will absolutely be damaged by rubbing them because they lack the glossy protective layer that NES and Made in Japan SNES labels have. For this reason I don't even bother messing with the former.

I was just going to say if you use a N64 game if will fade the color in just a few wipes.