Topic: MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone)

[1981cb650c]

Need to remove a Kreem tank liner and MEK is the way to go, thanks sohc4! I have a question about the stuff, mainly, can you get it pure or were you using a substance that containes MEK? I can only find subsances containing MEK such as laquer thinner and gel paint stripper. Will these work? they also had acetone listed as an ingredient which is supposed to at least soften Kreem. Perhapse I cant get it here in Canada?

[FunJimmy]

You should be able to find MEK from your fiberglass suppliers.
MEK is also used as a catalyst for fiberglass.

I purchase from Fiber Tek (http://www.fiber-tek.com)

Good luck

[bistromath]

Anything containing MEK will work, but the less it contains the slower it will dissolve the liner. Be sure you get every last bit of Kreem out -- rinse with MEK/solvent at least a couple of times after the initial stripping. I wouldn't use a gel.

[KB02]

I bought M.E.K. right at Home Depot. It was the straight stuff.

Use in a WELL Ventilated area!!!!

[gerhed]

Wondering why the Kreem liner is being removed.

[Joel]

You should be able to find MEK from your fiberglass suppliers.
MEK is also used as a catalyst for fiberglass.

I purchase from Fiber Tek (http://www.fiber-tek.com)

Good luck

Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKP) is the catalyst for polyester fiberglass resins, not Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK).

Is MEKP also a good solvent?

[bikehenge]

More MEK safety data than you can shake a stick at...

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/M4628.htm

Rob

[hopterfixer]

Check your local hardware store for MEK too.  I would be concerned with letting the MEK sit on anything rubber for too long.  You could coat your gas cap seal with petrolatum.  As far as the outside of the tank, buy a cheap can of Turtle Wax paste wax.  Apply liberally several times without wiping off in-between coats.  I did this on my tank while letting Muriatic Acid do it's magic.   

[okie]

Acetone definitely did NOT work for me.  Please keep us updated on your success with this.  I have the complete heavy duty kit from POR-15 sitting on the shelf waiting for me to re-do a tank than a previous owner messed up with Kreem.

[KB02]

Tried Home Depot today as well as Canadian Tire (Canadian version of Pep Boys crossed with a hardware store I guess) nothing straight up! Going to try local autobody, paint, and chemical supplier tomorrow, thats where I get my tank liner from anyways! Thanks, needed to know if the solutions of acetone, MEK, methyl alcohol and toluene were what the rest of you were using (those were the primary ingredients on the warning labels) Where in Home Depot is it? I was looking in the thinners and strippers section of the paint dep't.

Any advice on protecting the paint from damage? will fumes escaping from under the fuel cap lift the paint? will it desolve by contact with the liner (gently rolling the MEK around the tank) or do I have to shake it around? will it ruin the rubber seals in the fuel cap?

I found it right in the piant department with the other paint strippers and thinners, yes.
As for the paint. I was in the process of stripping the paint on my tank anyway, so I did that first and then with the MEK to get the old Kreem liner out.
As for the gas cap, you are going to want something else to top off the tank with. Our old gas caps have vents in them to help keep preasure equal. MEK will seep right out without much issue hitting paint and other things on it's way.

For what it's worth, here's the link of my tail dealing with my tank:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=24759.0

[mmtsquid]

Not sure where you are located, but I believe MEK is illegal in CA.
Nasty, foul stuff!

[TwoTired]

Hm, look what I found at Orchard Supply Hardware in California today with all the other paint supplies.  There were also gallon cans of it.

[mkramer1121]

I think he meant CA as in CAnada TT...But nice to see the bureaucrats haven't outlawed everything in CAlifornia....

[Joel]

Not sure where you are located, but I believe MEK is illegal in CA.
Nasty, foul stuff!

Oops, I assumed he meant CAlifornia as well.   

[mmtsquid]

I did mean california!
I used to work in a machine shop that did a lot of aerospace work( in Missouri), and we used MEK to clean up sealant used while installing bushings.
I commented how nasty the stuff was, and was told that it's so nasty that it's illegal to use in some states, CA being one of them.

I stand corrected, Two Tired!

[mkramer1121]

Well, mmt commented, and then CANUCK said it was only available for commercial use...CANUCK= Canada...so, yeah, I misunderstood...

[tortelvis]

We used to use this stuff back in the UK printing industry and it is nasty stuff! The fumes are quite literally, lethal in an enclosed space. You don't want to get it on your skin, either and it will lift paint in a New York minute. The NGA (print union) banned it, and while it was very good at what it did, just wasn't worth the associated risks.

[TwoTired]

We used to use this stuff back in the UK printing industry and it is nasty stuff! The fumes are quite literally, lethal in an enclosed space. You don't want to get it on your skin, either and it will lift paint in a New York minute. The NGA (print union) banned it, and while it was very good at what it did, just wasn't worth the associated risks.

There are lots of solvents and substances that are nasty, dangerous, or bad for you.  Actetone, for example, will dissolve many substances.  Your skin is NOT an impermeable membrane!  Acetone, MEK, etc will dissolve material (oils, glues, etc) and drag it right into your body and into your bloodstream through your skin through osmosis.  Your kidneys and liver have to try and clean your blood and can be damaged by what you've absorbed through your skin.

There are many chemical fumes that will kill you when concentrated in and enclosed space.  Your lungs transfer these fumes into your bloodstream along with, or in place of, atmospheric oxygen.  Gasoline, ammonia, alcohol, etc. are all lethal when misused.  Banning is NOT a cure!  Banning is a solution for the ignorant. Education and training works far better than a bureaucratic measure, IMHO.  You cannot live your life free of all chemicals.  Learn to use the ones available, safely.

Cheers,