I use Southern Polyurethanes wax and grease remover. Part #700 (waterborne) and #710 (solvent based).
I was wondering if it might be possible to make my own wax and grease remover by blending various chemical ingredients commonly available at the hardware store.
However, manufacturers of wax and grease removers are often vague about the exact ingredients they contain, so I turned to the material safety data sheets to determine what the ingredients were. Even then, they are still vague, but the CAS number is a dead giveaway to the chemical and common names of each ingredient. Using Klean Strip Prep-All and #710 Wax & Grease Remover as a basis for comparison, it seems that mineral sprits, naptha, and toluene make up the bulk of the ingredients, with either cyclohexane or heptane being used as a non-polar solvent to remove wax.
Klean Strip Prep-All:
CAS#64742-89-8 Naphtha 60-100% (industrial solvent, white gas, Coleman fuel)
CAS#805241-3 Mineral Spirits 7-13% (stoddard solvent, paint thinner)
CAS#108-88-3 Toluene 5-10% (common solvent, paint thinner)
CAS#142-82-5 Heptane 1-5% (non-polar solvent)
#710 Wax & Grease Remover:
CAS#805241-3 Mineral Spirits 50-80% (stoddard solvent, paint thinner)
CAS#64742-89-8 Naphtha 10-30% (industrial solvent, white gas, Coleman fuel)
CAS#108-88-3 Toluene 1-10% (common solvent, paint thinner)
CAS#110-82-7 Cyclohexane 1-10% (non-polar solvent)
Using the data shown above, one can deduce the approximate percentage of each ingredient. Note the differences in the amount of Naphtha and Mineral Spirits used in each, which raises the question... Which is better Naphtha or Mineral Spirits? Naphtha evaporates more quickly and is less oily than mineral spirits, so it seems that Naphtha would be a better solvent. However, Mineral spirits is better for thinning oils, varnishes, and oil-based paints.
Klean Strip Prep-All:
Naphtha - 80%
Mineral Spirits - 10%
Toluene - 8%
Heptane - 2%
#710 Wax & Grease Remover:
Mineral Spirits - 70%
Naphtha - 20%
Toluene - 5%
Cyclohexane - 5%
Solvent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White spirit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naphtha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toluene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cyclohexane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heptane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curiously, the ingredients of both are very similar to those of WD-40.
WD-40 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia