>From "The Random House...Unabridged Edition": mothball-- ...naphthalene or...camphor.... paradichlorobenzene-- ...used chiefly as a moth repellant. [ I think this is what mothballs in the US contain nowadays. ] naphtha-- 1. a colorless, volatile petroleum distillate, usually an intermediate product between gasoline and benzine, used as a solvent, fuel, etc. 2. any of various similar liquids distilled from other products. 3. petroleum. [ I notice it's usually spelled "naptha" nowadays, but Random House hasn't seen fit to concur! ] naphthalise-- (Chiefly Brit.) naphthalize. naphthalize-- to mix or saturate with naphtha. >From "The Oxford Universal Dictionary," 3rd (1944) ed., rev. 1955: naphtha-- A name originally applied to an inflammable volatile liquid (a constituent of asphalt and bitumen) issuing from the earth in certain localities; now applied to most of the inflammable oils obtained by dry distillation of organic substances, esp. coal, shale, and petroleum. Also attrib., as n.-fuel, -lamp. [ Here in the US, it appears very similar to what we call "odorless mineral spirits," or what your chemists might call "deodorised paraffin oil." In any case, it's a not-too-smelly petroleum distillate boiling around 200 deg C, +/- 30 deg C. The important thing is that it disolve the silicone oil, and then evaporate. I'm sure more volatile solvents would serve as well. ] Marshall Price d021317c@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC