I plan on servicing my forks this weekend, including fitting new seals. The service instructions state that I should use isopropyl alcohol for cleaning and for lubricating the seals to insert them, but this seems pretty hard to get hold of locally. However, I have a plentiful supply of ethanol or methanol at work. Is there any reason not to use these?

IPA is freely available via Ebay for not much money. Very handy stuff.

Yeah, I’m keen to do the service this weekend though. Maplin seem to have IPA too, but there isn’t one anywhere handy.

Any camera shop is also good for IPA

Some pharmacies (chemists) used to stock IPA, though I’m not sure if that is the case any more as I buy mine on ebay. Order some now from a seller offering same day first class postage and the chances are it will turn up for the weekend.

Ethanol or methanol will work just as well.

In case you want to double check what you have available at work, and forgive me if I’m being patronising but, depending on the context, IPA might well be labelled isopropanol or propan-2-ol.

Yep, I’ve looked for isopropanol/propan-2-ol/etc. but not found any. I think I’ll just go with the ethanol for now.

I have a plentiful supply of ethanol or methanol at work

I bet the Xmas parties are ‘interesting’ 🙂

I bet the Xmas parties are ‘interesting’

That’s what we save the ether for!

I just went to “borrow” some ethanol and, wouldn’t you know it, there was a nice big bottle of Propan-2-ol right next to the ethanol!

electrical switch cleaner.

If you have ethanol it will normally have some methanol in it to stop people drinking it (just to warn anyone thinking about it!)

It’s just a bit lighter than IPA, IPA is a bit more ‘slippery’ as it’s a chain longer so slightly more viscous and less volatile but ethanol will be fine.

Just make sure all cleaning solvents have evaporated before you pour the oil in.

Meths?

One more thing, I normally use a bit of fork grease (silicone?) or just the oil that is going to be used in the forks when assembling seals.

b r – Member
Meths?

Nope. Can have acetone, MEK and other things in it which will damage seals.

Brake cleaner is IPA, halfords do one for about a fiver, probably cheaper from a local motor factor.

Brake cleaner can be acetone or harsher; a good bit more nasty than IPA.

Never seen acetone used in brake cleaner, but just in case – any product containing acetone has to have it stated on the container.

I use Wynns or Holts brake cleaner from Halfords or Wilco. Alway does the job. Just don’t get too much on your hands or it will dry out your skin and result in nasty, painful cracking.

I use Wynns or Holts brake cleaner from Halfords or Wilco. Alway does the job. Just don’t get too much on your hands or it will dry out your skin and result in nasty, painful cracking.

Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t want to use it to help ‘clean’ riding buddies cut/bruises when on holiday. Nope, that wouldn’t be funny/painful at all…,,

Use vodka…..discussion over

tom200 – Member
Brake cleaner is IPA,

That’s like saying all minced meat is beef.

Brake cleaners will be propriety mixtures of solvents, some light alcohol (most likely methanol but can be IPA), combined with some things like toluene, hexane, petrol, benzene, acetone, heptane etc etc

If in doubt check the msds for the composition. Think the kindest I have seen is Tetrosyl (IPA and naptha)

Certainly not stuff you want to be cleaning your fork seals with or spraying on plastic internals.

Vodka is what I use to degrease frames before helitape if I don’t have any IPA to hand. Just make sure it’s full dry if you use it to clean a fork as it contains a lot of water.

Brake cleaner is IPA, halfords do one for about a fiver

If in doubt check the msds for the composition.

Exactly what I did for a friend thinking of using the above. Turned out it wasn’t the IPA he thought it would be…

Not IPA