# Where to buy Toluene in CO



## BGillespie (Jul 15, 2018)

Inflatable Technologies in Denver.


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## Quiggle (Nov 18, 2012)

Down river should have it


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## gwheyduke (Jul 3, 2008)

I'm in evergreen and have some extra. Bring an empty container.


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## ColoRobo (Jan 22, 2021)

gwheyduke said:


> I'm in evergreen and have some extra. Bring an empty container.


Sweet. I’m in golden. What kinda beer ya like?


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

I ordered a gallon from Walwart last summer 'cuz it wasthe cheapest I could find. Delievered for less than $30, but I'm in Newtah. You might see if you can order it even if they can't stock it in CO, 'cuz you need a bunch for old hypalon: cleaning fabric, thinning glue, cleaning brushes, etc. Yes, it's way better than acetone.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Walmart now says out of stock, but sherwin williams paint stores seem to have it. I recall someone a ways back saying MEK did the same thing, but was less hazardous..


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Ace Hardware carries it...or at least they used to. Might (probably) fall under the "big box store" restrictions now though.

Do the restrictions include Xylene? A cursory google search says they are part of the same chemical group and basically are interchangeable (only slightly different chemically) and Xylene seems to be easier to find for some reason.

Looks like NRS sells it... Toluol (Toluene) | NRS

I'm not sure if MEK is interchangeable with Toluene...but I was under the impression that it is more toxic then a lot of other solvents especially with skin contact.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Toluene, or toluol is methylbenzene iirc.. like I said, I remember a thread from years ago where people said that MEK is much safer, supposed to do the same thing I'm told, but me being old school... I won't touch the shit without gloves, and maybe a respirator if I'm using it indoors...









Effects of acute exposure of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone on psychomotor performance - PubMed


Organic solvents are used frequently in industry and workers are often exposed to various combinations of these chemicals. Several are CNS depressants, and the purpose of this experiment was to assess the behavioral effects of 4-hour inhalation exposures to two solvents, toluene and methyl ethyl...




pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





According to this study, anyway... MEK appears to be a little safer than toluene


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

MEK is for "plastic" boats (Marshal's term), i.e., Maravia, SOTAR, AIRE, RMR, etc. (my Incept). Any PVC or urethane fabric, or alloy of the two. It works for thinning Clifton one part glue (3241? - I always get the numbers mixed up). It is the recommended cleaner/prep for all those fabrics.

Toluene (same as toluol - I've always just called it "tol") is for hypalon/neoprene/Pennel and similar fabrics, same purposes, i.e., NRS, Hyside, Avon, etc. 

They are NOT interchangeable. MEK does an o.k. job cleaning hypalon but don't thin glue with it. Buy the proper stuff for your fabric and you will get better results.

Acetone (nail polish remover) is inferior to both tol & MEK. It works for cleaning but isn't ideal.

I patched yards and yards of tears/holes/pinners back in the 70's&80's but fortunately, most of that work was with Barge cement (less toxic). Bostick started manufacturing great glue in the 80's/early 90's and I used that with great results, but started wearing respirator and using gloves. For some reason Bostick is available in the rest of the civilized world, but not the U.S. (or Canada, that I could find when we lived there 2009-2012). Sta-bond (2 part) is what you want for permanent repairs but it's a lot easier to work with under controlled conditions (in a shop or your garage). Clifton with or without accelerator is fine for on-river, same for Shore. There's a difference between a hole poked by a stick or rock - say less than an inch or two - and a rip or tear. You can pretty much do a permanent repair for a "poked" hole on river, but for big or complicated stuff you are much better off to run some Tear-Aid if that will get you home, then go at it under controlled conditions. AIRE started putting it in their repair kits instead of glue at least as far back as 2015.

Aquaseal works great for rub spots and also dry suit gaskets, spray skirts, etc. I haven't used the new stuff in the black tube but am told it is the same as what used to come in the white tubes. I've used with and without accelerator, with definitely cuts cure time to a few hours/overnight. Keep the Aquaseal in your freezer for long life if you buy the big tube (8 oz?) - but not the accelerator!


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Forgot to say Xylene is the newer, safer, more environmentally-friendly paint thinner. It works o.k. for that, cleaning brushes, etc. - but I wouldn't use it with either glue or to clean fabric.


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## BGillespie (Jul 15, 2018)

For Salt Lake folks, Sherwin Williams Industrial at 201 and 3200 W carries all of the solvents mentioned thus far, and Sherwin Williams commercial coatings on Main by Winco carries most of them as well. Utah Whitewater Gear is well stocked also, and sells smaller quantities in dry box friendly sizes.


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## gwheyduke (Jul 3, 2008)

ColoRobo said:


> Sweet. I’m in golden. What kinda beer ya like?


Sent you a message.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

B4otter said:


> MEK is for "plastic" boats (Marshal's term), i.e., Maravia, SOTAR, AIRE, RMR, etc. (my Incept). Any PVC or urethane fabric, or alloy of the two.


Just endeavoring to be accurate...

*Polyvinyl chloride* is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons of PVC are produced each year.









Polyvinyl chloride - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org





Great explanation though, thanks for compiling that B4...


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

There are many steps on the road to "plasticity"... 
Just to be accurate, unless you're running the old WWII military bridge pontoons, which were a cotton-based fabric coated with rubber-derived neoprene, all "modern" fabrics have some polymer derivative coating - even that vintage Avon you used to row before joining the dark side (gaily painted eggshell)... Hypalon is no less "chemical" than any of the fabrics that have succeeded it...

Each fabric has pluses and minuses, cost may be the most important for folks just wanting to get on the water. You can buy a RMR - in my opinion, great value for the money - or a Wing, the most bomb-proof and longest lasting fabric ever. For the same length boat, you'll pay 3-4 times as much for the Wing, if available.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

B4otter said:


> There are many steps on the road to "plasticity"...
> Just to be accurate, unless you're running the old WWII military bridge pontoons, which were a cotton-based fabric coated with rubber-derived neoprene, all "modern" fabrics have some polymer derivative coating - even that vintage Avon you used to row before joining the dark side (gaily painted eggshell)... Hypalon is no less "chemical" than any of the fabrics that have succeeded it...
> 
> Each fabric has pluses and minuses, cost may be the most important for folks just wanting to get on the water. You can buy a RMR - in my opinion, great value for the money - or a Wing, the most bomb-proof and longest lasting fabric ever. For the same length boat, you'll pay 3-4 times as much for the Wing, if available.


Wing boats, I demo'd one when I was a commercial boatman, was like a cork in the water, very responsive, sleek and with a 6 man paddle crew, it was like being shot out of a cannon when they all dug in. I have a friend in AZ that has one, he wouldn't trade it for anything else. I don't think they are currently being produced, Wing was big into government contracts, fuel bladders, landing craft, that sort of thing.

Yes, Hypalon, is polyethylene treated with chlorine and sulfur dioxide which allow for vulcanization. If I remember correctly, it was a DuPont invention, made primarily in Texas, DuPont wanted to shutter the plant back in 2005 if memory serves, but their customers wouldn't let them. I'm not sure if the plant exists today.. I'm pretty sure it's being calendared in Korea these days.. 

I've seen a lot of RMR boats, they look to be a quality product, folks that have them seem to like them. 

I like my Gaily Painted Eggshells thank you very much  , actually only one left these days, but looking to build another. It's not for everyone, but the ride, OH the ride you get.. I can look past a lot for the feeling of climbing a 15 foot wave in one..

Yardsells really made me trek into the dark side (we have cookies LOL) and build a snout boat. Very much looking forward to playing with that this year, if we get any water in the sluices.. Howard CO so far got about 6 inches of snow out of this storm, better than nothing, but I sure was hoping for more.


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Wing is back in the whitewater raft bid'ness, 14' and 16's maybe available but pricey. 8-10 years ago, when I bought my Incept, they would only sell 10 boats at a time (i.e., you needed an order for 10 boats in order to get them to produce them) and I couldn't put that together: $65k for 14 and $85k for 16... I think Zach Collier - from PNW and whom I've never met but know of from friends and his videos - designed the new Wing 16' (or collaborated on it). I saw some wire diagrams of it 3-4 years ago and looks awesome.

Two different friends have the 14' and 16' originals, must be getting close to 30 years old and they look brand new. Stiff and responsive... the only downside is they are slippery devils to walk on (when wet, especially!).


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## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

Ace hardware carries Toluol which is Toluene under the Klean Strip brand


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