Bestine Solvent and Thinner for Rubber Cement – Cleans Ink, Adhesive and Parts, 32 Ounce Can

I recently had cause to utilize this can of Bestine solvent in blending colors in a picture. It was the first time I had used the product and I was very impressed. The solvent allows the artist to nicely mix colors on high quality artist grade paper. Bestine is very thin and not at all turgid, as are some other solvents like turpentine. Additionally, the evaporative rate is "super fast" and I found that the product was totally evaporated within about 15 seconds. Thus, the product allows the artist to do the types of things that one would do with water, but not have to be prepared to allow the paintin to dry for 3 to 5 hours before going back and painting again on the same surface. There are a few warnings that one should be aware of when using Bestine. The product is highly flammable and it is NOT a good idea to smoke while utilizing this solvent. Additionally, the product is poisonous and should not be consumed. Also, the product should be used in a well ventilated room or the user will find themselves quickly becoming 'woozy' and potentially it can lead to unconsciousness. However, as long as the artist is aware of these characteristics of the product and make sure that the work area accommodates these concerns, one will find that Bestine is truly and excellent solvent and will give very good results when the need for even blending of watercolors arises. Thus, one should not be afraid to utilize the product as long as it is used properly with appropriate precautions. I do highly recommend this product as an excellent color blending solvent, particularly for use with watercolors.

I bought this to help get some old masking tape off of a board game box. The tape had already done some damage as a previous owner had tried to remove it and tore some of the paper on the box. With application of Bestine and gentle work with a Scotty Peeler, I was not only able to get the masking tape off of the box with no old adhesive residue left behind, but I was able to salvage some of the graphics that were partially torn off of the box. That this product was able to dissolve the adhesive and separate old masking tape from a remnant of paper that is tissue-thin is a real testament to its functionality. The added benefit is that there is no evidence or residue left over from this product. While part of the cardboard looked "wet" when I applied the solvent, once it dried completely, it was as though it wasn't there. Finally, though this solvent did wonders on the adhesive, it did not mar or dissolve the ink on the cardboard, and I could wipe away the dissolved adhesive without smearing the box ink. This is now part of my arsenal of products for cleaning up pricing stickers and tape on game boxes and books.

Bestine Solvent is an excellent product for all kinds of cleaning in the art room. It was originally produced to thin rubber cement and to clean away “stickies” around the design area. I still use this solvent to clean ink from pens and airbrush parts. It is the best thing I have found to remove tape residue and labels. However, it is really shocking to pay more for a quart of Bestine today than I originally paid for a gallon can way back when!

Aside from its use with Bestest cement, this stuff (heptane) is the only solvent there is which will remove silicone lubricants from surfaces! Speaking as a retired engineer and materials consultant, I don't believe there is another substance (unless you like the idea of superheated silane gas) which will do that. Makes it incredibly handy around shops that deal with silicones. Heptane smells good to many people, but don't let it fool you - you need lots of fresh air / ventilation to work with this stuff.

Nothing better for getting the sticky off just about anything. Caution: this stuff is flammable! - do not use around open flame! Vapors may hazardous if inhaled! Responsible adults only! Not for kids!!!

I can't live without this stuff. Nearly every thing I buy has stickers on it, that leave gum residue when I peel them off. This solvent has barely any odor at all. It is NOT like "Goop-Off" which has a strong smell. I use this to remove sticky/gum and to final rinse parts when degreasing. I'll clean them first in cheap paint thinner. Then let them drip onto a rag. Then wash them just enough with this to rinse away the smelly paint thinner. Then let dry or blow off with an air gun. This stuff evaporates very quickly. If you get most of the paint thinner off first, then you can collect the runoff of this solvent into a sealable container (glass or metal with good seal, or else this will evaporate right through many plastics!). I can re-use it several times this way. This is a very pure n-heptane. The only other way to get something like this would be 3-10x more $$$ for lab reagent grade n-heptane from a chemical co., which consumers wouldn't be able to purchase anyway. NOTE: Hardware store Naptha is not quite exactly the same thing! Naptha is a mix of petroleum distillates with a certain boiling range (like gasoline), and includes some of hexane(s), heptane(s), and octane(s). There will be tiny amounts of other stuff too, like maybe a trace of benzene (but I think they have to remove that to "as low as reasonably possible" levels). So don't worry about benzene in Naptha. What concerns me is that in recent years some science came out which shows n-hexane to be quite toxic relative to n-heptane. n-hexane is present as a major constituent of naptha. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane#Safety So I like this stuff. Safe. I don't bother with gloves, unless I've already got my hands too dry. The serious hazard is: it's basically like odorless gasoline. So if you are using more than a few mL (a few spoonfuls) indoors, then you need enough ventilation to prevent a vapor cloud from accumulating that could start a flash fire. One other thing: It's almost impossible to pour hydrocarbon solvents from any container without it running down the side and wasting a bunch. So I've tried to keep about 125-250mL (1/2-1 cup) in the house in a little Nalgene wash bottle. Problem: it evaporates very quickly! It basically passes right through plastic bottles, one molecule at a time through the gaps between the polymer chains. So even a sealed plastic container has the same problem. The only squeezable plastic container that holds it without loss is teflon wash and dropper bottles. These are VERY $$$!!! I look for them on Ebay and found a deal on 4 little 1oz Nalgene FEP droppers for about the price of one new ($69), and I found a 125mL FEP wash bottle for about $60 that to get new, they are about $118 (ouch!). So I'm set now. The stuff doesn't evaporate from these bottles at all, nor does it get contaminated from plasticizers extracted from the plastic--which can be a concern for cleaning optics or semiconductors, in case you are fabbing chips in your kitchen ;-)

Very good quality bestine, however you will pay a customs and excise charge when ordering this outside of the US