Ronsonol No Longer Contains Naphtha.

On several threads concerning the soaking of stamps, a number of members stated that they use Ronsonol as a watermark detector as well as using it to remove the adhesive from self adhesive stamps. Several members have stated that Ronsonol is safe to use on stamps and told me that it is naphtha. According to Zippo, who bought Ronsonol in 2010, it no longer contains naphtha. How this will affect its safety in respect to soaking stamps, I don't know. You can read the "Material Safety Data Sheet" on this Martin Guitar forum. It appears that currently manufactured Ronsonol is actually Zippo Lighter Fluid, a totally different product than pre 2010 Ronsonol. Although the Zippo people said it contains no naphtha the MSDS states that the new formula contains 30% Hydrotreated Light Naphtha.

http://theunofficialmartinguitarfor....UoTtp5R4ZXc

If you read some of the posts on the site following the MSDS, you will see some relevant comments including use of Coleman Fuel

I just went to Walgreens and picked up a bottle of Ronsonol, but now I'm not sure if I should use it. I know stamp collectors have traditionally used Ronsonol as a watermark detector, but has the formula changed enough so that it may cause damage to a stamp over time? Is Ronsonol now the same as the original Zippo formula? Have collectors used that over the years with no ill effects?

I'd much rather pay a few bucks for 12 ounces of Ronsonol than 20 bucks for 3.4 ounces of Clarity, but...

try it out on a common stamp and see. I been using it with no ill effects to my stamps. I normally just use Zippo fluid though, it's easier to get here in Pa.

"Hydrotreated Light Naphtha" is still a petroleum distillate and has most of the same properties, uses, and risks as the original naptha recipe.

In addition to the aforementioned name, "Aliphatic hydrocarbons" is another way of saying naptha.

The removal of naphtha should have little to no impact on the solvency of gum on self-adhesive stamps (needs to be verified). It will also have no impact on stamps with water-soluable gums.

The new formula allegedly has less odor, and evaporates faster - which is great for those of us who use it for checking watermarks, but not so good for those people using it to extract mind-altering substances from organics :)

Brian

Agree- ( I was an undergraduate organic chemistry major way back when. )

That is great news, thanks everyone. I'm off to check some watermarks.

If I need some mind-altering later, I'll just go through a bunch of Washington/Franklins or study plate varieties of the 1857 1c Franklins. :)

Glad to see people commenting. I read a currently active post on the use of a WD40 pen. Some said they would never use it on stamps because it is a petroleum product and here Rileysan says the new Ronsonol uses a petroleum distillate in its formula. What's the difference between the two and in your opinions, is the WD40 pen bad?

Both formulas of Ronsonol use the petroleum distillate, Naptha.

Naptha is from petroleum just as alcohol is from (corn, rice, potato, etc) - the end products resemble nothing like the original. Although naptha is a petroleum product, it is a solvent that evaporates quickly and leaves behind no residue.

WD40 is a lubricating oil made from "non-volatile, viscous oil" that is dilluted with a solvent, Aliphatic hydrocarbons (naptha), to lower the viscosity and allow the oil to penetrate crevises. After application, the solvent quickly evaporates, leaving behind the lubricating oil.

In short, if applied to a stamp, WD40 will leave behind an oily stain but, I might add, does have the benefit of giving your stamps a pleasant odor

Brian

one that gives a new meaning to 'high on stamps'

Very good information Rielysan thanks.


tikithindi

I thank you too Rileysan. You answered my question perfectly.