Re: Guitar-attacking solvents in cigarette smoke

Ken; The smoke from the cigarettes left smouldering in ashtrays and those
which aren't being dragged on at the time is not filtered through anyone's
lungs but the poor buggers who happen to be in the room. Cigarettes don't
stop burning just because the user isn't sucking on one end. Roughly half
of every cig seems to do nothing more than perfume the environment, so your
lung-filter theory is only half right.

The Yam. and other offshore finishes were almost never nitro, which is the
finish Wade is asking about. Old Martins, Gibs., Mossmans, Larrivees,
Timberlines etc. were nitro and their finish is definitely softened by smoke
over the long haul.

KH
"Ken Cashion" <kcashion@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ifp0721glpre9r9gk0odsgusra6ohm8khd@xxxxxxxxxx
On 20 May 2006 22:43:09 -0700, "WadeInChugiak@xxxxxxx"
<WadeInChugiak@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Thank you Scott, thank you Bob and Ken.

Bob, the list of toxins and solvents in tobacco smoke is so long it's
scary. And it wasn't me making the claim so much as it was me passing
along the information from my repairman at the time, Robert Howard. If
I recall correctly, the luthier and repairman (and RMMGA regular) Kevin
Hall has agreed with that assessment.

Here's another list of a few of the nasties in the air we breathe
whenever we step into a smoke-filled room:

<< Some of the Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke

There are over 4,000 chemicals incigarette smoke.

Thank goodness there are so many! This means that some of them must
be at a very low level. This number can double in the next five years
with more sensitive analytical equipment. <g>

Second hand smoke has just come out of one of the best filtering
systems yet devised; throat and lungs of the smoker. The same
percentage of reduction would take place with the second breath of
exhaled air...assuming that the smoker is still breathing, he is doing
some more air scrubbing himself, as is the next breather.

Put a few cigarettes in a room with a lot of non-smokers and no one is
getting second hand smoke if they are breathing. They are getting
third, fourth, fifth, hand smoke and each contaminated inhalation is
being reduced by the same percentage. Maybe second-hand smoke should
have been called "pre-owned" and that way the number of cycles
wouldn't matter.

I am not being argumentative but literal.

The tackiness that I experienced with the Kansas Yamaha was from the
tars. In each little smidgeon of air, there can't be many particles
but over time, they can add up on a surface. They are dielectrics and
can hold an electrostatic charge and consequently, will be attracted
to some surfaces and repelled from others.

In dry Kansas, with a guitar moving around against clothes being
played, sliding around in a case, etc., they can become an attractor
to some of these tar particles.

This gumminess was on metal, plastic tuners, pick guard, as well as
general finish. The plastic tuners age and turn more ivory-looking
with time, anyway...but I didn't like the stickiness.

I used a strong solution of Mr. Clean (w/ammonia) and it took forever
with scrubbing, drying, scrubbing, etc. I could see the brown
collecting on the rags.

I got the impression that the finish was softened by the tars, but if
it had been, just cleaning it off would have still left the finish
feeling a little sticky. I did not find this.

Once squeaky clean and with some Gibson guitar polish, the finish had
the proper slick feel and it looks like my other old guitars...spruce
is amber (mango, if on a Fluke <g>) and the sides and back has the
deeper luster, as expected on such an old guitar. .

I am convinced, by the way, that the bass is greatly improved by the
aluminum I added to the bridge plate. But I don't have a way of
easily determining this.

Ken








More than 50 of them
are known to be carcinogens (to cause cancer). Many of the chemicals in
cigarette smoke are also found in the workplace and regulated by OSHA.
Some are found in common household products. This is a small sample of
the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke.

Acetaldehyde: Used in glues and resins;suspected carcinogen; may
increase the absorption of other hazardous chemicals into the bronchial
tubes.

Acetone: Used in solvents; irritating to the throat, nose, and eyes;
long-term exposure can cause liver and kidney damage.

Acrolein: Used in polyester resins andherbicides; an ingredient in tear
gas andother chemical warfare agents; extremely toxic; intensely
irritating to the upper respiratory tract and eyes.

Acrylonitrile: Used in synthetic resins,plastics and rubber, and as a
fumigant;also known as ?inyl cyanide? suspected human carcinogen.

1-aminonaphthalene: Used in weed control; causes cancer.

2-aminonaphthalene: Banned in industrial uses; causes bladder cancer.

Ammonia: Used in cleaners; causes asthma and elevated blood pressure.

Benzene: Used in solvents, pesticides and gasoline; causes leukemia and
othercancers.

Benzo[a]pyrene: Found in coal tar pitch, creosote, and some asphalts;
causes skin cancer, lung cancer and reduction in reproductive capacity.

1,3-Butadiene: Used in rubber, latex, and neoprene products; suspected
carcinogen.

Butyraldehyde: Used in solvents and resins; powerful inhalation
irritant; affectsthe lining of nose and lungs.

Cadmium: Used in non-corrosive metal coatings, bearings, pigments and
storage batteries; causes cancer; damages kidneys, liver and brain.

Carbon Monoxide: Produced by burning (in gasoline engines, welding,
gas-powered tools, etc.); decreases heart and muscle function; causes
fatigue, dizziness, weakness;especially toxic for the unborn, infants
and people with lung or heart disease.

Catechol: Used as an antioxidant in dyes, inks and oils; causes high
blood pressure, upper respiratory tract irritation and dermatitis.

Chromium: Used in metal plating and alloys, wood treatment and
preservatives, and pigments; causes lung cancer. Stainless steel
welding involves the greatest exposure.

Cresol: Used in solvents, disinfectants,and wood preservatives; highly
irritatingto the skin; acute inhalation levels cause upper respiratory,
nasal and throat irritation.

Crotonaldehyde: Used as a warning agent in fuel gases; causes
chromosome aberrations; reported to interfere with immune function.

Formaldehyde: Part of resin used in particleboard, fiberboard, and
plywood, also used in foam insulation. Causes nasal cancer; can damage
lungs, skin and digestive system.

Hydrogen Cyanide: Used in the production of resins and acrylic
plasticsand as a fumigant; released in metal treatment operations and
metal ore processing; used for executions in somestates?gas chambers;
weakens lungs; causes nausea, headaches, and fatigue.

Hydroquinone: Used in paints, varnishesand motor fuel; causes eye
injuries, skin irritation and central nervous system effects.Isoprene:
Used in rubber; similar to 1,3-butadiene; causes irritation to the
skin,eyes and mucous membranes.

Lead: Used in paint and metal alloys (solder, brass, bronze); damages
brain, nerves, kidneys and reproductive system; causes anemia and
stomach problems; may cause cancer; particularly toxic to children.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone(MEK): Used in solvents; irritating to nose, throat,
and eyes; depresses the central nervous system.

Nickel: Used in stainless steel, other metal alloys and alkaline
batteries; causes upper respiratory irritation, bronchial asthma and
cancer.

Nicotine: Used as a highly controlled insecticide; exposure can result
in seizures, vomiting, depression of the central nervous system, growth
retardation, developmental toxicity in fetuses; mild nicotine poisoning
results in diarrhea,
increase in heart rate and blood pressure, headache, dizziness and
neurological stimulation.

Nitric Oxide: Created by combustion of gasoline; major contributor to
smog and acid rain; linked to Huntington? disease, Alzheimer?
disease, Parkinson? disease and asthma.

NNN, NNK, and NAT: These compounds are found only in tobacco, NNN
causes cancer and may cause reproductive damage; NNK is a powerful lung
carcinogen; NAT is a possible carcinogen.

Phenol: Used in resins in plywood and other construction materials and
in epoxy resins; highly toxic; affects the liver, kidney, respiratory,
cardiovascular and central nervous system.

Propionaldehyde: Used as a disinfectant; causes irritation of the skin,
eyes and respiratory system.

Pyridine: Used in solvents; causes eye and upper respiratory tract
irritation; causes nausea, headaches and nervousness; may cause liver
damage.

Quinoline: Used as a corrosion inhibitor and as a solvent for resins;
causes genetic mutations; possible human carcinogen; severe eye
irritant; linked to liver damage.

Resorcinol: Used in laminates, resins and adhesives; irritating to skin
and eyes.

Styrene: Used in insulation, fiberglass,pipes and plastic; possible
human carcinogen; may cause leukemia; causes headaches, eye irritation,
slowed reaction time, fatigue and dizziness.

Toluene: Used in solvents, oils and resins; highly toxic; causes
fatigue, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite and
drunken-type actions; linked to permanent brain damage. >>


Quite frankly, Bob, just the benzene and the toluene alone are enough
to attack and soften the lacquer and to scare the crap out of any
thinking person, but the whole cocktail gets worse and worse the longer
you look at it.


Wade Hampton Miller
Chugiak, Alaska


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