# Good toluene substitute?



## iRyan (Feb 17, 2011)

I've tried both Lowes and HomeDepot for toluene to use in making some fake vines and haven't had any luck so far. Is there a safe, readily available substitute for thinning silicone that people are using?


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

xylene.....as with all solvents, use nitrile gloves in a well ventilated space


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## Raptor22 (Nov 23, 2012)

Well, toluene isn't exactly "safe"... It is quite toxic, but evaporates without leaving a residue.

When they made toluene illegal for normal consumers to purchase in California (due to it being carcinogenic), I switched to xylene, which works just as well to thin silicone based products and also evaporates cleanly.

Now, xylene is also illegal to purchase in California due to carcinogen reasons, and has been replaced on the shelf with a "toluene substitute" that uses a mix of various chemicals with small amounts of xylene. I haven't tried this more "healthy" substitute but don't have much confidence in it being able to replace xylene for my purposes.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Ha! I guess when you work in the chemical industry you forget that other people dont have access to the same chemicals I do


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## Raptor22 (Nov 23, 2012)

Yeah, that's one hell of a perk. I miss the "good-ole-days" when I could walk into Home Depot as a 14 year old boy with an idea for a project, and walk out with a bag full of carcinogenic chemicals to carry home on my bike.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

lol, Ive got a gallon of xylene and a gallon of toluene in my solvent cabinet right meow


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## Raptor22 (Nov 23, 2012)

/jealous. I didn't know xylene was going off the shelves until it was too late, and about six months ago I called every hardware store within driving distance, to be told repeatedly that they had "just sold the last bottle".


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## iRyan (Feb 17, 2011)

I'll have to see if I can find that one here. Thanks for the help thus far.


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

I was able to get some Toluene from a Sherman Williams paint store. Not sure if you have any in your area.


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

I last thinned silicone for waterproofing an LED array with Naphtha(lighter fluid) + acetone...

it worked.

is that bad?


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Why would you want to mix those together? 
I'd have tried one or the other before I tried both in tandem. 

If it worked, it worked


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

frogparty said:


> Why would you want to mix those together?
> I'd have tried one or the other before I tried both in tandem.
> 
> If it worked, it worked


was not thin enough and the adhesion needed the acetone.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

try mom and pop hardware stores. i found one a few blocks away with probably 10-20 gallons on their dusty shelves.

james


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## fullmonti (May 10, 2013)

I did a search for fake vines & this thread was one of the first to come up. The problem is I don't know what your going to do with the thinned silicone to make fake vines. Could you help me out with this please? I don't work in the chemical industry, bet you knew that already though.


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