Island has no isopropyl

[Protar]

Greetings all!

I'm new here so forgive me for ignorance, I am still amassing the tools to do a disassemble and cleaning!   In particular I need a substitute for isopropyl alcohol!

I live on an island in the Atlantic, Madeira, and they do not allow the importation of isopropyl alcohol.  I have chosen to use Alconox cleaner but so many videos indicate the need for alcohol for displacing water after cleaning that I am worried about the final aspect of cleaning... the rinse!  I bought a food dryer for that aspect, would I be fine just using distilled water and hoping the dryer gets all the water off the parts?

I don't know if I can get deionized water, I am having a hard time finding distilled water.  It's different on an island.  Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers!

[aac58]

I clean using Elma 1:9, water based, and then I rinse with tap water. Then I use two rinse baths using hexane, I don't know if you can get it in Maderia. But before the hexane baths I dry the parts well with a hair dryer, as hexane is not water miscible. The good news are (in my experience): 1) if there is still water on the parts it will remain in the hexane, 2) hexane is shellac friendly, so no worries with the pallet fork and balance wheel, 3) hexane evaporates (very) quickly, so the last dry is fast.

BTW: it is weird there's no isopropil there to be honest.

Edited March 14 by aac58

[AndyGSi]

Welcome to the forum.

Can you get what here in the UK is called lighter fluid as used in Zippo lighters.

[HectorLooi]

You could get a water distiller and make distilled water yourself. But be warned that this is a very slow process and can be expensive if electricity is expensive in your country.

A cheaper alternative is using reverse osmosis water (RO). RO machines are not expensive to own and run anymore. The output is much faster than a water distiller.

Is isopropyl alcohol completely banned in your country or only 98% IPA? I'm sure the hospitals and medical facilities in your country must be using 70% IPA for disinfection.