I glued a set of Amtak blue reel seats on a blank and when I cleaned the glue off with acetone the color of the seats changed. The acetone had a chemical reaction and the brilliant blue color turned into a tempered metal blue. It still looks good. Just a shock at first to see such a color change. No blue color came off on the paper towel which told me it was a chemical change only. Anyone else have this happen?

I haven't had that happen. But I do not use acetone for much of anything in rod building. Rubbing alcohol will do nearly any job that the much more potent and dangerous acetone will do. Acetone can break down the resins holding the blank together and is dangerous to our health when inhaled or allowed to enter through the skin. It's something to not take lightly when using in a small rod room.

I'd certainly suggest to use rubbing or denatured alcohol for as many of these type uses as possible. Use acetone as last resort and protect yourself from the 2 main routes of entry by getting a Material Safety Data Sheet, reading it, and following it's suggestions.

Putter

Putter hit the nail on the head! There's nothing that Acetone can do on a rod (other that destroy it) that Alcohol won't do just as well. Just an opinion, but considering all the negatives, I wouldn't have Acetone in my work shop.

Mike

Don't get me wrong; there are a few times that I've used acetone. But it's best to be real diligent in it's use; use only when alcohol won't get the job done.

When I do need to use it on a rod blank, for instance, I wait until it's nearly evaporated from the paper towel before I do use it. I haven't had any trouble then, but I use it outside and with nitrile gloves, not latex.

Putter

Thanks for your comments. I do use gloves and I use it sparingly. I also have a MSDS sheet on it. I only used it because I ran out of alcohol.