I went to pick up a quart of naps today and it has been replaced at the retailer I've always used with a different product unsuitable for my means. Has anyone else encountered this? I have not spoken with any store representatives.

I read this and was curious. I was unable to find any naphtha at two different major retailers.

I read somewhere, from a mysterious letter I found in a box somewhere, that VM&P naptha recently (as of october 2015) started adding something to the naptha that leaves an iridescent film on a glass plate once the naptha has evaporated. I haven't tested this theory, but it was suggested in that letter that the problem can be solved by acidifying water and adding the naptha to it, then pulling the naptha off and repeating the process with alkalized water.
The last naptha I bought, about a month ago, had been manufactured in 2014, so I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this problem as of yet.
I know this was sort of off topic, but it has to do with naptha.
If you can't find VM&P, or another naptha of equal quality, maybe you could buy a few bottles of zippo fluid and find a way to remove the impurities from it? I don't know what kind of process that would require, but it might be worth a try. You might even be able to find a way to clean out coleman camp fuel, and that stuff is super cheap.

If naphtha is becoming sketchy, or hard to find, why not just switch to another solvent? Toluene works just as well, you just have to evaporate it instead of freeze precipitation.

I don't know that it is, that's what I'm wondering. And, well, yes of course that would be what would have to be done.

I've never shopped toluene, VM&P is very economical though, is the price relative?

(i know, Google...)

I will check out the other retailers I use , and see if they are in stock

I'm not sure about pricing differences, as I usually use naphtha myself. I don't think it's much of a difference though.

Bestine works? Art supply store. I use it for all re-X.

Yes, I have definitely noticed something funny about VM&P naphtha. Also about something called Gamsol, an artist's oil paint solvent. When naphtha started being harder to get, someone mentioned that Gamsol was pure mineral spirits, and I switched to it.

But now both of these things definitely have some kind of additive that doesn't seem to go away, even after drying your spice completely.

I have gone to light up thoroughly dry spice, and had it catch fire with a little blue flame that goes quite awhile before it goes out. Also, VM&P smells WAY more nasty and poisonous than it used to.

Anyway, I am assuming that vinegar and baking soda (separately) will do for washing the naphtha. Do I need to worry about specific proportions of same in, say, a half gallon of water, or will the term "healthy amount" suffice?

Did you try evaporation tests on the solvents before using them?

Washing with mild acids, mild bases and neutral water does not guarantee that the solvent will be cleaned. Many possible additives or impurities cannot be washed out like that or do not react with the mild acids and bases, or need harsh conditions to react. Sometimes solvents can only be cleaned up by distillation.

Was at the store today. I saw plenty. There is always the internet amd amex gift cards.

also check smaller hardware stores that are not chain owned. i got some this summer and the mfg date was 2012. guessing they don't sell tons. The ethanol tek makes goo but works with everclear.

It's back at the big store. Don't know why they removed all trace of it for a month, but it has returned to occupy it's usual shelf space.

Crown and Klean strip VMP have changed chemically.

https://www.dmt-nexus.me...aspx?g=posts&t=70738

I just posted this in the other vm&p thread. Not sure what to make of it, but anyways: