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Freeze Chemicals

Susquatch

Susquatch

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Didn't know where to put this so it landed here.

Sometimes you just can't get things apart and sometimes you want them to go together and stay that way.

Heat has always been our friend. But sometimes extreme cold is useful too.

I found this on Amazon and ordered a can. Seems to be better than the old refrigerants. Rated at -51C and -60F.

Also good for electronics and killing warts.

Screenshot_20211208-080859_Amazon Shopping.jpg


MG Chemicals 403A 134A Super Cold Spray, 285g (10 Oz) Aerosol Can, 403A-285G https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0047Y9DKS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_JQDR0RHANA84W2QGPCF2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
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Ya that stuff is great for small work, bearing cups, bushing etc. I've used CO2 fire extinguishers for large torque converter shafts. wrapped in a garbage bag.
 
DPittman said:
Oh I said I got have one of those...until I saw the price and figured I'll just keep using my deep freezer.
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The trouble with the deep freeze is that both halves get cold and very few freezers get this cold.

But ya, if cost is a big factor, you can always use propane OUTSIDE in a very well ventilated area. Just tip the bottle upside down and let it run till liquid starts coming out, and drop a few drops on the part you want to shrink. Propane isn't quite as cold as R134, but it's close enough. The big difference is safety.
 
Snocrusher said:
I have used computer dust blower turned upside down. Don't know the temps but it's cold.
About $5-10 a can
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Let me preface this comment by saying that I don't know what is in those dust blowers. I always thought it was just compressed air because mine don't "shake" which implies they contain no liquids. But maybe some do.

FWIW, I always called those things a "Can of Wind".

Anyway, all gases get cold when they are decompressed. Depending on the initial pressure that could well result in VERY cold air coming out of the can. Perhaps even -50 or even colder!

In any event, I wouldn't think compressed air like that would be nearly as effective as a supercooled liquid that is trying to boil at -60. Even a supercooled liquid is more effective than supercooled gas because of the better heat transfer of liquids VS gases and also the higher specific heat of liquids VS gases. However, it is the boiling effect that is so much more effective because it involves a change of state. It is that heat of vapourization that is so effective. That is also the principal behind how freezers, fridges, and air conditioners work. The boiling and condensing of the refrigerant is what moves the heat from one place to another.

I guess it all depends on how desperate we are for a fix. The worse the problem is, the more we might spend trying to fix it.

I have a fair bit of canned wind around here. I'll have to try it for comparison.
 
The canned wind or computer dust blower I use (bought at Memory Express) is in a liquid state in the can, used in the recommended upright position it comes out as wind but invert the can and pull the trigger and liquid comes out.
People have been known to use this stuff to re-charge automotive air conditioning systems. It's not quite as efficient as R-134A but it works well.
 
Snocrusher said:
The canned wind or computer dust blower I use (bought at Memory Express) is in a liquid state in the can, used in the recommended upright position it comes out as wind but invert the can and pull the trigger and liquid comes out.
People have been known to use this stuff to re-charge automotive air conditioning systems. It's not quite as efficient as R-134A but it works well.
Click to expand...

Ah, so it's a refrigerant too then. Be interesting to know what it is. At the price you paid, it really might be a much better option!

Can you post a photo?
 
The stuff I have that came from CostCo states it has R152a (difluprethane) in it what ever that is. And ya, it's a liquid in the can.
 
Am I mistaken in thinking that "MG Chemicals 403A 134A Super Cold Spray" is (according to the data sheet) HFC-134a refrigerant?

Is it not illegal to intentionally release 134A?
 
I was wondering about the environmental effects too. That stuff might be legal but perhaps not great to release. Perhaps the inverse - heating the opposite part would be another approach? I’m not sure that would work. For heat shrink tool holders they heat the holder instead of cooling the end mill for example.
 
I don't know about that for sure. As I understand it, r134 was developed as a replacement for R12 and R24 BECAUSE it was an environmentally friendly version of them. Unless my info on that is incorrect (always a possibility) the reason that it's illegal to release r134 is that it's often used in old systems that still contain some R12 or 24. I don't think it's illegal to release 134 on its own. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that some government bureaucrat didn't understand all that and regulated it anyway.
 
Janger said:
I was wondering about the environmental effects too. That stuff might be legal but perhaps not great to release. Perhaps the inverse - heating the opposite part would be another approach? I’m not sure that would work. For heat shrink tool holders they heat the holder instead of cooling the end mill for example.
Click to expand...

In most cases that I have had to employ (getting stuck farm stuff apart), I have needed both. Heat the outside half and cool the inside.
 
So it seems r134 is indeed regulated. Not for the clouroflorocarbons impact on ozone (which is indeed neglidgeable), but rather because is a fairly strong greenhouse gas. It is scheduled to be banned in 2024. Currently it is only regulated in large quantities. Small quantities are not regulated.

The other thing I discovered is that the advertizing is probably phoney. The boiling temperature of R134 is not -60 as per the label on the can. R134 boils at -15F not -60.

In other words, propane is a better choice - albeit much more dangerous.

Next up, what is in canned wind?
 
Butane Lighter can, upside down. Extreme cold.

Two warnings.....

1. Don't freeze and body parts
2. The important one....avoid fire/sparks/ignition sources.

BTW this is how thieves break harden bike lock, inject butane, hit with hammer, metal lock shatters like glass.
 
Susquatch said:
So it seems r134 is indeed regulated. Not for the clouroflorocarbons impact on ozone (which is indeed neglidgeable), but rather because is a fairly strong greenhouse gas. It is scheduled to be banned in 2024. Currently it is only regulated in large quantities. Small quantities are not regulated.

The other thing I discovered is that the advertizing is probably phoney. The boiling temperature of R134 is not -60 as per the label on the can. R134 boils at -15F not -60.

In other words, propane is a better choice - albeit much more dangerous.

Next up, what is in canned wind?
Click to expand...
Canned wind, that's and easy one, pull my finger....never said it would be cold ;):cool:
 
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