Anatomy of a bottle of MicroSol

[lobo734]

Ok so here I am putting decals on my Star Trek Surak model last night and upset the model Gods. I have just set my bottle of MicroSol just within my reach and gently lay the cap unscrewed on top of it. I hear one of my kids enter the room, I turn around and low and behold I tip it over. Most of the bottle spills out. As I am cleaning it up I notice in large amounts that stuff smells a lot like distilled white vinegar.
I go to my cupboard and get pour some vinegar in a shot glass and start to do comparison sniffs. The straight vinegar was stronger but the smell seemed to be the same.
I know one of the purposes of Micro Sol is to prep the area for the decal and I know that vinegar is an "old school" cleaning agent.
So here is my question. Does anyone know what MicroSol actually has in it? Am I on to a cheap alternative or did I just destroy enough cells in my nose that everything is starting to smell the same?

 

[dkev]

A quick google search has taught me that Microsol is vinegar based. White vinegar is the "cheap man's" way to go. But I think it will be a bit stronger. Probably closer to microset ,which is acid based, in terms of decal softening.

 

[lobo734]

OK a quick look at the bottle and it was it was micro set not sol. I guess the fumes did get to me

 

[sunsanvil]

I have wasted not one but two bottles of the stuff from knocking it over. They REALLY need to come up with a better bottle! I keep meaning to decant them in to something else so it doesn't happen again.

 

[WebbyNZ]

I have wasted not one but two bottles of the stuff from knocking it over. They REALLY need to come up with a better bottle! I keep meaning to decant them in to something else so it doesn't happen again.

Jam it into a chunk of foam or something so its less likley to tip.

 

[the Baron]

Roger that, guys. White vinegar is what us old curmudgeons used, back in the days before "aftermarket", when we used to build models, uphill for 10 miles, through the snow. Acetic acid and water, of differing solution strength, depending on the maker.

 

[billb]

micro set/sol bottles sit perfectly in the inner ring of an upturned Tamiya paint spray can lid (& probably other brands too).
Stand it in one of those lids and it's a lot harder to knock over.

 

[Dusky]

I wish I would spill MicroSol/Set rather than liquid cement which is what I usually spill.

 

[Ziz]

And when a 1 oz bottle of Micro-Sol runs $5 or so compared to a 16 oz bottle of cheap store brand white vinegar for $0.99, what do you think is the better deal?

 

[sunsanvil]

Bottle of MicroSol or Set: $4.

Knowing exactly what you are working with on your $100 kit that you've (so far) put 60 hours into: Priceless.

But thats just me....

 

[geegad]

that sounds about right to me all you got to do is glue a large circle of sheet styrene to the base and it wont tip over thats what i have done and never had a problem

 

[the Baron]

micro set/sol bottles sit perfectly in the inner ring of an upturned Tamiya paint spray can lid (& probably other brands too).
Stand it in one of those lids and it's a lot harder to knock over.

Hee hee--that was a tip I entered in the DIY thread:

http://www.scalemodeladdict.com/index.php/topic,3967.15.html

 

[MrNatural]

I have spilled it all, microset, sol, cement, paint, I spilled my fresh bottle of pro modellers weathering wash the same day i got it in the mail Im getting better at not making any sudden movements while at the bench

 

[TBadger]

MicroSet / Sol is very similar in consistency and odor to developer and fixing solution used in developing photographs. The first time I ever opened my bottles, I was taken back to my high school photo class spending hours on end in the dark room

 

[billb]

micro set/sol bottles sit perfectly in the inner ring of an upturned Tamiya paint spray can lid (& probably other brands too).
Stand it in one of those lids and it's a lot harder to knock over.

Hee hee--that was a tip I entered in the DIY thread:

http://www.scalemodeladdict.com/index.php/topic,3967.15.html

There's some nice stuff in that thread!
It was a tip I nicked from someone on ARC(?) some years ago. Very handy