Gang,
Just thought I'd comment on what Armorall is, or at least what it is not. I
believe it is a silicone oil emulsion, which means silicone oil and water,
plus a detergent or emulsifying agent of some kind. I suspect it takes a
pretty strong emulsifier to get silicone oil and water to mix and this may
explain why long term exposure to Armorall actually degrades the base
material you are trying to protect. "Protectant" ?? Gives a good "wet"
appearance to stuff though.
According to my technical dictionary, a plasticizer is something that
softens or makes plastic or moldable (a.k.a., flexibilizer). Plasticizing
oil is a coal tar distillate or solvent naphthas distilling in a wide range
above 300C; used with plastics as a plasticizer. If Armorall makes plastic
soft, then I guess it's a plasticizer too. I am not aware if Armorall
softens any kind of plastic; maybe it does. But I think the best
characterization of Armorall is a highly dispersed silicone oil in water.
Anybody got any more info on this common dressup product??
Bob
Bob Palmer
UCSD, AMES Dept.
rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu
|