Swarfega is a brand of heavy-duty hand cleaner, manufactured by Deb Ltd. It was invented by Audley Bowdler Williamson.^[1] It is a dark green gelatinous, thixotropic, substance, used to clean grease, oil, printer's ink or general persistent, hydrophobic dirt from the skin. As with other such cleaners, it is drastically more effective than soap or other common cleansing products at removing such dirt; Swarfega is thus virtually ubiquitous in environments where this kind of dirt is common, such as garages and machine shops. Thixotropy is the property of some non-newtonian pseudoplastic fluids to show a time dependant change in viscosity; the longer the fluid undergoes shear, the lower its viscosity. ... Look up grease in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Natural olive oil Synthetic motor oil Oil, in a general sense, is a chemical compound that is not miscible with water, and is in a liquid state at ambient temperatures. ... In chemistry, hydrophobic or lipophilic species, or hydrophobes, tend to be electrically neutral and nonpolar, and thus prefer other neutral and nonpolar solvents or molecular environments. ... Look up dirt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ...

Swarfega is used by working a small amount into dry skin, then either wiping, rinsing or washing off.

The effectiveness of Swarfega is due to the powerfully hydrophobic ingredients, notably medium-chain (C9-C16) alkanes and cycloalkanes; in combination with an emulsifier (Trideceth-5 in current formulations). These are more efficient at solubilising oil and grease than a detergent alone. An alkane in organic chemistry is a type of hydrocarbon in which the molecule has the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms and so has no double bonds (they are saturated). ... Cycloalkanes are chemical compounds with a single ring of carbons to which hydrogens are attached according to the formula CnH2n. ...

In the UK, the word 'swarfega' may be used as a generic term for all similar cleaners, particularly if they have the same green jelly-like appearance as genuine Swarfega. According to the company website, the name comes from swarf, being the old engineering term for oil and grease and 'ega' as in eager to remove. This may be a bit confusing, as swarf now refers to the metal shavings and chips resulting from metalworking operations. various examples of swarf, including a block of compressed swarf Swarf (or turnings) is the debris or waste resulting from metalworking operations. ... various examples of swarf, including a block of compressed swarf Swarf (or turnings) is the debris or waste resulting from metalworking operations. ...

Cultural significance

Swarfega was promoted heavily on a late night showing of espeak as featured on Channel E4 (Sky channel 140). One man with a stutter claimed he could fit an industrial sized vat of Swarfega in his mouth. This is how it is remembered by many fans today. E4 is a British digital television channel launched as a pay-tv companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. ...

The comedian Jasper Carrott once joked that after eating a balti in an Indian restaurant, he had been given one lemon-scented baby-wipe to clean his hands. His response was that the baby-wipe was useless, and that he'd need "half a gallon of Swarfega to get this stuff off". Jasper Carrott - (Audio tape cover) Jasper Carrott OBE (born Robert Davis, March 14, 1945) is an English comedian (declaring himself world famous in Birmingham). Born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, he was educated at Moseley School. ... Balti is the name for a style of food probably first devised and served in Birmingham, England. ...

In the Red Dwarf episode Back in the Red: Part I, it is revealed that Lister consumed Rimmer's supply of Swarfega, believing it to be the last of the supply of alcoholic drinks. Red Dwarf is a cult British sci-fi sitcom that ran for eight television series on BBC2 between 1988 and 1999, and has since achieved a global cult following. ...

Notes

1. ^ "Latest Wills", The Register, The Times, 19 August 2006, page 67.

The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External link

• Company website