Amyl Acetate (banana oil)
This substance has now become so familiar that it hardly needs detailed description. It is a clear liquid giving forth a strong and pungent odour of pear-drops. It dissolves celluloid rapidly and completely, and forms the base of the popular cellulose paints. These are not easily removed by any of the usual solvents, but amyl acetate itself will remove them rapidly and completely. Acetone may be used for the same purpose. In recent years cellulose paints have been much used in the restoration of porcelain, and it is not at all uncommon to find repairs coloured with these pigments, which are usually allowed to overflow on to the glazed porcelain surface to disguise the fact that repair has taken place. Such overpainting may be removed either with amyl acetate or acetone. The writer has noticed recently that some repairs have been sprayed with a clear varnish made from this substance. It can be removed in the same way. An excellent cement is made by dissolving celluloid in a mixture of amyl acetate and acetone until it has the consistency of syrup, but it is usually more convenient to buy a proprietary brand, such as "Durofix" or its American equivalent, "Duco".