I ended up using rubbing alcohol colored with a few drops of food coloring.
Cheap ($.79 for a big bottle), safe, and worked like a charm, completely
eliminating my "sticky" bubbles problem.

I might mention that before cc'ing the heads I bought three carriage bolts,
7 inches long and 3/8th's inch in diameter, and six nuts.  Using the 3 bolts
and the outside rocker arm stud of the head that wasn't being measured as
the 4 "legs" touching the top of my workbench the head was completely stable
and could easily be manipulated (by screwing the bolts clockwise or
counter-clockwise) to get the air bubble directed at exactly the right spot.
This made for very repeatable measurements.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young                       '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549         '82 Westfalia
---------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Mills" <scm9985@tntech.edu>
To: "Tom Young" <tomyoung1@attbi.com>; <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>;
<type2@type2.com>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: [T2] A cc'ing the heads question

> >I like using the colored water because it's safe and easy to dispose of,
but
> >I'm thinking perhaps I should use a solvent of some sort - kerosene,
paint
> >thinner, etc. - if it will help eliminate my bubble problem.
>
> Marvel Mystery oil (thinner fluid)?
>
>
> Chris Mills in TN
>
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