Thread: epoxy clean up

Great idea, i will try it What are the rings you are gluing up?

Vinegar...... SULPHAMIC ACID or similar so i am led to believe.

acetic acid I think. CH3COOH.

Mathew, when I'm using epoxy, I put a bit of wax (any type, cheap is fine) wherever there is likely to be squeeze-out. When it's at the rubbery stage, just peel it off with a sharp chisel.

Like the vinegar idea, though. Why has no one tried this before?

I don't think that acetone poses any significant risk, if used sensibly, i.e. in a well ventilated area, and kept away from the eyes. See http://www.entheology.org/tips-acetone/acetone.htm , which indicates that acetone is naturally present in the body as a metabolite. I use acetone to clean up epoxy regularly, and haven't detected any ill-effects.

Rocker

The acetone dissolves the nasties in the epoxy which are then absorbed directly through the skin.

They are a cumulative poison, to the extent that I have a couple of friends who can't even smell uncured epoxy without suffering severe rashes. Some people don't seem to be affected, in others the symptoms are cruel to watch, let alone experience.

I use a handcleaner (actually I use gloves) but inevitably get the occasional skin contact. The product I use is a Boatcraft one, a Citrus and pumice goo, Boatmik added about 25% vinegar to it a week or two ago to increase it's efficacy.

Vinegar works well cleaning brushes and stuff, and can be bought in 20 litre drums from commercial food suppliers a LOT cheaper than solvent.

Alex has the best solution. During the cure process the material stays rubbery for quite some time, and even on a big job it's easy to roll it off with a chisel, even without the wax, although I try to mask most places in any case. Like any other glue, using a solvent also spreads it and makes it harder to cleanup in other ways (for me at least!).

Cheers,

P

Originally Posted by MathewA

....... Personally I won't use a solvent the epoxy is toxic enough and I don't want to add more to my environment.

Perhaps you should have a close look at the avatar you are using.

Seriously, though I can understand your reluctance for using acetone - however, have you considered [non oily] nail polish remover - supposed to be safe for humans and it is a form of acetone. Can't say I've tried it myself and I am a great fan of vinegar [I use it for rust removal - very gentle but yes, it is slow]
Regards,
Bob

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

Vinegar works well cleaning brushes and stuff, and can be bought in 20 litre drums from commercial food suppliers a LOT cheaper than solvent.

You can also buy 2 litre cleaning vinegar at the supermarket - cheaper than balsamic.

Up to now I've just been scraping off as much excess / squeeze out epoxy as I could, then sanding back when it's hard. This can take a lot of time. I thought "everyone" did that! So now I realize you can wipe off a lot more excess using vinegar! Good news. Thanks. Are there any wood that should not come in contact with vinegar?

Richard

From my experience, acetone is for polyester resin, vinegar is MUCH better for epoxy. When I built Teepookana, I just bought No Frills white salad vinegar in 2 litre bottles, a darn sight cheaper than acetone - you don't need much for tool cleaning. Midge and Alex are right, just pare the squeezeout off with a sharp chisel or a Skarsten scraper before it sets or mask it with some tape.
As far as sensitising, use a good barrier cream on your hands, wash the epoxy off in vinegar and then wash your hands with soap. I used stuff called Dermashield from Caporn Marine, it lasted all day.
Cheers,
Graeme

I tried the vinegar last night on a basketball backboard I repaired. I was very suprised at how easy the cleanup was. Thanks for the tip.

Now the shed smells like a fish'n'chip shop.

Ah well... at least it's better than smelling like a tannery. Curse certain people for reminding me about hide glue.

Same topic,different glue.

Does anyone know what the solvent is for polyurethane glue,such as Gorilla?
If I get any of that on me,it's there for days.

Originally Posted by Brian 1520

Same topic,different glue.

Does anyone know what the solvent is for polyurethane glue,such as Gorilla?
If I get any of that on me,it's there for days.

Most of the chemicals that are recommended for clean up are pretty toxic so maybe try putting some polyurethane on a piece of wood and try some vinegar. Being that vinegar is a weak acid (and quite harmless) it might break the molecular bonds in the polyurethane and clean it up.