Cleaning off epoxy? Use vinegar

[Thumbs Up]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Yeah, there are "vinegar fixes everything" fans, but this is NOT that. I hate vinegar and don't use salad dressing. We are not saying it is a cleaner. It breaks the chemical reaction and eliminates the stickiness in seconds. MUCH faster than acetone because it is not working as a solvent or cleaner, but instead is reacting directly on the chemicals involved.

You need to try it. Remember, it must be followed with soap and water; it breaks the epoxy down but does not remove it.

I'm calling bullsh*t on this. Acetone cleans off epoxy instantly. Wipe with vinegar and it is sticky. Tools wipe clean instantly with acetone, vinegar leaves it sticky. Can't surface prep with vinegar. Vinegar then soap and soap and warm water for epoxy on skin, still sticky! Acetone on a rag over fresh epoxy, gone in one pass. Same for skin. Vinegar doesn't eliminate the stickiness and nothing works faster than acetone. We add white vinegar to soapy water for cleaning the ceiling and awnings. Cuts through mold but not harsh like bleach.

[GRIT]

No BS. We use it for cleaning epoxy off our skin. Nothing else. I never used it on anything we were building, but it works great to get it off your skin, without diluting it so much as acetone does. I was warned about the same thing, about acetone diluting the epoxy, and encouraging it to migrate into your skin. Which is why we use vinegar.

Acetone definitely works more quickly, but I probably used 20 gallons of vinegar, over the course of 10 years, and it's 1/10th the price of acetone.

Again, I only ever used it on skin. We used it with great success, no stickiness. I don't know what we did right, or what you're doing wrong, but it always worked great. Maybe try changing your rag to a fresh one? (West system, and MAS epoxy)

We used lots of acetone too, but we only used that on projects.

Different strokes for different folks.

Cheers.
Paul.

[Thumbs Up]

I do use vinegar to get it off my skin. The epoxyworks article posted earlier says not to. Thinwater said vinegar works faster than acetone to get the sticky off. Mostly I keep it off of my skin but accidents happen. I wasn't recommending using acetone on the skin but now I wonder about vinegar. If you get enough acetone on a clean rag you get it off in one swipe, I think that if you do it right you are not driving it into your skin but acetone is known for other impurities that I don't want in me either. Another problem with acetone is that it likes to eat gloves.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

I do use vinegar to get it off my skin. The epoxyworks article posted earlier says not to. Thinwater said vinegar works faster than acetone to get the sticky off. Mostly I keep it off of my skin but accidents happen. I wasn't recommending using acetone on the skin but now I wonder about vinegar. If you get enough acetone on a clean rag you get it off in one swipe, I think that if you do it right you are not driving it into your skin but acetone is known for other impurities that I don't want in me either. Another problem with acetone is that it likes to eat gloves.

As I understand the epoxyworks article, the point was that using vinegar on the skin is not ideal and it was better to keep the epoxy of the skin. It did mention that limited use of vinegar was probably OK (skin wise).

It did not make a mention of acetone. Acetone is a terrible product for put on your skin. It passes though the skin into the underlying tissues and blood etc like water passes though a mosquito net. It will carry epoxy with it and help the epoxy get 'under the skin'.

In the past in my ignorance I used large amounts of acetone on my skin but once I learnt more about it, I am much more careful with acetone. FWIW, MEK makes acetone look like a skin care product!!!

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by Wotname

In the past in my ignorance I used large amounts of acetone on my skin but once I learnt more about it, I am much more careful with acetone. FWIW, MEK makes acetone look like a skin care product!!!

I feel your pain. When I made surfboards as a kid I used to practically bathe in acetone ($2/gallon) and when I got MEK on my hands I would just wipe them on my Levis. Now I treat MEK like spent plutonium.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

I feel your pain. When I made surfboards as a kid I used to practically bathe in acetone ($2/gallon) and when I got MEK on my hands I would just wipe them on my Levis. Now I treat MEK like spent plutonium.

Note my post #5. With my preferred epoxy I wear gloves and clean up with soap and water.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by Wotname

As I understand the epoxyworks article, the point was that using vinegar on the skin is not ideal and it was better to keep the epoxy of the skin. It did mention that limited use of vinegar was probably OK (skin wise).

It did not make a mention of acetone. Acetone is a terrible product for put on your skin. It passes though the skin into the underlying tissues and blood etc like water passes though a mosquito net. It will carry epoxy with it and help the epoxy get 'under the skin'.

In the past in my ignorance I used large amounts of acetone on my skin but once I learnt more about it, I am much more careful with acetone. FWIW, MEK makes acetone look like a skin care product!!!

Acetone kind of is a skin care product. Ask any woman that used nail varnish in the 90s and early 2000s.

MEK is expensive, which is probably why acetone is preferred.

Many have the opinion use least harsh chemical that job done. I'm more of use the harshes that doesn't harm/damage what I'm working on. That way it gets the job done for sure, and much faster.

[Happydrv]

Just did some layups and filler. Three batches of epoxy. About half cup of vinegar and a few paper towels cleaned my tools, mixing stick and even my gloves so I'll reuse them tomorrow. Don't know why the silly advice that it's only good for skin. Don't even own acetone any more.

[mikedefieslife]

I wonder if it depends on the type of epoxy. I still have some unmixed epoxy on my cockpit floor. I poured vinegar on it this morning, as the bottle was still next to it from the last experiment. A wipe with a shop towel tears the towel it's so sticky. I rub with a stiff brush also did bugger all.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Happydrv

Just did some layups and filler. Three batches of epoxy. About half cup of vinegar and a few paper towels cleaned my tools, mixing stick and even my gloves so I'll reuse them tomorrow. Don't know why the silly advice that it's only good for skin. Don't even own acetone any more.

Just imagine. If you use US Comosite 635 THIN resin you can clean up with soap and water.
Epoxy :Â*Epoxy Resins and Hardeners

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Acetone kind of is a skin care product. Ask any woman that used nail varnish in the 90s and early 2000s....

I assume you are joking.

[GRIT]

Happydrv. If you're referring to my post. I was careful to say "I use" and "we use", I never said you should or should not. I was not giving advice, I was letting folks know what we do. Not everything you read here is advice.

To be more specific: I meant that I never put vinegar on the project, whatever it is I'm building, as I don't want to hamper the next coat of epoxy from curing. Acetone doesn't hamper the cure, like vinegar does, so I don't use vinegar to clean my spreaders, or mixing sticks. You do as you please, I'm not giving advice.

You can use it on tools as much as you like. It was not a warning to keep vinegar away from tools, though it could be seen as a warning to keep it away from your project, if you intend to do more epoxying.

On spreaders, mixing sticks, and mixing cups, I simply use acetone.

Cheers.
Paul.

[TeddyDiver]

I wear nitrile gloves and seldom get any epoxy on my skin. Those times I do I first wipe with cloth and the rest with vinegar or alcohol which ever is closer and wash with soap and water later.
For tools first vinegar to stop the reaction and wash the most of it and then alcohol to wash the rest. Besides alcohol dries up much faster than vinegar so not much to wait for reuse.

[clockwork orange]

[QUOTE=mikereed100;3201592]A good trick that I picked up during my paremedic years is to put on 2 or 3 pairs at once. That way, as the gloves start to get sticky and gummed up with fiberglass strands and such you can just peel them off and keep going. This way you don't have to try to put fresh gloves on over sweaty hands.


I also put on 2 or 3 pair at a time if i'm doing a bigger job because, as you say, its much easier to remove a pair than to put on new ones but eventually you run out and need to put new ones on those sweaty hands so I keep some talc handy which helps.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

I also put on 2 or 3 pair at a time if i'm doing a bigger job because, as you say, its much easier to remove a pair than to put on new ones but eventually you run out and need to put new ones on those sweaty hands so I keep some talc handy which helps.

I've got too big hands to layer gloves, but it doesn't take so much time hands to dry and can have a smoke while waiting..