wtnhighlander Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Tried to use epoxy a a clear filler for part of an inlay, but something went wrong, and it isn't curing. Anyone know a solvent that will help remove the sticky goo? Acetone, maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Smiths makes a purpose-made solvent -- it works very well... Eastman also makes one... I'm not sure about the status of these products in the US at this point -- I haven't found them in stock at my local boat yard for about a year... I believe you can still get MEK and probably Xylene... These will work, but not as well as the purpose-made stuff... Acetone also works, but not as well... Good luck... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 How long since you applied the epoxy. I had a batch that took almost 8 hours to cure. It scared the crap out of me. I don't know if I mixed it wrong, high humidity, or what? If it was just today, watch your mixing container if you still have the leftovers. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 This was a largish batch of Devcon 5-minute stuff. Never had trouble with it before, but I think I failed to mix it well enough in this larger quantity. After about 8 hours, the majority if feels like jell-o, and there seem to be some pockets of liquid resin still present. We'll see tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Yea, let it sit a bit longer and see.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 As of 5:00 am, still gooey. Guess I'll be in reboot mode after work today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 This works a lot better than acetone. Golfworks also sells wipes which are very handy to have around for small epoxy messes. http://www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_ECS_A_Epoxy+Cleaning+Solvent_A_c2p_E_cs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 It's probably similar to the stuff from Smiths and Eastman ---- that I can't seem to buy... I'll get some and compare... Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 West System have a solvent 850 specifically for that purpose. http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p-1729-west-system-cleaning-solvent-850.aspx They also have a resin removing cream 820 http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p-1726-west-system-resin-removing-cream-820.aspx I use both of them and can confirm they do indeed work. Only just seen your thread so it may have gone off or you have cleaned it up already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Unfortunately 850 is no longer available on this side of the pond -- hasn't been in years... And I think 820 is also not available in the US (I still have my last tube in my toolbox)... Along with similar products from Smiths, high-volatile organics and solvent-based products are getting harder and harder for the end-user to obtain in the US... I haven’t been able to order CPES in about a year... I’m not sure which component(s) is/are the culprits – maybe it’s just the combination - But, I suspect it's the MIBK because I can still order most of the other components in Smiths/850/etc. You can still get MEK (in Smiths), xylene (also in 850 and Smiths), toluene, methyl acetate, acetone and the rest of the gang (except benzene, et al) – but it’s getting harder... Most, except acetone, have to be ordered-in... I husband my stash -- which is kept in an outbuilding... Many are still available through marine supply houses, specialty manufacturers, etc (i.e. business with a reason to use them – like the golf club source above)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Jones Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 A heat gun and scraper works well . If that wont do it for you try to find Dynasolve M-35 It will remove uncured epoxy and super glue type adhesives.Low VOC as compared to acetone. You could try contacting a local boat repair shop or paint supplier anyone doing fiberglass work nearby would be able to source a cleaner for you I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Dynasolve M-35 is the Eastman product that I mentioned above... Again, I haven't been able to get it as an end-user for some time... Like some of the other products, it could be available industrially... My local boat guy doesn't inventory any of the good stuff. I'll have to give him a call to see what he can still order-in... I suspect that in most states, you can't... Being in NJ, they've grown rather restrictive in the past few years... When I can’t get something from a marine supplier, I give aviation suppliers a try – they can get stuff marine houses can’t... We've got srveral local small airports, so there are suppliers that I can go to.... I suspect there will come a time when these things become very restrictive – like creosote – hard to purchase unless you’re a utility... I’ve still got a can or two, but doubt I could get more... But you can still mix roofing tar and diesel, go figure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 http://www.golfworks.com/product.asp?pn=VB1015&gclid=Cj0KEQjw7_mrBRDH4Y2UjLHEmfcBEiQA8OTHf0XqD2UcikvNFRduAeRhx4Ci0qLPHAbcdFoBORLZZ_saAt2V8P8HAQ Some citrus cleaners will cut it right off too. Back when I had a sailboat business in the mid '80s, a salesman came in selling this new Orange concentrate cleaner. It only came in metal rectangular cans with no labels on them. One of the guys had just spilled some West hardener on the bare concrete floor back in the shop. I told the salesman that if his stuff would clean that up that I would buy a case. He smiled really big and jumped at the chance. With very little wiping, it came right up, and that spot of the floor was now the cleanest bare concrete in the shop. I think it was about $55 a gallon, and four came in the case. It took me over twenty years to use it all up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 ==>new Orange concentrate cleaner. It only came in metal rectangular cans with no labels on them. ==>It took me over twenty years to use it all up Yea, and you now probably glow in the dark... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Lacquer Thinner. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Zylene will work. Also laquer thinner, which contains zylene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Looking at that GolfWorks epoxy cleaner – based on the description (and that it’s available in a pump presentation), makes me wonder if it'll work for structural epoxies or only their own Golf Works 'epoxy' adhesive? Somehow I can’t quite image a ‘citrus cleaner’ and xylene, MEK, MIBK, etc (major constituents of structural epoxy solvents) belong in the same sentence... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Thanks for all the input folks! Acetone was what I had on hand, so that's what I used. It did a surprisingly good job on the liquid parts, but I still had to scrape the crust and boogers out of the crevices. I have refilled the void with fiberglass resin mixed with steel dust. It has a nice black color, and is hardening well enough, but I am concerned the resin seems to be shrinking as it cures. I may have another epic fail.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 ==>but I am concerned the resin seems to be shrinking as it cures Are you sure the epoxy is still good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 If you mean the epoxy that didn't cure, I had just mixed s small batch from the same containers, and it worked fine. Pretty sure the failure was on my part. As for the fiberglass resin I used to fill the cavity after cleaning the uncured epoxy, it seems to be fine. It doesn't cure as hard / brittle as epoxy but for this application it seems to work well. My fears about shrinkage appear to be unfounded. And yes Eric, that's what she said. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Glad it worked out for ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Staehling Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Glad that worked. I have used acetone with fair results, but for epoxy cleanup I have found vinegar works well. Not sure if it would have worked in your case, but for cleaning tools and stuff that epoxy got on accidentally, it has worked great for me as long as the epoxy has not cured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madkrafter Posted June 22, 2015 Report Share Posted June 22, 2015 A little late, but I use System3 epoxy as a pore filler for my guitars. I thin it 50/50 with denatured alcohol. I recently epoxied some baltic birch ply to melamine and had a bad mix that didn't cure (I don't think the pump was fully primed). I was using West Systems and took the pieces apart and tried the denatured alcohol and it worked to clean up the bad mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Looking at that GolfWorks epoxy cleaner – based on the description (and that it’s available in a pump presentation), makes me wonder if it'll work for structural epoxies or only their own Golf Works 'epoxy' adhesive? Somehow I can’t quite image a ‘citrus cleaner’ and xylene, MEK, MIBK, etc (major constituents of structural epoxy solvents) belong in the same sentence...I had forgotten about this thread. The mystery stuff in the non-labeled gallon cans was concentrated citrus cleaner. I think that was before all the commercial variations starting getting popular. The guy selling it said it was made from orange peels. It worked better than any chemical cleaner I've ever used on epoxy. The Golfworks stuff works just like the gallons of stuff did. I keep the wipes all the time for using epoxy other than on golf clubs too. Golf club epoxy doesn't seem to be much different than more common types, other than it breaks down from heat lower than others. You don't want the shaft lamination epoxy breaking down before the epoxy holding the club head on while removing a club head from a multi-hundred dollar shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.