So, you’ve finished resining your artwork, but there’s still a little left over in your mixing containers and cups. What should you do?So, what are you going to do with it from here on in?Our favourite ways to clean up our mixing containers at Art Resin are listed below, along with a few handy hints on what to do to make resin clean up as quickand easy as possible.
Table of Contents
Precautions
When mixing epoxy resin, use plastic containers. Due to the fact that epoxy resin does not adhere to plastic, these mixing vessels are simple to clean and reuse.
- Using a paper towel, wipe away any firm surfaces. While the resin is still wet, try to get rid of as much as you can. The paper towel will adhere to the resin after it becomes sticky and begins to cure.
- Use a solvent such as denatured alcohol or acetone to clean the surface. Remove any residue that is still present. To avoid skin irritation, it is recommended that you use nitrile gloves when performing this procedure.
- Using high-quality soap and water, clean your cups and tools. Place a towel over the top of the dish and let it to air dry. Cleaning up is never a pleasant experience, however. You can choose between chemical and nonchemical approaches to accomplish your goals.
Method without chemicals
The following are the tools you will need:
- Non-stick cooking spray for wax paper and parchment paper
- A dishwashing detergent
- Towelettes papier
Preparation
- Place wax paper down as a base for cleaning your tools on top of the paper.
- Use a paper towel to scrape away any loose particles from the surface of the resin while it is still wet.
- Spray the measuring cups with nonstick cooking spray and then add dish soap to the mixture.
- With your brush, swirl the mixture, making careful to scrape all sides of the container.
- Use a paper towel to wipe down the measuring cup and any brush tools that you have used.
- Warm water and soap should be used to wash them
- Completely dry all of your tools with paper towels before putting them away.
Thinner, acetone, or alcohol are suitable for use
The following are the tools you will need:
- Alcohol or thinner
- An unblemished fabric or a piece of paper
- First, wipe down tools that have been exposed to excessive material using whichever solvent you chose.
- Use soap and hot water to thoroughly clean the items
Steps to clean your resin cups
The usage of polyethylene or polypropylene plastic cups as well as silicone cups is required for this method to work properly. If you look at the bottom of your cup, you will see a triangle with the number 5 in it, which indicates that it is PP or PE.I’ll list the three types of measuring cups that I use on a regular basis in the studio, just in case you’re interested.
- 1 cup (30 milliliters)
- 8 cup (250 millilitres)
- 100 millilitres of silicone
And here’s what you’ll need to get them back to their original appearance:
- Acetone
- Methanol
- Methylated spirits
- alcohol for rubbing
- Wipes for infants
- Squares of toilet paper
Remove dried resin from your cups
Inspect the resin to ensure that it has solidified to the point where it can no longer be worked with. Instead of removing it while it is still soft, I find it easier to remove it after it has hardened.
- To begin, squeeze the sides of the cup all the way around until they are completely compressed. In this manner, the resin will be released from the cup’s walls. Take a hold of the stick and wriggle it. Because my pipette is made of polypropylene, the resin did not adhere to it and it was able to be entirely removed. Alternatively, if you’ve used a wooden stir stick, the resin will adhere to the stick, and wriggling the stick should dislodge any resin stuck to the bottom of the cup. You can now remove the resin shell from the cup, and it should come entirely away with the resin shell in place.
- To clean the interior of the cup, pour the solvent or alcohol onto a tissue or use a baby wipe to wash the inside of the cup, making sure to remove any hardened resin that has remained on the cup’s walls. Make sure to pay close attention to where the unmixed resin may be hiding in the bottom of the cup. In the event that you leave any behind, it will cause issues with the following batch of resin you make. To clean it a second time, take a fresh piece of tissue and clean it.
- Some resin fragments may remain in the cup, and you may need to clean them out with an adhesive tape. In the end, it comes down to this: Now that your cup has been cleaned, it is ready to be refilled with coffee.
Soap and water are also acceptable options
Yes, it really is that straightforward.Molds are best disposed of with soap and warm water. To clean the silicone moulds, use a small amount of dish soap and warm water to clean them before each use.Silicone is resistant to high temperatures, so you won’t have to worry about the moulds warping while they’re being washed in the dishwasher. However, you should take care not to strain the mould in any manner, as this could result in unintended consequences.
In the spirit of never doing something, make sure to avoid using the following tools when cleaning your moulds: scrubbing sponges, steel wool, toothbrushes, and anything similar. Silicone can be scratched or even torn by any rough surface, rendering it completely ineffective. It is possible that your silicone cast will be damaged that will cause it to tear open when you are demolding your next work of art.