# Cleaning Up



## Graybeard (Apr 4, 2019)

Made a mistake and had a leak in my mold. Made a mess with fully hardened and set Alumilite. Any tips on how to remove? Will be making some new molds going forward.


----------



## Sprung (Apr 4, 2019)

This doesn't help now, but I wonder if putting a good coat of wax, maybe a moderate coat of paste wax, on the bottom and a couple inches up the sides of your pressure pot (and reapplying on occasion) would help with the clean up of any potential future spills.

As far as right now, I wonder if a solvent such as acetone or lacquer thinner would help soften it enough to make it easier to scrape off by mechanical means? Probably wouldn't hurt to pour in enough to cover the resin, let it soak for a while, and see what happens.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Karl_TN (Apr 4, 2019)

Try applying some heat to the pan's bottom to soften the resin so it can be lifted or scraped off.


----------



## kweinert (Apr 4, 2019)

From the Alumilite PDF:

*Work Area & Clean Up* Cover any surfaces including floors with plastic sheeting, cardboard, or plywood to prevent damage from spilled resin. To clean up unmixed or still liquid material, use rubbing alcohol on a rag or paper towel to quickly clean and remove. Once cured, resin is extremely durable, chemical resistant and nearly impossible to remove.

So I guess you could pour more in and make a new bottom for your pot.

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## Eric Rorabaugh (Apr 4, 2019)

I bet you could probably chip it off the bottom of the pot. I'd at least try. If you poured more in and when you did spill more, it would bond and you'd never get it out


----------



## Graybeard (Apr 4, 2019)

Thanks for the suggestions. Guess I'll just try and chip it out but it will be hard to get a good angle on it. Fortunately it doesn't make my carriers sit off balance so it may just stay where it is.


----------



## rocky1 (Apr 4, 2019)

Pint of DNA and a match! 



Karl's idea might work, but the stuff generates some pretty extreme heat curing, and it may simply set it harder. However, if you're going to attempt that, I'd try it before using anything to try and loosen it.

Otherwise, I'd go with Matt's suggestion, try a little acetone in the bottom to see if it'll soften it. It takes acrylic nail polish off, fake nails they simply wet a cotton ball and let it soak through the nail, so... it very well may. You might lay a rag over it and soak the rag, then seal the pot. Might not hurt to pressurize the pot honestly, it would force the Acetone under loose stuff. Just make sure there are no sparks nearby when you blow that off. 


Then I'd use a utility knife blade, or one of those razor bladed window scraper thingies, start out on the end of the runs and see if you can get the thinner stuff to lift. If it lifts then you can peel back to the big blob in the middle, trying to work a little acetone along and along to keep working under it. Scuba gear might be in order, over that pot with all those acetone fumes. 

Orbital sander, and just sanding it nice and flat and smooth might be an option too.

Bottom of my pot is concave, so I have a plywood disk cut to fit in the bottom of it. In the event of spills, I smack it good on one side, pop the disk out, and sand it down. Easy to fix!!


----------



## Wildthings (Apr 4, 2019)

little tiny jackhammers...ask @Tony if you could borrow one!

Reactions: Funny 3


----------



## Sprung (Apr 5, 2019)

Wildthings said:


> little tiny jackhammers...ask @Tony if you could borrow one!



Or have him come and help - the little guy could just be dropped right in there!

Reactions: Funny 3


----------



## rocky1 (Apr 5, 2019)

If you dropped him head first, that might work!!

Reactions: Funny 3


----------



## CWS (Apr 6, 2019)

rocky1 said:


> Pint of DNA and a match!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sounds like you know a lot about fake nails.


----------



## rocky1 (Apr 6, 2019)

My wife has a fixation with the nail salon. So much so, that the Vietnamese family that runs it, consider her and her mother extended family. They come to visit over the holidays, invite them to family gatherings, tried to talk the wife and her mother into going to Vietnam for the one brother's wedding. She has blessed me with far more far more knowledge about fingernails than I want. Believe me!


----------

