Title says it all. Specifically i have a few little lam rollers, squeegees, mixing sticks, all that. Ive been using paper towels and im so sick of it.
Acetone? Paint thinner? Mineral Spirits?
Angus-
soak them in acetone.
keep one container that has old dirty acetone to clean stuff off in and another one with a nice clean acetone to leave my brushes and squeegees and sticks in.
I also keep a seperate contain for my gloss only brush.
Use containers that lock shut - like tupperware (even better if they have a vent) - acetone evaperates real quick.
Acetone for Poly. If you have a dedicated shop area; keep a plastic bucket with a plastic lid of Acetone around. Drop the squeege or roller in it so that it is submerged. When you’re thru with whatever you are working on, using neoprene coated gloves rinse and clean the squeege in the acetone. Wipe them off and spin the roller against something. I don’t use a roller for Catalyzed Poly. I only use a roller with UV… Don’t even use one for that much any more. When using a roller with UV; Just leave the roller submerged in a work pot of UV until the next time you lam. Use cheapo throw aways. The little cotton four inchers. I leave my Thalco rubber squeegies in the acetone bucket until I am ready to use it the next time. They get nice and soft. The plastic squeegies get weird if you leave them in acetone for too long. Also; It will be necessary to have several acetone buckets around if you are doing color work. Multiple rinses. I have China Bristle brushes that I use for hotcoat and gloss. After rinsing them throughly in acetone, I run them thru a rinse in Lacquer thinner and then paint thinner. I do this so that any Poly resin is completly washed out. They will then dry soft. Otherwise they will get hard from the Poly residue. I rinse my Yellow/blue gloves while still on my hands in acetone. Shake out throughly and then hang until dry. Don’t use those gloves in lacquer thinner. They’ll be history. Acetone can be recycled and re-used by allowing resin residue to settle in the plastic buckets. Then pour the clear acetone off the top into a fresh bucket. Epoxy and UV are both easier and more efficent when it comes to clean up. BUT– Poly and Acetone can be managed following a few simple procedures. Pro Glass shops use automotive parts washers. Clean up is basically the same method used by House Painters. Multipe rinses. Lowel
Acetone works, but you waste a lot of it to get things clean. I use the following method and items.
One quick in dunk in acetone and shake it out. Then, a healthy dose of Lestoil cleaning liquid followed by a good hot water rinse. Uses far less acetone, and does the job with a less toxic bath.
This my method for cleaning brushes and may not work on other items/tools.
I use straight Lestoil and a fingernail brush to get wet poly resin off my hands. Followed by plain old soap and water.