Hahahahaha. Thank you! But seriously thank you for the videos. This was my go to channel when I was trying to get into printing and I now have an Ender 3 and a creality LD and I’m getting great results.
Pro tip: When pouring from a large canister (like your denatured alcohol), try pouring with the can horizontally with the spout on top half. It sounds weird, but it allows air to enter at a lower tip angle and ultimately prevents 'glugs' (and hence spills).
This is how oil is actually designed to be poured. The spout is supposed to be on the high side. Everyone does it wrong (even knowing this I still do it the other way).
After seeing your initial video about alternate cleaning methods, I tried the Mean Green. I use the Mean Green in my Ultra Sonic Cleaner to get my resin prints cleaned out, but in a slightly different way. After the print, I swish the build plate and model in bucket of water mixed with Mean Green to get the initial resin off the models. Then I pop it into the Ultra Sonic Cleaner in which I have a large Zip Lock bag full of Mean Green to hold the model in for the cleaning.. the tank is full of water. The bag catches the resin during cleaning. When the solution in the Zip Lock Bag gets too saturated, I zip it up, lay it out in the sun and the resin that is in the solution will harden. I then strain the solution through a filter which now renders my Mean Green solution clean and ready for re-use in the bag, keeping my Ultra Sonic Cleaner clean. After the part comes out of the Ultra Sonic Cleaner, I go back to the bucket of water and Mean Green, I use a soft tooth brush to clean off the resin from the nooks and crannies and finally a clean fresh water clean and rinse. After a while, I put the bucket out in the sun to cure any resin that's in the solution and again, strain it through a filter to remove the hardened resin, and keep my bucket solution clean. My models come out crisp and clean, all the details are showing and no white spots etc. Using this method, I don't waste a lot of Mean Green, clean out the resin and render it harmless. I am unable to locate any IPA so this method works well for me.
Please don't use denatured alcohol in a spray bottle. Denatured alcohol is ethanol or grain alcohol that contains additional chemicals called denaturants that make it unfit for human consumption. It is basically the same as everclear with additives to make it poisonous. The reason denatured alcohol is cheaper is because the everclear has an alcohol tax. Since denatured alcohol is not for human consumption, it does not have that extra tax. Denatured alcohol's main use is for fuel in camp stoves. One common toxic denaturant is methanol or methyl alcohol. Methanol is absorbed through skin and produces symptoms resembling intoxication if ingested. However, it also causes nervous system damage and other serious health effects.
@@happninmojo Both of you are right any alcohol with no alcohol tax is poisoned to make in not able to drink. Putting it in the air may not give that effect (I don't want to try to see) but aerating flammable liquid is a good way to get flashed. Think about your car engine fuel jets. Aerating makes stuff ignite easier. like flour, yes what you cook with. So Like the one said before me, don't put it in a spray bottle!
The amount of methanol in such a situation is kinda negligible. The bigger issue using a spray bottle with denatured ethanol is both flammability and airway irritation. The odds of inhaling a toxic amount of methanol fumes from such a set-up are negligible at best. Remember that denatured ethanol can be used a topical disinfectant, so while it may not be safe to drink (though, do note that methanol actually isn't as common as it once was, often the denaturing chemical is a bitterent (chemical that tastes extremely bitter) like denatonium, not methanol. Obviously something labeled as "methylated" is a different story, but often the bottles you can get at the pharmacy simply contain an extremely bitter chemical that's technically relatively safe to consume like denatonium), it is often safe to handle for a bit, or even apply as a disinfectant. Just use in a well ventilated area, like any volatile solvent. The actual risk of methanol toxicity is extremely low, even if misted from a spray bottle. Though, best practice would be to wear a gas mask just in case, because even if the methanol doesn't get you, it's not like breathing in ethanol fumes is particularly healthy lol
IPA is just as flamable as Metho, so if you're printing near flames, don't put your alchohol in a spray bottle, especailly if you've drank half a bottle of everyclear while printing you're minatures.
Also great for soaking rags in to make flaming arrows, if you're that kind of teenager. I hear simple green concentrate which is readily available at Bunnings is a good non-toxic option.
with the large cans, pour with the spout at the top of the can, not at the bottom. It seems counter-intuitive, but look at the quart oil bottles one uses for motor vehicle lubrication. There's an icon showing just that.
Do you think you could do a roundup including both this and the previous set, but with transparent resin? It'd be nice to see how these might affect the clarity of prints before and after curing.
I tried simple green, and it left my prints sticky. Never tried Mean Green, but I did grab a bottle of off-brand Everclear, and now that's what I use. Works great.
Here's my setup thats been working absolutely great. 5min in 1/3 Mean green 2/3 water in the ultra sonic cleaner to get most of the resin off. Then a few minuets in a small container filled with denatured alcohol with locking lid (lid open while working but keeps the alcohol from evaporating when not in use) the with a magnetic stirrer to get rid of the rest of of. So far this has worked absolutely great and I have had to do very very little scrubbing with a small brush to get that last little bit off. Its usually in those odd areas when the flowing alcohol cant get to. The reason I do both is that the Mean green/water is cheaper and gets much dirtier than the alcohol. I am still on my first container of the alcohol and Ive done dozens of prints.
This brand of denatured alcohol contains up to 60% methanol based on their MSDS/SDS product information. Methanol and acetone are both very toxic and flammable. It is a fire hazard equivalent to gasoline. The active ingredient in Super Green (CAS # 127087-87-0) is a very strong surfactant that is non-toxic. It does have a very high pH of 11. If you get it in your eyes it will dissolve them so you should wear full coverage safety glasses. The good thing it's non flammable. I have a BS in chemistry and a masters in chemical engineering so take my advice for what it's worth.
@@highwaymen1237 i should probrably have been more specific, obviously ethanol is flamible but does the higher flash point indicate that it will make less flamible vapors compared to ipa or methanol?
whoa....! wait a sec! I've been washing my resin prints with ipa in an ultrasonic cleaner since that video where you tested Mean Green/Mr.Cleaner/IPA ... fortunate enough nothing bad has happened
So, I've been using Mean Green in the ultrasonic cleaner and then after rinsing with water I do 2 or 3 quick dips in acetone and my prints have never been cleaner. I'll have to try the Denatured Alcohol as well. As always a great informative video.The trick with acetone is that it can and will melt very fine details so you have to be careful not to do to much.
Big heads up: Denatured Alcohol is not 1 thing. It's an extremely broad category. This means the exact brand/formula can make a huge difference. Simply, it is Ethanol that has been made poisonous with additives. So, nominally it would have performed equally to the Everclear, which is 95%+ Ethanol. However: The exact brand you got says they actually use only about 40% Ethanol and around 50% Methanol. This begs the question: How does pure methanol perform? It's definitely more expensive, easily $20-$30 per gallon though.
Pure methanol (99.5%) is actually *much* cheaper to get here in Canada, whereas "denatured alcohol" is almost impossible to find. Any hardware store sells methanol by the gallon under the name of "methyl hydrate" for the equivalent of about $13 USD.
Since IPA became so hard to find I started using Simple Green. It works really well but I do notice that my prints still smell like it even after it's all washed off and dried. Which sucks because right now all of my prints are being sent to a client or customers. It's not a really bad smell but it's still there.
I've just started TPM - I don't want to use anything highly flammable like IPA, acetone or denatured alcohol because of where the printer is located but TPM beats all of those for cleaning effectiveness.
Love the vid, but I think you needed to emphasize more on just how DANGEROUS it is to work with substances like acitone. They are a huge health risk for anyone not ready to use it.
The white on the acetone prints is from over exposure to the acetone. I only rinse models for about 5-10 seconds in acetone. Over exposure can cause the layers of the print to actually seperate if your exposure time is even half a second low during the print. Some resins also just do NOT do well with acetone, like Sidekick. For the most part I use acetone for thick resins as it cuts thru it super quick and prints that have super super fine details, while I use denatured alcohol (about 15 second rinse) for everything else. I stopped using an ultrasonic cleaner months ago as it just was a time waste vs the seconds it takes with acetone/denatured alcohol.
Awesome Confirmation Bias Confirmed, jokes aside I assumed what you described. Since Denatured alcohol is typically 60% ethanol alcohol (everclear) and 40% methanol I suspect acetone diluted with 40-50% water will give me 15 second rinse time with the added bonus of being even cheaper per 1 gallon of diluted solution.
Good tests, thanks. I do a 2-step: Mean Green in heated ultrasonic, followed up with a good dunk in IPA. Makes the alcohol last a whole lot longer since most of the residue comes off in the Mean Green. I'm going to have to try the denatured alcohol.
Just bought a resin printer after 5 years of experience with FDM, I was wondering about the effectiveness of acetone. Turns out my suspicion was spot on, quick to dissolve liquids and will breakdown solids with some time. Fun fact De-Natured Alcohol is basically 60% Everclear with 40% acetone or 40% methanol and possibly 1-5% of other contaminants depending on your region. If you look up the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the particular product you have you could guesstimate what you have since the exact percentage are obfuscated. FYI Klean Strip denatured Alcohol is about 60% Everclear 200 proof and 40% methanol.
On small pieces I use a 10 percent solution of simple green in my ultrasonic cleaner for about 6 minutes at 40C. Then I rince with water and agitate in IPA for 2 minutes. A final rince in water and then compressed air to dry. Very clean, matte finish, not sticky.
metholated spirit is 95% alcohol, added 5 to 1 with simple green ( to keep the resin in suspension) in the wash and cure plus and its relatively cheap from bunnings at $30 AUD for 8 litres of solution. when the wash gets too dirty i add 240g flocking (aluminium sulphate used for pool cleaning) with 1.5 litres distilled water per 4 litres to treat, run the wash for 20 minutes then hand stir occasionally for 30 minutes and let settle, pour off extremely clean liquid in less than an hour for reuse. works really well with ipa that i cant get hold of lol. would love to see how well this mix would go in an ultrasonic cleaner but im pretty happy with the current results.
I bet he's saying all these names wrongs to mess with people on purpose. At the end of the day, very valuable information and much appreciated. By the way, acetone will soften and/or dissolve plastic, so probably not the best idea to use those in the plastic pickle containers.
someone online mentioned you can use flammable cleaning products in an ultrasonic cleaner *IF* you fill the ultrasonic cleaner with water *THEN* seal your print inside a plastic bag filled with IPA and carefully lower the plastic bag into the water
I use metho (denatured alcohol) in a plastic tub with a secure lid and vibrate the tub with a jigsaw. Does a really good job cleaning every little crevice.
Acetone is highly flammable and the vapor can be heavier than air...not a good idea in an enclosed environment. Ethanol is the way to go for safety. Yeah both of them naturally occur in your body, but ethanol can be easily disposed of. Fumes will only get you mildly intoxicated...
I will be switching to mean green because of the price and availability of alcohol. I use a large mouth plastic trail mix container fill with a achohol, drop in parts, put the lid on tight, put it into the empty ultrasonic cleaner, fill up the tub around the plastic container with water until just before the plastic container floats, then run the cleaner. I even once used this method to clean a lawn mower carb with gasoline outside away from the house with great results and my ultrasonic cleaner stays clean.
For me im using petrol or diesel to completely clean my printed resin.just stir a couple times in the petrol/diesel, then i wash it with dish liquid/detergent. After that i wash it with water. It works great.less time consuming and fast result.
Jessy, great video with a lot of helpful tips, thanks! Just bought an Elegoo Mars Pro after months of watching your videos and I couldn't be more excited to join the resin printing community! But it is De-Natured! As in dee-nei-chrd! Not dentured :)
Just FYI, De-Natured alcohol is banned in several states. Not sure why exactly but it's basically straight alcohol with some additives so people dont try and dink it :)'
Yeah I just saw there are a handful of states that have it banned. Odd since its so easy to find at pretty much every hardware store here where I live in NY
if you like working with bigger/stronger ultrasonic cleaners, you can put those prints into thin zip-bags with alcohol etc (you have to see, if the bags react to the cleaning liquid) and fill the cleaner with water. depending on the hertz etc. the cleaning wouldn't be as fast, but you can also gently shake it as a finish. pro you won't sit in the fumes you won't risk an explosion reusable the ultrasonic cleaner won't get contaminated with resin con the ultrasonic cleaner wouldn't cean at 100% the bags can be damaged
also you can use flammable solvents (ipa, acetone, alcohol etc) in an ultrasonic cleaner you just need to put it in a baggie that then goes in your ultrasonic cleaner (which is filled with water or other ultrasonic solution)
Just FYI, nitrile is, well, not super great when working with acetone. The acetone can both penetrate the nitrile and damage it. Found that out the hard way in a college lab lol, when I suddenly could feel liquid on my skin and my gloves turned colors from blue to an orangish brown. Apparently we weren't supposed to be using the acetone to dry our glassware in the class I was in lol, and that's probably a pretty good reason as to why. That being said, acetone is pretty harsh on skin, but if you wash it off quickly it's not a super big deal. It's the primary ingredient in nail polish remover, after all! Believe it or not standard latex gloves stand up better against acetone than nitrile, though the absolute best are generally considered to be butyl rubber gloves
Since IPA is more expensive and harsh, I just dip a chip brush in a cup of IPA and use that to brush off all the residue over my cleaning tank with the parts still on plate. It uses way less IPA and does a thorough job very quickly with no special equipment.
Thanks for trying all these alternatives. I have some 99% IPA but I still don't use my resin printer unless I have to. You'll be like Edison, trying 100 things to find the one replacement for us.
I've used the mean green method since you first recommended it. I've struggled with how long the solution/processing was taking, so I added some steps that cut down my processing time. I ready hot water in a small tub or tupperware and dunk my prints into it as soon as they are off the build plate. This "melts" off the supports with no damage to the prints and seems to lift off excess resin in the process. Then the prints get a quick (3-4min) mean green bath followed by a final quick scrub with a soft charcoal toothbrush in warm water (I add dish soap as a surfactant to a Fresh batch of water). My prints no longer have artifacts, pooling, surface powdering or any other undesirable results. Most importantly, it now takes half the time to get excess resin off. random print hack: dunking your build plate in hot water for a few seconds will also help lift off prints that are sticking to it a little too well. Last thought - Upgrading to an all-in-one wash+cure station is a reasonable investment for those that are rightfully thinking that this is all a pain in the ass. :)
The reason the denatured alcohol splashed everywhere? You are supposed to orient the spout to be the high point. That’s why the spout is in a corner. If you look at how you held the can to pour, just do the opposite of that. 😌
You are one brave Uncle brushing like that so close to your eyes on the iron man mask with no protection! great video though and this sold me on the turps/white spirit/DEEEEE natured 😁 alcohol solution for washing, ISO is 5 times the price of turps in the UK.
Dentured or Denatured? Also last time you had people inform you about Isopropyl (as written on the bottle) isn't called isopropanol alcohol. It's Propanol 2, or Isopropyl Alcohol.
Hmm.. This is good to know, im tight with money so might go with Mean Green till i can afford the Dental Alcohol. Just wondering if you try Goo-Gone or Off-Goo. I seen them at my hardware store and just wonder.
Can't get Mean Green, or any of those brands of cleaners over here in the UK, but I'm looking to make my office less..... flammable. I've been testing with a TFR in an ultrasonic bath with great results!
I saw the comments about denatured alcohol and I was prepared for it. But I still scratched my teeth by the time he said it the 3rd time and there after.
Hi Jessy. Please tell me you didn't pour the dirty Everclear back in the bottle! 😂 My first 3d printer and some resin etc. are on order; while I'm waiting for them to get here I'm reading and watching videos all I can about it. A few cleaners I intend to try: (what do you think?) Thanks. 1) 35% IPA in an ultrasonic cleaner; mix cheap 70% drugstore IPA half-n-half with distilled water. 2) Acetone and water in different dilutions; either dunking it like you did, or if you dilute it far enough it would be safe in an ultrasonic that has a stainless steel tank. 3) E85 gasoline (manual washing only, obviously) It is mostly denatured alcohol.
Been using denatured alcohol for years to clean electronic circuit boards. The main advantage over IPA is there is no residue with Denatured. Thanks for the great video.
@@renny9879 The fact is that there was ALWAYS white residue left after using IPA to clean our electronics boards. Using denatured did not leave that white residue. That is the same reason for its use on tape heads back in the day. I will conside that the higher percent alcohol may also work, but I am speaking from my first hand experience here.
@@RadioTeal that’s very interesting and quite the mystery. A test I commonly do with solvents is to pour some out on a black tray and let it evaporate. Then inspect the tray for residue. I would love to know what is going on that gives you a different result. They are essentially the same thing but one is ethyl alcohol with additives. Usually it’s methanol at around 10%, common additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone. In the US, denatured is often only 50% ethyl alcohol. But hey, if it works for you, who am I to say otherwise! Happy printing.
The Klean Strip has a lower percentage of denatured alcohol than something you would find in a lab grade/industry grade brand - should try something in the 95% range which should work just as well as isopropyl (and cheaper). Otherwise, great video :)
I use IPA in my Ultrasonic cleaner, however I never turn the heater on. Is there something I don’t know about the Ultrasonic cleaners and IPA that causes fires?
I was actually using Simple Green in my washer but it felt tacky. I would do the same, spray some IPA and even wash it with some dish soap and water. Is that okay?
Not sure if anyone has mentioned, but careful around acetone. It can dissolve certain rubber materials. I was cleaning some spray foam insulation with acetone, and it got on my Fitbit band and it quickly dissolved/broke the band in half.
Hi. Did you find any resin residue stuck to the container itself after cleaning? The alcohol dissipates the resin but other products seem to get the residue from the print but then forms globules and sticks to the container. I have not used the ultrasonic cleaner but instead used hot water with liquid soap. I get the print clean, using a toothbrush, but the residue forms globules which sticks to the plastic container. So before I go and buy an ultrasonic cleaner it would be useful if you found this with it, thanks.
That's really useful info, thanks! I actually have a gallon jug of denatured alcohol chillin in my cupboard, I use it to prevent soda ash on my handmade soaps, I've been wondering if I could use it for an IPA substitute! And the acetone is amazing to know as well you can get a 500ml bottle in poundland here, so that's definitely a more affordable option lol.
thx for this. What do you do with the liquid afterwards? Also if I switch to water washable and then clean with water what should I do with that dirty water?
Get yourself an old toothbrush and a glass jar with a mouth you can fit your fist through. Fill jar with acetone, scrub prints for literally two seconds per square inch of surface area and you're done. Completely done. Pop it right under the UV. When it gets cloudy, stick the jar outside for the day and it clears right back up
Worth noting that Everclear is basically just grain alcohol, or ethanol. And denatured alcohol is just ethanol with additives. They're basically the same thing.
Thinking of running prints through Mean Green in sonic cleaner followed by Acetone or Denatured Alcohol in pickle jar for a quick wash before rinsing and curing.
Running the mean green in the ultrasonic does it make it where the ultrasonic cleaner should only be used for resin? Like do not use it to clean your jewelry?
Have you ever tried a cleaning solution called yellow magic 7? I found a gallon of the stuff on amazon and it worked pretty well. You also don't have to worry about it catching fire in an ultrasonic cleaner, in fact they recommended using it in one.
WAIT!!!!! Question: The MEAN GREEN.... was that a FRESH jug, or was that a year old and you'd dumped a bunch of reservoirs worth of polluted cleaner with bits of resin back into it a bunch of times? Used or fresh could have made a big difference. If it was used, try doing the test again vs. the Denatured Alcohol and get back to us. Also, you didn't show it, but you said that you'd done the MEAN GREEN for this test IN THE SONIC CLEANER, is that right? Just checking.
Take a shot of Everclear every time I screw up the pronunciation of Isopropyl or Denatured Alcohol 😂🤘
Stay safe out there everyone!
Pretty sure drinking that much would be fatal! :D
@@ozcanison LOL
LOLOLOL
"I'm really proud of this video. I think it's all ready to go. FFS, you mean I mispronounced something throughout the entire video? 😖"
Hahahahaha. Thank you! But seriously thank you for the videos. This was my go to channel when I was trying to get into printing and I now have an Ender 3 and a creality LD and I’m getting great results.
Its "de-natured ", not "dentured".
😂😬🤘
Oh gawd, thank you, thank you, thank you! (Also "ni-trial") 😁
Yeah I was just about to comment the same thing lol
"Dentured" is the Uncle Jessy brand.
It's also "Iso-pro-pyl" no N.
Love the video. I do have to note, it's de-natured alcohol. Dentured Alcohol makes me think it's for old people. LOL
🦷 🤘🙃
Haha was gonna say the same thing!
Hey, not all dentures are in old people.
LOL ya too fun dentured LOL 😂 insert lol it’s a strainer basket you sure have an odd way of saying things!
@@RC-Flight he also says isopropyl like it has a "nul" at the end. we all know what he means but I can't help wincing every time I hear it 😂
Pro tip: When pouring from a large canister (like your denatured alcohol), try pouring with the can horizontally with the spout on top half. It sounds weird, but it allows air to enter at a lower tip angle and ultimately prevents 'glugs' (and hence spills).
This is how oil is actually designed to be poured. The spout is supposed to be on the high side. Everyone does it wrong (even knowing this I still do it the other way).
Came to the comments to say this very thing! Much cleaner!
After seeing your initial video about alternate cleaning methods, I tried the Mean Green. I use the Mean Green in my Ultra Sonic Cleaner to get my resin prints cleaned out, but in a slightly different way. After the print, I swish the build plate and model in bucket of water mixed with Mean Green to get the initial resin off the models. Then I pop it into the Ultra Sonic Cleaner in which I have a large Zip Lock bag full of Mean Green to hold the model in for the cleaning.. the tank is full of water. The bag catches the resin during cleaning. When the solution in the Zip Lock Bag gets too saturated, I zip it up, lay it out in the sun and the resin that is in the solution will harden. I then strain the solution through a filter which now renders my Mean Green solution clean and ready for re-use in the bag, keeping my Ultra Sonic Cleaner clean. After the part comes out of the Ultra Sonic Cleaner, I go back to the bucket of water and Mean Green, I use a soft tooth brush to clean off the resin from the nooks and crannies and finally a clean fresh water clean and rinse. After a while, I put the bucket out in the sun to cure any resin that's in the solution and again, strain it through a filter to remove the hardened resin, and keep my bucket solution clean. My models come out crisp and clean, all the details are showing and no white spots etc. Using this method, I don't waste a lot of Mean Green, clean out the resin and render it harmless. I am unable to locate any IPA so this method works well for me.
Please don't use denatured alcohol in a spray bottle. Denatured alcohol is ethanol or grain alcohol that contains additional chemicals called denaturants that make it unfit for human consumption. It is basically the same as everclear with additives to make it poisonous. The reason denatured alcohol is cheaper is because the everclear has an alcohol tax. Since denatured alcohol is not for human consumption, it does not have that extra tax. Denatured alcohol's main use is for fuel in camp stoves. One common toxic denaturant is methanol or methyl alcohol. Methanol is absorbed through skin and produces symptoms resembling intoxication if ingested. However, it also causes nervous system damage and other serious health effects.
Tldr; don't use denatured alcohol/methylated spirits in a spray bottle as it has a toxic chemical in it and spray bottles go everywhere
@@happninmojo Both of you are right any alcohol with no alcohol tax is poisoned to make in not able to drink. Putting it in the air may not give that effect (I don't want to try to see) but aerating flammable liquid is a good way to get flashed. Think about your car engine fuel jets. Aerating makes stuff ignite easier. like flour, yes what you cook with. So Like the one said before me, don't put it in a spray bottle!
The amount of methanol in such a situation is kinda negligible. The bigger issue using a spray bottle with denatured ethanol is both flammability and airway irritation. The odds of inhaling a toxic amount of methanol fumes from such a set-up are negligible at best. Remember that denatured ethanol can be used a topical disinfectant, so while it may not be safe to drink (though, do note that methanol actually isn't as common as it once was, often the denaturing chemical is a bitterent (chemical that tastes extremely bitter) like denatonium, not methanol. Obviously something labeled as "methylated" is a different story, but often the bottles you can get at the pharmacy simply contain an extremely bitter chemical that's technically relatively safe to consume like denatonium), it is often safe to handle for a bit, or even apply as a disinfectant. Just use in a well ventilated area, like any volatile solvent. The actual risk of methanol toxicity is extremely low, even if misted from a spray bottle. Though, best practice would be to wear a gas mask just in case, because even if the methanol doesn't get you, it's not like breathing in ethanol fumes is particularly healthy lol
IPA is just as flamable as Metho, so if you're printing near flames, don't put your alchohol in a spray bottle, especailly if you've drank half a bottle of everyclear while printing you're minatures.
Denatured alcohol is also known as methylated spirits or "metho" here in Aus, it's my go to as well :D I'd just drink the everclear... 😂
Can confirm, metho works great.
Angus, I'm gonna have to try that since IPA is so difficult to find.
Denatured is my go to period. Got rid of everything else. And not nearly as dangerous as acetone, regular nitrile gloves are fine.
Also great for soaking rags in to make flaming arrows, if you're that kind of teenager.
I hear simple green concentrate which is readily available at Bunnings is a good non-toxic option.
@@DIOtds Great for prints, but a big nono for the nitril gloves mate: www.dartmouth.edu/ehs/chemical/nitrile_gloves_chemical_resistance_guide.pdf
with the large cans, pour with the spout at the top of the can, not at the bottom. It seems counter-intuitive, but look at the quart oil bottles one uses for motor vehicle lubrication. There's an icon showing just that.
I learned this trick when pouring epoxy resin components :) Very handy
Everclear: One shot for me. One shot for the resin.
Do you think you could do a roundup including both this and the previous set, but with transparent resin? It'd be nice to see how these might affect the clarity of prints before and after curing.
I tried simple green, and it left my prints sticky. Never tried Mean Green, but I did grab a bottle of off-brand Everclear, and now that's what I use. Works great.
Awesome video, your timing is perfect because IPA is so difficulyt to come by at the moment. Thank you for the video , keep them coming.
Can you do a cleaning test video with translucent resins and review how cloudy/foggy the wash makes the prints?
+1
I would take a guess and say that the Acetone would make them more cloudy. I've seen what happens to Catalyst mixed resins and it is no bueno.
Here's my setup thats been working absolutely great. 5min in 1/3 Mean green 2/3 water in the ultra sonic cleaner to get most of the resin off. Then a few minuets in a small container filled with denatured alcohol with locking lid (lid open while working but keeps the alcohol from evaporating when not in use) the with a magnetic stirrer to get rid of the rest of of. So far this has worked absolutely great and I have had to do very very little scrubbing with a small brush to get that last little bit off. Its usually in those odd areas when the flowing alcohol cant get to. The reason I do both is that the Mean green/water is cheaper and gets much dirtier than the alcohol. I am still on my first container of the alcohol and Ive done dozens of prints.
This brand of denatured alcohol contains up to 60% methanol based on their MSDS/SDS product information. Methanol and acetone are both very toxic and flammable. It is a fire hazard equivalent to gasoline.
The active ingredient in Super Green (CAS # 127087-87-0) is a very strong surfactant that is non-toxic. It does have a very high pH of 11. If you get it in your eyes it will dissolve them so you should wear full coverage safety glasses. The good thing it's non flammable.
I have a BS in chemistry and a masters in chemical engineering so take my advice for what it's worth.
Disuelve nuestros ojos? O.O ??
So would ethanol not pose the same fire hazard?
@@noobulon4334 Yes, ethanol is a fire hazard. If it's pure ethanol the flashpoint is 57° F. If it's a 50% mixture with water the flashpoint is 75° F.
@@highwaymen1237 i should probrably have been more specific, obviously ethanol is flamible but does the higher flash point indicate that it will make less flamible vapors compared to ipa or methanol?
just started resin printing and I've been using a 50/50 mix of ipa and acetone. it works great
lmao every time he said dentured alcohol.
It's like he's stabbing my brain every time
And isopro-pon-ol
whoa....! wait a sec! I've been washing my resin prints with ipa in an ultrasonic cleaner since that video where you tested Mean Green/Mr.Cleaner/IPA ... fortunate enough nothing bad has happened
So, I've been using Mean Green in the ultrasonic cleaner and then after rinsing with water I do 2 or 3 quick dips in acetone and my prints have never been cleaner. I'll have to try the Denatured Alcohol as well. As always a great informative video.The trick with acetone is that it can and will melt very fine details so you have to be careful not to do to much.
Big heads up:
Denatured Alcohol is not 1 thing. It's an extremely broad category. This means the exact brand/formula can make a huge difference.
Simply, it is Ethanol that has been made poisonous with additives. So, nominally it would have performed equally to the Everclear, which is 95%+ Ethanol.
However: The exact brand you got says they actually use only about 40% Ethanol and around 50% Methanol.
This begs the question: How does pure methanol perform? It's definitely more expensive, easily $20-$30 per gallon though.
Pure methanol (99.5%) is actually *much* cheaper to get here in Canada, whereas "denatured alcohol" is almost impossible to find. Any hardware store sells methanol by the gallon under the name of "methyl hydrate" for the equivalent of about $13 USD.
Since IPA became so hard to find I started using Simple Green. It works really well but I do notice that my prints still smell like it even after it's all washed off and dried. Which sucks because right now all of my prints are being sent to a client or customers. It's not a really bad smell but it's still there.
I've just started TPM - I don't want to use anything highly flammable like IPA, acetone or denatured alcohol because of where the printer is located but TPM beats all of those for cleaning effectiveness.
where do you get it from?
Love the vid, but I think you needed to emphasize more on just how DANGEROUS it is to work with substances like acitone. They are a huge health risk for anyone not ready to use it.
Thanks for this review. Just a note, for those in CA, apparently denatured alcohol is no longer sold in stores.
The white on the acetone prints is from over exposure to the acetone. I only rinse models for about 5-10 seconds in acetone. Over exposure can cause the layers of the print to actually seperate if your exposure time is even half a second low during the print. Some resins also just do NOT do well with acetone, like Sidekick. For the most part I use acetone for thick resins as it cuts thru it super quick and prints that have super super fine details, while I use denatured alcohol (about 15 second rinse) for everything else. I stopped using an ultrasonic cleaner months ago as it just was a time waste vs the seconds it takes with acetone/denatured alcohol.
Awesome Confirmation Bias Confirmed, jokes aside I assumed what you described. Since Denatured alcohol is typically 60% ethanol alcohol (everclear) and 40% methanol I suspect acetone diluted with 40-50% water will give me 15 second rinse time with the added bonus of being even cheaper per 1 gallon of diluted solution.
Good tests, thanks. I do a 2-step: Mean Green in heated ultrasonic, followed up with a good dunk in IPA. Makes the alcohol last a whole lot longer since most of the residue comes off in the Mean Green. I'm going to have to try the denatured alcohol.
Hey, thanks for putting in the time and effort into testing these! I enjoy your style and I’m glad I’ve found your content.
Just bought a resin printer after 5 years of experience with FDM, I was wondering about the effectiveness of acetone. Turns out my suspicion was spot on, quick to dissolve liquids and will breakdown solids with some time.
Fun fact De-Natured Alcohol is basically 60% Everclear with 40% acetone or 40% methanol and possibly 1-5% of other contaminants depending on your region. If you look up the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the particular product you have you could guesstimate what you have since the exact percentage are obfuscated. FYI Klean Strip denatured Alcohol is about 60% Everclear 200 proof and 40% methanol.
On small pieces I use a 10 percent solution of simple green in my ultrasonic cleaner for about 6 minutes at 40C. Then I rince with water and agitate in IPA for 2 minutes. A final rince in water and then compressed air to dry. Very clean, matte finish, not sticky.
metholated spirit is 95% alcohol, added 5 to 1 with simple green ( to keep the resin in suspension) in the wash and cure plus and its relatively cheap from bunnings at $30 AUD for 8 litres of solution. when the wash gets too dirty i add 240g flocking (aluminium sulphate used for pool cleaning) with 1.5 litres distilled water per 4 litres to treat, run the wash for 20 minutes then hand stir occasionally for 30 minutes and let settle, pour off extremely clean liquid in less than an hour for reuse. works really well with ipa that i cant get hold of lol. would love to see how well this mix would go in an ultrasonic cleaner but im pretty happy with the current results.
The irony of grinding my teeth as Jessy mispronounces de-natured alcohol as dentured alcohol
I have been using IPA and it is leaving white streaks on my gray prints. I hate it. Definitely going to try something else.
I just switched from IPA to dish soap and the dish soap seems to be a lot better
I bet he's saying all these names wrongs to mess with people on purpose. At the end of the day, very valuable information and much appreciated.
By the way, acetone will soften and/or dissolve plastic, so probably not the best idea to use those in the plastic pickle containers.
Me? do that on purpose??? Just to provoke more video comments.... Never ;)
Thanks for checking it out!
someone online mentioned you can use flammable cleaning products in an ultrasonic cleaner *IF* you fill the ultrasonic cleaner with water *THEN* seal your print inside a plastic bag filled with IPA and carefully lower the plastic bag into the water
I use metho (denatured alcohol) in a plastic tub with a secure lid and vibrate the tub with a jigsaw. Does a really good job cleaning every little crevice.
I’m still using Mean Green which leaves it a bit tacky but a quick rinse in IPA completely removes the tacky feeling!
Acetone is highly flammable and the vapor can be heavier than air...not a good idea in an enclosed environment. Ethanol is the way to go for safety. Yeah both of them naturally occur in your body, but ethanol can be easily disposed of. Fumes will only get you mildly intoxicated...
I will be switching to mean green because of the price and availability of alcohol. I use a large mouth plastic trail mix container fill with a achohol, drop in parts, put the lid on tight, put it into the empty ultrasonic cleaner, fill up the tub around the plastic container with water until just before the plastic container floats, then run the cleaner. I even once used this method to clean a lawn mower carb with gasoline outside away from the house with great results and my ultrasonic cleaner stays clean.
I recommend isobutane, white gas. Can be recovered using same methods and isopropyl. Not harsh like acetone.
For me im using petrol or diesel to completely clean my printed resin.just stir a couple times in the petrol/diesel, then i wash it with dish liquid/detergent.
After that i wash it with water.
It works great.less time consuming and fast result.
Jessy, great video with a lot of helpful tips, thanks! Just bought an Elegoo Mars Pro after months of watching your videos and I couldn't be more excited to join the resin printing community! But it is De-Natured! As in dee-nei-chrd! Not dentured :)
😂🤘
Just FYI, De-Natured alcohol is banned in several states. Not sure why exactly but it's basically straight alcohol with some additives so people dont try and dink it :)'
Yeah I just saw there are a handful of states that have it banned. Odd since its so easy to find at pretty much every hardware store here where I live in NY
@@UncleJessy they just banned it in UTAH. luckily I bought two gallons of the stuff before it disappeared from the stores
if you like working with bigger/stronger ultrasonic cleaners, you can put those prints into thin zip-bags with alcohol etc (you have to see, if the bags react to the cleaning liquid) and fill the cleaner with water.
depending on the hertz etc. the cleaning wouldn't be as fast, but you can also gently shake it as a finish.
pro
you won't sit in the fumes
you won't risk an explosion
reusable
the ultrasonic cleaner won't get contaminated with resin
con
the ultrasonic cleaner wouldn't cean at 100%
the bags can be damaged
also you can use flammable solvents (ipa, acetone, alcohol etc) in an ultrasonic cleaner you just need to put it in a baggie that then goes in your ultrasonic cleaner (which is filled with water or other ultrasonic solution)
Yeah, sure I did help a lot, even though I don't have a Resin printer. Always good to support other content creators here! Great video love it
Just FYI, nitrile is, well, not super great when working with acetone. The acetone can both penetrate the nitrile and damage it. Found that out the hard way in a college lab lol, when I suddenly could feel liquid on my skin and my gloves turned colors from blue to an orangish brown. Apparently we weren't supposed to be using the acetone to dry our glassware in the class I was in lol, and that's probably a pretty good reason as to why. That being said, acetone is pretty harsh on skin, but if you wash it off quickly it's not a super big deal. It's the primary ingredient in nail polish remover, after all! Believe it or not standard latex gloves stand up better against acetone than nitrile, though the absolute best are generally considered to be butyl rubber gloves
Since IPA is more expensive and harsh, I just dip a chip brush in a cup of IPA and use that to brush off all the residue over my cleaning tank with the parts still on plate. It uses way less IPA and does a thorough job very quickly with no special equipment.
my tip: turn the klean strip so the spout is on top let the can become a basin and youll have less glug glug and a smooth pour
Thanks for trying all these alternatives. I have some 99% IPA but I still don't use my resin printer unless I have to. You'll be like Edison, trying 100 things to find the one replacement for us.
I've used the mean green method since you first recommended it. I've struggled with how long the solution/processing was taking, so I added some steps that cut down my processing time. I ready hot water in a small tub or tupperware and dunk my prints into it as soon as they are off the build plate. This "melts" off the supports with no damage to the prints and seems to lift off excess resin in the process. Then the prints get a quick (3-4min) mean green bath followed by a final quick scrub with a soft charcoal toothbrush in warm water (I add dish soap as a surfactant to a Fresh batch of water). My prints no longer have artifacts, pooling, surface powdering or any other undesirable results. Most importantly, it now takes half the time to get excess resin off.
random print hack: dunking your build plate in hot water for a few seconds will also help lift off prints that are sticking to it a little too well.
Last thought - Upgrading to an all-in-one wash+cure station is a reasonable investment for those that are rightfully thinking that this is all a pain in the ass. :)
Thanks for the tips! What temp of hot water do you recommend?
The reason the denatured alcohol splashed everywhere? You are supposed to orient the spout to be the high point. That’s why the spout is in a corner. If you look at how you held the can to pour, just do the opposite of that. 😌
In the UK its called flash, usually £1-2 per liter... looks awesome and smells great
you can use denatured ethanol which should be much cheaper than isopropanol but work the same.
Much appreciated for the info. You've helped clear up quite a few different things with your videos. Very happy I subscribed! 😉
Warning!!! Do not use Nitrile gloves with Acetone. You want Butyl or Latex Rubber if handling acetone
I usually clean my prints on ethanol, which is very cheap here in Brazil, and you can find it easily on gas stations for less than a dollar per liter.
You are one brave Uncle brushing like that so close to your eyes on the iron man mask with no protection! great video though and this sold me on the turps/white spirit/DEEEEE natured 😁 alcohol solution for washing, ISO is 5 times the price of turps in the UK.
Dentured or Denatured?
Also last time you had people inform you about Isopropyl (as written on the bottle) isn't called isopropanol alcohol. It's Propanol 2, or Isopropyl Alcohol.
😂🙃🤘
Congratulations :)
hello unle jessy, is it safe to use kitchen gloves for resin
Hmm.. This is good to know, im tight with money so might go with Mean Green till i can afford the Dental Alcohol.
Just wondering if you try Goo-Gone or Off-Goo. I seen them at my hardware store and just wonder.
You told us what to use, how about HOW to actually clean the parts? Good video. Very informative.
De Natured lol Drove me nuts hearing you say it wrong :P haha, S'all good. Great vid uncle Jessy
Can't get Mean Green, or any of those brands of cleaners over here in the UK, but I'm looking to make my office less..... flammable. I've been testing with a TFR in an ultrasonic bath with great results!
Mr green is just Flash all purpose cleaner here in the UK.
question. If I'm going to be painting the miniatures, should I care about the little white spots?
I saw the comments about denatured alcohol and I was prepared for it.
But I still scratched my teeth by the time he said it the 3rd time and there after.
Also a tip on pouring from those 1 gallon containers, rotate the can 180 degrees and pour from the other side. No mess.
Hi Jessy. Please tell me you didn't pour the dirty Everclear back in the bottle! 😂 My first 3d printer and some resin etc. are on order; while I'm waiting for them to get here I'm reading and watching videos all I can about it. A few cleaners I intend to try: (what do you think?) Thanks.
1) 35% IPA in an ultrasonic cleaner; mix cheap 70% drugstore IPA half-n-half with distilled water.
2) Acetone and water in different dilutions; either dunking it like you did, or if you dilute it far enough it would be safe in an ultrasonic that has a stainless steel tank.
3) E85 gasoline (manual washing only, obviously) It is mostly denatured alcohol.
Been using denatured alcohol for years to clean electronic circuit boards. The main advantage over IPA is there is no residue with Denatured. Thanks for the great video.
That makes no sense whatsoever. IPA is alcohol and water. Denatured is alcohol, water and bitterants... any iso should evaporate completely clean.
@@renny9879 The fact is that there was ALWAYS white residue left after using IPA to clean our electronics boards. Using denatured did not leave that white residue. That is the same reason for its use on tape heads back in the day. I will conside that the higher percent alcohol may also work, but I am speaking from my first hand experience here.
@@RadioTeal that’s very interesting and quite the mystery. A test I commonly do with solvents is to pour some out on a black tray and let it evaporate. Then inspect the tray for residue. I would love to know what is going on that gives you a different result. They are essentially the same thing but one is ethyl alcohol with additives. Usually it’s methanol at around 10%, common additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone. In the US, denatured is often only 50% ethyl alcohol. But hey, if it works for you, who am I to say otherwise! Happy printing.
I've watched 3 videos so far. Thanks for all the info :) Love the channel.
I didnt like the mean green when i tried it. After mean green the parts smell like degreaser long term....
The Klean Strip has a lower percentage of denatured alcohol than something you would find in a lab grade/industry grade brand - should try something in the 95% range which should work just as well as isopropyl (and cheaper). Otherwise, great video :)
I use IPA in my Ultrasonic cleaner, however I never turn the heater on. Is there something I don’t know about the Ultrasonic cleaners and IPA that causes fires?
For anyone outside the US. Denatured Alcohol is Methylated Spirits.
How do these compare with any of the water washable resins?
they dont, water is the solvent for that type of resin, not as resistant to chemicals.
I was actually using Simple Green in my washer but it felt tacky. I would do the same, spray some IPA and even wash it with some dish soap and water. Is that okay?
Not sure if anyone has mentioned, but careful around acetone. It can dissolve certain rubber materials. I was cleaning some spray foam insulation with acetone, and it got on my Fitbit band and it quickly dissolved/broke the band in half.
i feel like there may have been 2 bottles of everclear before he started and the missing one explains the chemical name pronunciation.
Thank God you just put this vid out Unc! My Mars printer will be here any minute now! Lol talk about convenient timing!
has anyone tested with LA's Totally Awesome? I know it's a go to for paint stripping but wasn't sure if it would be advisable for this.
toothbrush with mean green is the way to go, takes a lil bit of work but if we don't have a sonic cleaner its the way to go
Hi. Did you find any resin residue stuck to the container itself after cleaning? The alcohol dissipates the resin but other products seem to get the residue from the print but then forms globules and sticks to the container. I have not used the ultrasonic cleaner but instead used hot water with liquid soap. I get the print clean, using a toothbrush, but the residue forms globules which sticks to the plastic container. So before I go and buy an ultrasonic cleaner it would be useful if you found this with it, thanks.
That's really useful info, thanks! I actually have a gallon jug of denatured alcohol chillin in my cupboard, I use it to prevent soda ash on my handmade soaps, I've been wondering if I could use it for an IPA substitute! And the acetone is amazing to know as well you can get a 500ml bottle in poundland here, so that's definitely a more affordable option lol.
I usually clean with IPA then pop it in the ultrasonic cleaner with simple green to get any residual resin off.
What about for clean and wash stations like the elgoo or creality? Could these also be used there or should we only use isopropyl ?
Isopropyl is buying restricted in some countries. It's used for pharmacy compounds and recipes but only available for professionals.
thx for this. What do you do with the liquid afterwards? Also if I switch to water washable and then clean with water what should I do with that dirty water?
Is it okay to leave the denatured alcohol in a pickle jar? Or will it eat through the plastic?
Lol, it cracks me up that you guys still use gallons as a measurement - it's like a flashback to the dark ages. :)
ive been using methelated spirits in my ultrasonic cleaner for months no problem
Get yourself an old toothbrush and a glass jar with a mouth you can fit your fist through. Fill jar with acetone, scrub prints for literally two seconds per square inch of surface area and you're done. Completely done. Pop it right under the UV. When it gets cloudy, stick the jar outside for the day and it clears right back up
The pickle jar bowl could you sit that in the ultrasonic to save cleaner..
Worth noting that Everclear is basically just grain alcohol, or ethanol. And denatured alcohol is just ethanol with additives. They're basically the same thing.
Do not use latex gloves with photoresin!!! use Nitrile gloves AYNTIME you are using anything related to photoresin!
Thinking of running prints through Mean Green in sonic cleaner followed by Acetone or Denatured Alcohol in pickle jar for a quick wash before rinsing and curing.
Uncle Jessy, on all these or anything you use to wash prints...how many times can you use it before you shouldn't?
I wonder how well vinegar would work? It's around 10% acid.
I'd love to see a comparison video of specific resin 3d cleaners (Monocure3d Resinaway for example), vs Isopropyl Alcohol.
Running the mean green in the ultrasonic does it make it where the ultrasonic cleaner should only be used for resin? Like do not use it to clean your jewelry?
Have you ever tried a cleaning solution called yellow magic 7? I found a gallon of the stuff on amazon and it worked pretty well. You also don't have to worry about it catching fire in an ultrasonic cleaner, in fact they recommended using it in one.
WAIT!!!!! Question: The MEAN GREEN.... was that a FRESH jug, or was that a year old and you'd dumped a bunch of reservoirs worth of polluted cleaner with bits of resin back into it a bunch of times? Used or fresh could have made a big difference. If it was used, try doing the test again vs. the Denatured Alcohol and get back to us. Also, you didn't show it, but you said that you'd done the MEAN GREEN for this test IN THE SONIC CLEANER, is that right? Just checking.