Laundry advice - Anyone know how to get hardened epoxy off of their blue jeans

[CrazyOB]

Ok sometimes things get a little sloppy. I am asking because I am sure I'm not the first to have this problem.

Alcohol? Paint thinner?

 

[KBlack]

Once it's hardened, it is part of the jeans. Catch it before it cures with alcohol or another solvent to save the jeans.

 

[KenECoyote]

Perhaps freezing it and hitting with a hammer? (Make sure to take off pants first! :wink

 

[watermelonman]

I think the first two are right, in that you need to catch it before curing with a solvent, and after that your best option might be to break it up rather than remove it.

Maybe try a hair dryer hail mary? I have heard people even get rid of JB Weld with that, but I have not tried it myself.

 

[thobin]

Torch?

 

[boatgeek]

I understand nuclear weapons are effective on hardened epoxy, but the damage to the jeans may be unacceptable.

Before hardening, vinegar followed by soap and lots of water can also be effective.

 

[Mushtang]

There's a good product for this but it's kind of expensive. They sell it at Target, Walmart, Gap, and Old Navy, but I've seen it in a ton of other places too.

 

[CrazyOB]

Once it's hardened, it is part of the jeans. Catch it before it cures with alcohol or another solvent to save the jeans.

Sigh! Kelsey, I was hoping you were not going to say that. Of course, I only noticed the epoxy while I was folding clothes out of the dryer.

 

[CrazyOB]

There's a good product for this but it's kind of expensive. They sell it at Target, Walmart, Gap, and Old Navy, but I've seen it in a ton of other places too.

Mushtang, would this product have a name?

 

[Onebadhawk]

Just cut around the sploooggeee with a scissors...
It's makes the jeans very stylish....

Really though,,
Acetone is a very hot / strong solvent....
If you could find a way to leave the hardened epoxy in an acetone bath
for many hours the epoxy should soften....

Teddy

 

[CrazyOB]

The responses I am getting to this are better than the "Rocketry Anonymous" post I started. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...nonymous-The-14-step-plan&highlight=anonymous Hmm, weapons of mass destruction...sure I have one of those. I do have a hammer as Coyote suggested.

Well, I guess I'll have to add this pair to the 'work' pile, not the 'everyday' pile. Maybe I'll take a pair of the 'work' pants and test out a couple of different chemicals, although I do not think I will try the arsenic. That way if I screw them up, no harm no foul.

Will post if I find anything that works. I must have gremlins living here.

 

[terryg]

Not that I have found. They just become my launch jeans. Since I am probably going to get black powder residue on them any way, the epoxy does not matter.

 

[georgegassaway]

Acetone is a very hot / strong solvent....
If you could find a way to leave the hardened epoxy in an acetone bath
for many hours the epoxy should soften....

Hmmm, acetone is such a solvent that it might also act to bleach out the blue dye.

Or, have its own chenmical reaction. Recently I was asked by a friend to remove some CA that had spilled inside a hard rubber (removeable) tray in their truck. Nothing else was working, could not pry it off. So, I used acetone. It did not remove most of it, but even worse, it left a white-ish residue everywhere, which I cant get rid of. I recall seeing such a whitish residue for some other times I have used acetone. Anyway, now it looks even worse, and i'm trying to determine the best type of compatible flat black paint to paint the whole thing with (there is a vinyl paint but it may dry too glossy). Soooo, aside from possibly a bleach effect, acetone also may produce its own whitish fog or staining due to chemical reaction with both the dye and the fabric

Anyway , I think it's very unlikely to remove the epoxy without damaging the jeans. The thing to take from this is learn from it.

Either wear some old jeans and shirt when doing work with epoxy or other things that can ruin clothes, or be more aware and try to be more careful. But, stuff happens, so that's why wearing some old "workshop clothes" is a better solution when possible.

Also, of course, NEVER get epoxy on your skin, as you risk developing an allergic reaction to the epoxy exposure. It is an accumulative effect that that can not be reversed, so the only "cure" to developing the allergy is to limit the exposure to begin with. Use disposable gloves if you are doing anything that may allow your fingers to touch the epoxy. So, while I do not usually wear gloves when mixing up some 5-minute epoxy to glue parts together for a simple job, I always do when I am laying up composite wings. And I always wear gloves if I'm adding epoxy fillets and use the "wipe your finger along the root to smooth the fillet" method.

- George Gassaway

 

[Onebadhawk]

That is incorrect George...
Denim is cotton...
You are correct,,
the acetone will attack anything petroleum based,,
such as rubber,, plastic,, or nylon...
Acetone will not attack denim...

Teddy

 

[Mushtang]

There's a good product for this but it's kind of expensive. They sell it at Target, Walmart, Gap, and Old Navy, but I've seen it in a ton of other places too.

Mushtang, would this product have a name?

It's called, "A new pair of jeans". :lol:

 

[hball55]

Try some MEK or acetone. Otherwise try the method previously suggested, place your pants in the freezer for several hours, then take them out and hit the frozen epoxy with a hammer.

 

[AfterBurners]

Always have work cloths for that

 

[Bat-mite]

A kitchen apron works wonders. :wink:

You could always just leave it be. When people ask why you have epoxy on your pants, you get to tell them you're a rocket scientist.

 

[JoeG]

The only way I have found to keep from getting epoxy, CA, paint, and blood on my clothes while building is to build naked and before you say anything, No, it's not an option for me either.

My wife expects me to change my clothes every time I want to glue something. Not gonna happen. I don't really have good jeans. I have new and older jeans but they are mostly all the same quality. I try to wear older ones when I think I am going to be building but that doesn't always happen. Oh well. All of the blobs of stuff on my jeans give them character. Also my T-shirts have a tendency to get "decorated" with badges of honor. They help me remember what projects I am working on.

I usually do more damage to clothing when launching and recovering rockets than building them though.

 

[Bat-mite]

I usually do more damage to clothing when launching and recovering rockets than building them though.

Nothing like burnt propellant all over your hands ... and face ... and clothes ... and ....

 

[CrazyOB]

Thanks for the suggestions, although a few were not REALLY suggestions more like laughter. :eyeroll: I have in the house MEK, alcohol, turpentine, paint thinner, acetone, and some odd ball materials for ABS, PLA, and HIPS plastics. I am going to try all of those.

For the other SUGGESTIONS I have black powder, pyrodex, fuel grains, bullets, hammers, chain mail, blowtorch, kerosene, lighter fluid, hot air rework station.
Sorry no Nukes or plastic explosives. Although I do have a copy of 'US Army Improvised Explosive Devices'. Some really neat stuff in there! :lol:

 

[KenECoyote]

Try an iron-on patch to cover the epoxy:

(Would look funny if it is placed around the pocket area...)

 

[Onebadhawk]

The only way I have found to keep from getting epoxy, CA, paint, and blood on my clothes while building is to build naked and before you say anything, No, it's not an option for me either.

My wife expects me to change my clothes every time I want to glue something. Not gonna happen. I don't really have good jeans. I have new and older jeans but they are mostly all the same quality. I try to wear older ones when I think I am going to be building but that doesn't always happen. Oh well. All of the blobs of stuff on my jeans give them character. Also my T-shirts have a tendency to get "decorated" with badges of honor. They help me remember what projects I am working on.

I usually do more damage to clothing when launching and recovering rockets than building them though.

+1,000,000,000

Teddy

 

[bobkrech]

There are no nice non-toxic fabric friendly solvent that will dissolve cured epoxy. That's one of the reasons why epoxy is so good.

Put the jeans in the freezer, or better yet cool with dry ice or liquid nitrogen, and hit the cold epoxy with a hammer. It will shatter.

Bob

 

[KenECoyote]

There are no nice non-toxic fabric friendly solvent that will dissolve cured epoxy. That's one of the reasons why epoxy is so good.

Put the jeans in the freezer, or better yet cool with dry ice or liquid nitrogen, and hit the cold epoxy with a hammer. It will shatter.

Bob

Can the jeans also shatter as well if using liquid nitrogen? (Note I have no experience with LN.)

 

[Sooner Boomer]

We used to open integrated circuits to find out what was in them and to to QC checks on circuits. Hot nitric acid dissolves the epoxy that ICs are made from.

 

[rharshberger]

We used to open integrated circuits to find out what was in them and to to QC checks on circuits. Hot nitric acid dissolves the epoxy that ICs are made from.

It also turns cotton cloth into gun cotton iirc

 

[DizWolf]

 

[CrazyOB]

It also turns cotton cloth into gun cotton iirc

Rich, was thinking the same thing. Glad you beat me to it! Hmm, don't remember seeing that in the "Improvised Explosive Device" manual.

 

[rharshberger]

Totally re-defines "Hot Pants" :roll: