Don't store epoxy next to "sharp" garbage cans

[ksaves2]

Just got done for the day cleaning up an epoxy hardener spill. I have some old garbage cans in a dolly that got beat up in the old days from the refuse guys slinging them into the trucks. Some sharp edges from being beat on, on the barrel of the cans. I switched to plastic bags and use the cans as holders in the garage and take the bags to the curb without the cans anymore.
Well I had the three bottles of older U.S. Composites 635 laminating epoxy located close to the cans. I "re-adjusted" the garbage cans in their wheeled dolly and nicked one of the hardener 1 gallon jugs unbeknownst to me. A few days later there is a puddle of nearly a third of a gallon of hardener on the floor. Thank heavens the floor is a concrete one located in a slight recess close to the garage door. Was able to open the door and not be overcome by fumes of the cleanup acetone "thinner" I used to assist with the clean up.
Well I went to Wally world and got another gallon of acetone though I had 1/2 gallon left and took a hand weeder off the wall that come to think of it would be a nice pseudo bayonet. The metal it's made of is not that great though.
I used the "bayonet" thingie to scrape the hardener off the floor, wiped it in a paper towel and dumped it in a paper bag. Goes into the burn pile but we can't burn on Sunday where I'm at unless there are weenies on a stick. Wouldn't want to cook over an epoxy fire mind you! Shoot, I wouldn't want to use one of my nice knives to do this.
Used the acetone and paper towels to wipe up the remnants. Took me over 3 hours to do. Lesson is store gallon containers of epoxy on a shelf away from where they can be punctured by Dr. Stupidhead garbage cans. Oh well, I should probably buy some fresher laminating epoxy anyways! Kurt Savegnago

 

[cls]

Frustrating!!

I think I would have thrown some resin in the puddle and let it go green, then peeled it up. I like white vinegar for clean up.

But I wonder, how to throw away old garbage cans? ...

 

[ksaves2]

Frustrating!!

I think I would have thrown some resin in the puddle and let it go green, then peeled it up. I like white vinegar for clean up.

But I wonder, how to throw away old garbage cans? ...

Oh no. I have cured epoxy "plops" on the garage floor and they are not too pretty. It was better to scrape the junk up and soon to dispose of it in a burn pile. It is not easy to "pull up" cured epoxy bloobs from a cement floor without leaving divots. It stunk too. The scraping and acetone did o.k. but it took a long time to get the job done. I think it would have remained an oily mess if I let it be. Putting resin on it would be permanent. Trust me as I have a few divots in the cement to where I tried to get cured bits up but I I just let them be now. It won't just "peal up" easily. Kurt

 

[G_T]

Acetone is a good chemical to use if you want something to carry chemicals along with it. You'll have the hardener down deep into the concrete. To neutralize it you might very highly dilute a rather small quantity of epoxy with lots of isopropyl alcohol and let that soak in a little bit, then clean that up. The epoxy resin is less toxic than the hardener.

Others might give you better advice.

Gerald

 

[Bill S]

Blowtorch it carefully to soften it? Then scrape it up.

 

[ksaves2]

It was just one part of a two part epoxy so it stayed greasy and oily as it wasn't mixed with the resin. Those bottles escaped the "scraping" that punched the hole in the one bottle.
Like everything else, I'm retired so I'll look at it again tomorrow. I got most of the yutz scraped up and wiped up with acetone today.
Will take one more look and put the garbage cans back there they belong and I do have the remaining epoxy "out of harm's way." I just implore don't store epoxy jugs where they can get "dinged". Old Dr. Stupidhead here found that out the hard way.
All is well now except I just have to get back to flying!