You may have used epoxy to seal a hole in your boat, but then you notice that the finish has started to peel off.
This can be a real problem when it comes to finding a way to remove epoxy off plastic because it takes so long for the solvent to dissolve and soften the epoxy enough so that you can scrape/sand it away with ease.
What dissolves cured epoxy resin?
The following chemical solvents will dissolve cured epoxy resin:
- Acetone
- Butyl acetate
- Ethoxyethanol
- Ethyl acetate (glycol) (ethyl ethanoate)
- Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, 2-butanone)
- Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK, 4-methyl pentane-2-one)
- Toluene and xylene are also known as toluene methyl isocyanate and toluene diisocyanate respectively.
Table of Contents
Will vinegar remove cured epoxy?
Vinegar is not a good solvent for epoxy. It will only dissolve very small amounts of cured epoxy.
Vinegar is a weak acid and it’s not going to dissolve the epoxy resin that’s hardened on your plastic.
In fact, vinegar will work its way into any cracks or crevices on the surface of your plastic material, which means that you’re just going to end up spreading around the problem rather than removing it completely.
What removes resin from plastic?
A solvent is a liquid that can dissolve or soften other substances. You can use solvents to remove epoxy from plastic in two ways: by dissolving it or by softening the epoxy, which allows you to scrape it off.
To remove epoxy using a solvent, you’ll need something safe for both your surfaces and yourself. This means choosing a solvent that won’t attack the plastic or cause any harm if you happen to get some on yourself while working with it.
There are many types of solvents that work well with this type of situation (some examples include acetone, denatured alcohol, and rubbing alcohol), but they all fall into one of two categories: water-based and petroleum-based.
Water-based solvents are less likely to leave behind residue on your surfaces because they’re non-toxic; however, they don’t work as quickly as petroleum-based ones do—so keep this in mind when determining what type will suit your purposes best!
Will acetone remove cured epoxy?
Acetone is a common solvent for epoxy. It can be used to remove epoxy from plastic, metal, glass, or wood. Acetone is also much safer than other solvents like lacquer thinner (vinyl acetate) or paints thinner (turpentine).
Acetone will dissolve the cured hard epoxy but not the uncured liquid resin. You’ll need to clean up all of those leftover drops if you don’t want them spreading around your work area.
Does vinegar dissolve epoxy?
Vinegar is a weak acid, which means it can slowly dissolve the strongest epoxies. However, it may take weeks or months to completely remove an epoxy coating from plastic with vinegar.
You’ll have better results if you use a stronger acid (like muriatic acid) to remove an epoxy coating from metal or concrete, but not so much when it comes to removing epoxies from wood and polymer plastics like polyethylene.
Does rubbing alcohol remove epoxy?
You can use rubbing alcohol to remove epoxy from a plastic surface. However, it’s not as effective as you might think because rubbing alcohol is not a solvent.
It will not dissolve the epoxy and it cannot remove it from the plastic mold. Rubbing alcohol is useful for cleaning up after epoxy has dried on your hands but not much else.
How do you soften hard epoxy?
If you have epoxy that has dried on a plastic surface, you can remove it with relative ease by using some type of heat source.
The best method is to use a heat gun or blow dryer. A heat lamp or pad will also work, but these may take longer and cause damage to your plastic surface if it’s on an outdoor piece of furniture or something similar.
Hair dryers are not recommended because they don’t provide enough heat to soften the epoxy enough for removal.
How do you remove epoxy from plastic molds?
There are a few steps to remove epoxy from plastic molds:
- Remove the mold from the plastic. It is best to use an air-duster canister and blow out any excess epoxy that may be stuck in the mold. Then, with a putty knife or similar tool, pry away any pieces of plastic that have been damaged by the epoxy. You can then recycle these pieces for other projects or throw them away as garbage.
- Remove remaining epoxy from mold. Use your hands to scrape off any remaining epoxy on the surface of your project’s mold so that it is free of residue before attempting to reuse it or recycle it for another project later on down the line. If some parts still remain stubbornly stuck together after this step, try using an acetone-based solvent like rubbing alcohol instead; this will help dissolve away stubbornly adhering materials without damaging anything else nearby such as paint jobs or other delicate surfaces nearby (like skin!).
- Clean up after yourself! Make sure you’ve removed all traces of old glue before using new ones again so there aren’t any problems later down road when trying something new — otherwise, you could end up wasting expensive materials like paint, glue sticks/bottles etcetera due to too much sticking around inside containers where they shouldn’t belong!
Conclusion
You can remove epoxy from plastic with a mixture of acetone and nail polish remover. Apply the mixture to the epoxy, wait for a few minutes, and wipe it off with a cloth or paper towel.
If the epoxy is still stuck on your plastic surface, repeat this process until you are satisfied with the results
