Thanks, Hank. Keep us posted on the TSP tests.

> Hi Dale,

> For cleaning it depends as to what I am doing as to what I use. For any
> gluing or painting I pay close attention to surface preparation - don't
> like surprises.

> For bare wood I wipe down the surface [after sanding and vacuuming] with a
> cloth dampened with water to raise the grain of the wood so I can get rid
> of the "fuzzies".

> When applying a series of epoxy fill coats and I am sure that there is no
> contamination [blush, fingerprints, etc.] on the surface I do not use any
> cleaners.

> If the epoxy has come to full cure and I want to apply more resin, paint
> or varnish I will do an complete wash down with soap & water followed
> by a clear water rinse and a wipe with acetone or naphtha [white gas].

> The use of acetone has been discussed before. Acetone is dangerous stuff
> so all the precautions [ventilation, respirator, gloves] should be used.
> Acetone has been blamed for contaminating the surface. In a discussion
> with the tech rep from West Systems he pointed out that acetone is
> "pure" and that the residues being deposited on the working
> surface likely were synthetic fibers or residual soap dissolved out of the
> cleaning cloth. That or from contaminates were "backwashed" into
> the acetone container.

> Naphtha is a good grease cutter but it is also very flammable. I use it
> for cleaning small items.

> The "paint thinners" [varsol] are not as refined as naphtha and
> I rarely use them for anything more than cleaning brushes.

> Of all the volatile liquids, rubbing alcohol is probably the safest.

> This year I want to do a couple of tests to see if that "T.S.P."
> degreaser [don't ask me to spell the full name] is compatible with resin.
> If the results are good I will be changing to that.

> Anyway, this works for me. Hope it is of help.

> Hank