How to Filter IPA & Other 3D Resin Cleaners!

How to Filter IPA & Other 3D Resin Cleaners!
Figuring out how to filter IPA and other cleaners used for resin 3D printing can be a messy process. I've spent a few weeks trying different methods for filtering IPA, Denatured Alcohol, Mean green, etc. I have come up with a process that works really well and is very inexpensive so I decided to create a tutorial video.
As always if you have any questions about 3D printing feel free to post them in the comments or reach out to me on Facebook, Discord, Etc.😊
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#sliceprintroleplay #3dprinting #resin
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Chapters
0:00​ Video Intro
0:18 Equipment needed for filtering resin cleaners.
1:24 How to separate resin from your cleaner.
1:50 How to filter your resin cleaner.
2:07 How to dispose of waste resin and cleaner.
2:36 Thank you!
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💼Below you will find links to all the items I used in the video.
Powder-Free Nitrile Exam Gloves (100 Pack)
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Blue Shop Towel Box (200 Sheets)
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Blue Shop Towels (12 Pack)
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Clear Plastic Canisters (2 Pack)
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Ball Regular Mouth 32 Ounce Mason Jars (2 Pack)
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Reusable Coffee Filter Basket
➡geni.us/3CMFV
Paper Coffee Filters (200 Pack)
➡geni.us/1zANYl
Fuel Denatured Alcohol (1 Quart)
➡geni.us/Ceui3h1
Fuel Denatured Alcohol (1 Gallon)
➡geni.us/ZPEpd7
Aluminum Pans Foil Pans (20 Pack)
➡geni.us/TZuL
These aluminum pans are a great option for both catching drips while filtering and for leaving your waste cleaner out in the sun.
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[@SpottedPainter]

Couple of suggestions for the big waste container. The large metal disposable pans from the dollar store work very well . Also if you drop a layer of paper towels in the bottom and THEN pour the waste resin on it, it will harden in the paper towel and be even easier to dispose of.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

This is amazing! I actually just put those disposable aluminum trays in the description with an explanation that I couldn't find a reasonably priced container.... But that suggestion about the paper towels is brilliant! Thanks for that!

[@nairocamilo]

The paper towels, so simple 🤯

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@nairocamilo I know right!

[@thomasaurus_rex]

You could probably use a newspaper too

[@mudawott]

3 minutes but more detaoled than other, much longer videos. Amazing work!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

I really appreciate that! 💚

[@UncleJessy]

Fantastic quick and to the point video! Going to try this out... my problem is I typically wait too long and just end up with a full jar of sludge ;)

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Thanks for the awesome feedback! This is definitely not the only option for reusing IPA, but it's a good option.... But yes overly saturated IPA is a bit to deal with... Definitely let me know how it goes for you!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Here's some advice others have given me about dealing with overly saturated IPA. Let the dirty IPA set for a few days, up to a week or two, out of the sun. Then see if the resin has settled down. If it has then expose it to UV light. If it hasn't then try adding more IPA that's less saturated with resin.

[@JerrodHansen]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay my old IPA has been sitting in 6 quart clear plastic containers in sunlight for MONTHS and is persistently cloudy. I’d let it settle to a fairly clear state before exposing it to the sun too. Is there any hope? Am I just over saturating the IPA in my cleaning station? I guess $20/month in cleaning solution (ie 2 gallons of IPA used for 2 months) is just more expensive for these beautiful minis, eh?

[@quint2386]

Thanks so much for the advice. Definetely gonna try this!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

You are very welcome!

[@Atmoseeker]

I just safely disposed of some used cleaning solution, great to see a cheap and easy alternative! Definitely gonna give this a shot

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Definitely let me know how it goes for you!

[@TalonGaming_YT]

That's a great idea to get the most from your cleaning product!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Thanks! In my opinion it's the easiest and most cost-effective way to filter your cleaner.

[@debreczi2]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! :)

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Glad you fund this helpful. 😊

[@ricardocoronel45]

good technique! I had not thought about the coffee filter

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Testing dumb ideas is what I do best. 😂

[@robhousehold]

I am new to resin printing & DnD painting. My name is IPA Mason jar is quite cloudy & wondered how can I clean it if needed. I never knew I needed this video much less this specific topic have a hole tutorial 😂 I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT 😊

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

You are very welcome. I'm glad you found the video useful. 😊

[@fi5h81]

It is best to put the cloudy IPA in a jar in the dark or in the evening so that everything falls overnight. The sediment from the bottom of the next day can be hardened with sunlight or UV light. Then we have pure IPA without any filtering because the sediment is in one piece at the bottom.

[@SpottedPainter]

One last thing, if you don't want to disturb the bottom resin sludge, just get an aquarium siphon and draw it out from the top down

[@blueckaym]

I find decanting (ie tilting in order to pour out cleaner fluid) to be to jerky and disturbs the resin settled on the bottom. I prefer siphoning. Tried with a siphon tube with manual pump (don't suck with mouth! It's not just the IPA/denatured alcohol vapors that you'll suck but also the risk of some resin!), but the manual pump usually requires both my hands and leaves the tube inside the settled container again to jerk around (though not as much as decanting). But discovered really simple way, that I'm sure is accessible to all of you, and it's just as cheap as the manual pump siphon - an electric pump for these large mineral water bottles. In my area they cost between 5 to 7 euro, and can be operated by a single touch of the button, so basically no jerking at all. You just have to keep the lower end of the tube as low as you thing will suck most alcohol w/o sucking any resin. I actually recommend using one of those large water bottles (with the large neck) for which these pumps are designed, because you'll have much easier time setting it, and you won't need any hands holding it, and you'll be able to cut the tube to the necessary length. It works for seconds. The dirty alcohol at the very bottom I pour thru a paper coffee filter. It takes a long time to drip thru (try to pour most of the resin as late as possible, in order to allow the clearer alcohol to drip thru the filter faster), but since most of the alcohol was pumped already you probably don't need the very last amount so urgently.

[@essex0chris]

Syphon from the top of your sun cured container instead of pouring 👍 works for me

[@86abaile]

Great tip. We don't get much sunlight here in the UK, but the last time I left a container out in the sun, the crows broke into it by pecking a hole in the plastic lid (no animals were harmed, they presumably flew off once they smelled it).

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

This sounds absolutely amazing! A murder of crows tried to break into your stored "Goods!" 😂

[@Brandon-zw3hw]

Something I did was let the resin settle in my wash and cure station for a few days or week, then use a Turkey baster to suck up the IPA and transfer to another container. Could use your suggestion and dump the last bit into a disposable tray (with paper towel like someone suggested)

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

That's another great method!

[@BeardBitGamingChannel]

Well helpful as always. Mine is getting a bit slimy. I have the wash and cure plus… that thing is like huge and it’s full of ipa… I didn’t think that through. Like idk how else to do this unless I get a bunch of smaller jars… I wonder if just a separate 5 gallon bucket in the sun would work. I really shoulda thought this through haha

[@BeardBitGamingChannel]

Well I guess 5 gallon bucket wouldnt work as the sun wouldn’t get through the plastic.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

You are very welcome!

[@CYMotorsport]

you ever consider a french press? given the nature of how the filter is working here, it stands to reason that layer of defense would exponentially boost your ability to keep the settle resin at the bottom

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

That's a really interesting idea! I'll certainly look into it. I've actually been testing a new method that's working very well. Hopefully I'll be able to make an updated version of this video soon!

[@CYMotorsport]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay it’s worked super well for me but only if you wait to push the plunger and when you do, you only do it a couple inches in set intervals; every 10 minutes I’m testing now . I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with! Your videos were my main source for starting to be honest now I’m up to building 1:3 cosworth engine perfect replicas haha one thing I’ve meant to ask you specifically is let’s say you damage the polarizing layer - common sense says replace the LCD entirely but if there’s no resin , the screen is still fine it’s just the pol layer. This is a tad uncommon bc usually with a fail, resin does harm the screen during printing but have you tried using any other layer on top of the lcd? Scientifically I get a polarizer is necessary I just don’t get why there’s no disruption in this part of the process. I’ve found with some cheap polarized sheets, it accomplishes the intent of the OEM layer, but this inky works so long as I use the correct angle. Have you ever seen a less clumsy process work ?

[@michaelryan2622]

Mine took more like a week or two weeks to settle out . This is in Arizona Also it can be very difficult to see inside of some of these containers even if they're Clear after settling. Different kind of resins are different in the way they settle out and one of mine ended up not totally clear but slightly yellow and would not settle out anymore. Also I've tried different filtering systems and ended up using a fine paint filter through a 3D printed filter basket. It still works in a two-stage filtered then clean IPA system

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Those are all good points. It can definitely take longer than 3 days to settle depending on how much resin is in the liquid. Absolutely the liquid might not return to its original color as the dye in some resins will change the color.

[@josephtannenbaum8696]

I have a gallon of denatured alcohol that the resin won't settle. I'm in Arizona so lots of sun light. This gallon I believe has a higher concentration of methanol. I could use some ideas.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

I've heard of people having this issue with both IPA and denatured alcohol. I believe what's happening is that once your cleaning solution has reached a certain level of resin saturation it no longer settles. What normally happens is the cleaner becomes more like a thick jelly after being exposed to UV light. I believe the only way to recover any cleaning solution when it gets like this is to use an alcohol distiller. However, I have not tested this yet. Also doing this could be dangerous so please research and take the proper safety steps when using a distiller.

[@edwardhashner847]

Very helpful, thanks man! by the way, what kind of container should we use for the best result? is it glass one or perhaps polypropylene plastic? or even mineral water bottle is sufficient? 😂

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

That's a great question! So I've tested this method with IPA and denatured alcohol. In my experience both clear glass and clear plastic work well. Just please be sure that the plastic container you are using won't get broken down/eaten by your cleaner. 😅

[@steelxspider5274]

Hey SPR, I’m having huge trouble with my resin curing and sticking to the sides of the jar. To the point it’s hard to scrape it off the sides. I’ve only left the jar next to the window for a day and I’ve noticed it cured the resin exposed the sides but created a dark spot where it doesn’t cure the inside. Could you tell me how is this so and how to prevent it from happening again? I use IPA and Elegoo ABS-like if that makes things clearer.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

A few people have asked about similar issues. One thing I've learned since making this video is that you don't need to put your cleaner in the sun. I've left tubs of dirty cleaner in my dark basement for a few days and the resin settles to the bottom just fine without being cured. I'm working on an updated video to cover what I've learned since making this video. But to avoid the issues you're seeing try filtering your cleaner more often and leave it in a place out of direct sunlight. The issue with putting it in the sun is that when your cleaner is heavily saturated with resin then you tend to see a thick jelly like consistency rather than seeing the resin settle and separate. Let me know if all that makes sense.

[@steelxspider5274]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay I see, I never tried leaving them to settle on their own. I’ll give it a try and see how it goes.

[@ZenithWest169]

Safety warning: Denatured Alcohol is more methanol than it is ethanol. Methanol is extremely toxic and readily absorbed by the skin. It takes very little to cause permanent blindness (I know orally at least it's very little but I'd imagine the casual touching without gloves over time could lead to blindness, though I'm unsure how much via skin absorption). Not sure if it was another of your videos that showed it or just your affiliate link I clicked on. You one you have listed is I believe 45-50% ethanol and 50-55% ethanol. IPA (isopropyl alcohol) is relatively non-toxic. Just thought it was important to include this warning as you almost convinced at first to switch over to it. Now if I was responsible and kept my gloves on the whole time it would be alright, but usually after my wash I'll notice a print not fully cleaned and pick it up the corner to wave through my bucket of IPA. I think I've accidentally gotten the IPA+resin on my skin a few times too (albeit a tiny amount but over time, exposure adds up). Might still look into it as the price savings seem really good to me, but people should be warned of the risk and make sure none get on your skin. I'm about to transition into a two stage wash were the second bucket will stay mostly clean and having denatured alcohol in first with isopropyl in second would reduce my exposure by a lot.

[@mcrorietube]

Thanks for the video....so, how frequently do you filter? As to not get an overly saturated IPA solution that is hard to bring back to life. Does greater frequency help?

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

You are very welcome! I personally don't print as much as I'd like. So my cleaning solution (denatured alcohol) might go 2-3 days untouched. By then the resin has settled and I can see how much there is. So if I see there's a large amount of resin settled on the bottom I'll just filter it before I use it. It only takes a minute or two so it doesn't add a ton of time to the cleaning process. Following that process I've been able to use the same cleaning solution for 6+ weeks. I add new when the level gets too low to cover the parts I am cleaning. So if you're printing a lot my recommendation would be to have two containers going. That way you can let one container settle while using the other. Then filter the one that's been sitting and switch them out. I'd probably switch once a week if I was washing models evey day, but it will depend on what you're seeing. Hopefully that answers your question.

[@mcrorietube]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay That is exactly the info I was looking for...thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@mcrorietube fantastic, you are very welcome!

[@JerrodHansen]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay so I guess my habit of running six or seven bottles of resin worth of prints through my cleaning station is a bit too much?

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@JerrodHansen that's totally dependent on the results you're getting. If you're not having issues then I wouldn't change your process. However, if you find your models are often sticky after washing them then it would be a good idea to do this more often. 😊

[@B143DP]

I decided to do science! I cut 2 liters and water bottles in half to make funnels (cause why not) then put cotton balls into the spout of the upside bottles, put activated carbon on top and set them inside each other to drain into a mostly intact 2 liter bottle. It took a while and I had them covered so it wouldn't evaporate but it filtered out most of the gunk and turned my green alcohol clear again XD I kept doing this until the little bits of waste at the end were all that was left, kept that one bucket of alcohol going good for about a year

[@Brandon-zw3hw]

I've used coffee filters and funnels before and you only get a few ounces before the filter will only get drips. Does the basket really make that big of a difference?

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

It absolutely does yes! The difference is that the liquid can flow out all areas of the mesh basket. With a funnel you're forcing the liquid to flow out only one small hole. I tried it with a funnel once and, like you, I found it clogged after only a few seconds.

[@Brandon-zw3hw]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay that makes sense now that I say it out loud lol. I am remembering people say they had the same issue. And someone made an stl file for sale that accomplishes the same thing as the basket does for the same reasoning

[@JerrodHansen]

@@Brandon-zw3hw is that an stl for use in a funnel to increase drainage?

[@almonster2066]

What do you do when your IPA resin wash turns to a white cheese like material? There doesn't seem to be any IPA?

[@clballs1]

I just run my IPA thru a water distiller off amazon, perfectly cleaned IPA

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

I looked into that as well. It actually lead me to purchase an alcohol distiller. I was nervous about purchasing one that only said it was rated for water. I don't know if that will actually cause issues, but I wanted to be safe. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to test it yet.

[@clballs1]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay Yup will work fine water distiller gets hot enough to evaporate IPA, will just have some nasty crude in the tank after its done of the resin, just scrape it out and good to go. Wont be able to use the distiller for anything other than this though, But ive made my money back from it in just Ipa/denatured alcohol ive saved.

[@clballs1]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay also use it in a garage or outside or very ventilated place.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@clballs1 that definitely makes sense! I was referring to any possible design elements or features that would make it safer to use with alcohol. I looked at different models and saw that both water and alcohol distillers look identical. So there may not be a difference. But I got one that specifically said it could be used with alcohol. It may not be necessary, but I wanted to be sure. Thanks for your input and advice!

[@ebanksstudios]

I've been leaving mine in a bottle in the window. The first time I did it it pretty much cleared all the resin in about 2 weeks. The second time it hasn't cleared and it's been over a month

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

That's really interesting. It could have something to do with how pure your IPA is... Or are you using a different cleaner?

[@ebanksstudios]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay the only thing that changed was the resin First was phrozen aqua blue, second was elegoo grey

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@ebanksstudios I wonder if that could have an impact on it. 🤔 Thanks for replying with that info. I'll see if I can find more info about this.

[@ebanksstudios]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay Its strange because the resin would sink to the bottom in my wash and cure but when I left it in the window it clouded

[@wyldproducer]

I think I leave mine way to long before changing it. If I put it in the sun the entire container turns to a white jelly. Lol.

[@scottwhitson7436]

This is what happens to me also, I left it over night outside and I have a huge lump of jelly. Because of this I get only about 1/2 of my IPA back. Did you find out why this was happening to your or other solution?

[@theblanklogo]

I'm using the coffee filter in a round filter, but I'm finding the process takes forever. 2700ml took me about 40 minutes to filter, changing the filter 3x. Anyone come up with a faster way to filter the cured IPA back in?

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

So the main reason I recommend using the metal mesh coffee basket is because it allows liquid to flow in all directions. This means it doesn't get clogged up the way a paper filter in a funnel will.

[@TheVGMASTA]

Would the cured resin goo be dangerous if it touches you? I got a bit messy, leaving my rinse and cure container in the sun full of contaminated IPA. I filtered it, but tons of resin goo, left for hours in the sun

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Yeah unfortunately that's a little tough. You're best bet when it gets overly saturated is to check and see if you have a chemical disposal center near you... I'm currently testing a few methods for dealing with that stuff, but nothing I can report back on yet I'm afraid.

[@titus1776]

Everytime i do this, i only get a big junk of Goo in my container. Nothing is setteling down just the hole bottle gets cheesy....

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

So I've actually heard those from a few people now. I think what you're seeing happens when your cleaning solutions is really saturated with resin. It turns into like a jelly sort of mess. I am currently working on a video that will hopefully explain what's going on or, at the very least, give you other options to reclaim more of your cleaning solution.

[@titus1776]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay i think, when cleaning more often, it would work. Currently im working al so on an better solution. if you want i keep you update.

[@andrewenns1884]

I tried doing it this way, but the resin in my ipa decided not to filter out and just turned into a giant gelified glob.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Interesting... I will certainly not claim to be an expert, but I would imagine that if there's tons of resin in the liquid then that could certainly be a result.

[@SpottedPainter]

You need to let the resin settle some first, before curing , for some resins. If they're too suspended or the alcohol is just too saturated, they can form am almost foam structure jelly in the solution if it cures quickly.

[@B143DP]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay Yeah, I noticed overly saturated alcohol turns into jelly

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@B143DP ugh, the worst peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever! 😂

[@B143DP]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay Indeed!

[@MaxHarden]

You think the cleaning tank itself could sit in the sun?

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Absolutely it can, but the resin will cure on the impeller. Trust me, that's a pain to deal with. 😅

[@Davedwin]

So I tried this process, but I had SO MUCH resin waste in my IPA the entire container turned into a gelatinous blob. LOL

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Yep I'm hearing that from a few people. That's not something I've encountered yet, but I can definitely understand how it could happen.

[@Davedwin]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay For the benefit of those that read the comments...I THINK it is because I shook it up before setting in the Arizona sun. Had I let it settle without UV exposure and THEN put it out there it would have worked.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@Davedwin thanks for for adding that info. I definitely think that could have caused the issue you had.

[@scottwhitson7436]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay I have this issue and I have not shaken mine. I've done two batches now and both end up with the jelly effect. Maybe running through filter in advance of putting in the sun?

[@the_arcanum]

@@Davedwin Hello David. If you still end up with a sludge because your IPA gets too saturated with resin, you can still salvage most of it by straining it through 4 sheets of 100 mesh cheesecloth. In the end, you'll be able to squeeze the alcohol out like you would do with a cheese. Nitrile gloves and protection glasses are mandatory ofc. Shake the cloth to get the plastic out to dry in the sun and dispose of it. The cheesecloth is reusable many times. A second filtration of the IPA through coffee filters or activated charcoal may be necessary to get rid residual contamination.

[@festmkiv]

I don't get it. This is unequivocally NOT how my dirty IPA behaves. When exposed to sunlight, instead of the resin solidifying and sinking to the bottom, it cures into this white, gelatinous IPA sludge.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Hey Frank. I've hard a few other people say the same thing so you're not alone. I apologize that I didn't cover this in my video, but it's actually something I haven't run into as a if yet. There is one thing that others have said works for them. Let the dirty IPA set for a few days, up to a week or two, out of the sun. Then see if the resin has settled down. If it has then expose it to UV light. If it hasn't then try adding more IPA that's less saturated with resin. I think this issue comes up when the IPA is overly saturated with resin and it is very slow to settle.

[@festmkiv]

@@SlicePrintRoleplay Interesting - I'm getting this effect when the IPA is much less contaminated than yours seems to be (from the pictures), but it could be worth testing. If I leave the cover off my wash and cure station, there's an hour of the afternoon where it gets sun... then BOOM jelly.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@festmkiv interesting. 🤔 About 1 in 5 people in the comments have said this exact thing. It's so strange that it behaves so differently for some... I'm definitely going to look into this and see if I can figure out what's going on... Please do keep me updated on your experiences though!

[@OverboardDM]

I call bullshit