HUGE FAILED PROJECT - How NOT to clean your IPA - Resin 3D Printing

Resin 3D Printing Project FAIL - How to clean your IPA
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[@marsgizmo]

I was also searching for some good filtering solutions, but so far they were more expensive than just to replace the IPA. Thanks for your tests, are very valuable 👌😊

[@Uterr]

i actually found how to clean ipa with resin - i put a jug with dirty ipa in freezer, in the morning 95% of resin in ipa is condensed, ipa is clear when defrosted, while it could be slightly colored with pigment

[@cheezunriceramen8995]

I've gone through all of this with the exact same results you got. The one and only thing I've noticed that could possibly help is that I store my dirty IPA in an area that gets a bit of indirect sunlight. It does not sit in the sun and the window has a tinted film on it, but I do notice that after a day or so of sitting that a thin film of solid-ish materiel will form on the side of the tub facing the window. The whole tub does not gel up, just a thin film forms along the side. I know it's not sediment because the IPA is still relatively clear and there is not a film building up on the bottom. Only the sides. It comes out easily and I expose it to finish curing it under the UV light and it goes hard as you would expect. I haven't done extensive testing on this so I don't know if it's helping or not, I just made an observation. This is also not heavily used and saturated IPA. Perhaps that has something to do with it, like you mentioned toward the end. But I have tried various methods of filtering and short exposure to UV and nothing works. Even short exposure to UV will form a film which I then fish out leaving the remaining liquid. I expose the remaining liquid to another short round of UV and keep repeating. There is never any IPA left. I think that the molecules are just so small that they are unable to be filtered by easily accessible methods. And once you get IPA saturated with enough resin and expose it to UV, it just polymerizes like you've seen. A distilling method like you mentioned would work if there is still IPA left to evaporate out, but it would be highly explosive and there may actually be laws against it in certain areas. Another possible method would be something like osmosis or high pressure filtration, but that only stands a chance if the resin molecules are noticeably larger or smaller than the IPA molecules. I have no idea what the sizes of them are and I suspect it could get rather costly and messy. At this point I've given up cleaning or filtering it. I keep two or three tubs as progressive wash stations and I move from one to the next, getting cleaner as I go. Once the first, and dirtiest, one hits a certain point and it's not cleaning well, I put it in the sun for a couple of days and just let it gel and dry out. The whole tub goes in the trash once it's all cured and I've already moved the others up the line and started a brand new tub with clean IPA as my last rinse before curing.

[@jeffcrumbley2802]

I'm not printing nearly the amount that you are, and I'm sure somewhere in the comments someone else had mentioned this, but what works for me is a large (2 gallon) glass container with a lid and a spigot just like you'd use to make ice tea or lemonade. I picked one up a local store for about $10. Pour in the dirty solution from your washing station and let it sit (for several days or a couple of weeks). The resin settles to the bottom. The spigot is about 2 inches from the bottom of the container so when I refill my wash station only clean (or mostly clean) alcohol comes out. If I were printing a ton, I would simply have 2 or more of these so I could continually rotate batches and keep printing.

[@fluxxNZ]

i was thinking about the gravy jug we have where the idea is the fat rises and the goodness comes out the spout attached to the bottom of the jug but the 'punch jug' idea seems to be an even better solution.

[@cyciumx]

Do you cure the resin in the IPA before pouring it in the container with the spigot or is it uncured resin in IPA you put in there? What do you do with the resin thats at the bottom once you open the spigot up and drain the mostly cleaned IPA?

[@SkaAraKev]

mhh i just started with sla printing, right now i used a simple cup and a brush to clean my models (in 3 days my cure/wash is comming) . Anyway, i cleaned them in this bigger cup and the iso went very milky too. So i just let my cup stand for 1-2 days and all of the resin was drown down to the buttom of the cup. the upper 99% is now clean iso which i can easily filter back into the bottles. afterwards i can clean my cup.

[@speedtoast]

Great effort in trying to find a solution. My biggest concern is the environmental impact of disposing of uncured resin. I let my snotty mix evaporate under a grow lamp unless it’s sunny outside (uk😩) before dumping.

[@trentoncarr]

Every 500g resin I stand the IPA in an upside down water bottle on the windowsill for a couple of days. The resin settles in the top of the bottle and pours out fairly clean from 2 poked holes in the bottom of the bottle, the gel gets stuck in the narrow cap area of the bottle. Easy discard after that. First time I tried the bottle in direct sun and the resin stayed in suspension and would not drop out. I suspect the same is happening in the curing station. No filters have worked for me at all.

[@swc2001]

Well, you said what I was thinking, let it sit and then syphon off the good ipa. Maybe you can buy say two more of the Elegoo wash buckets. Then let two of them sit while using the third in the machine. I dunno just a simple thought. But maybe their is a better way. Hope you find it brother. As always you're amazing!!

[@davidquaschnick1668]

what you need is two separate containers to keep your IPA in (I.E. two for dirty IPA and the container for your wash and cure station), the first container is for dirty IPA that has been sitting for a while to separate and let "settle" to the bottom, the other one is for the new Dirty IPA, so you clean out the old dirty IPA with a filter into the cure and wash station with a normal filter (trying as hard as you can to keep the settled stuff out of the pored out IPA and put it back into the wash station.

[@KoumoriCosplay]

The huge problem is, that the ipa "air dry" while curing. So the most ipa just get lost in air. i managed it in this way: i use transparent bottles, fill the ipa x resin mix in it. close it and let it cure in front of a Window. the curing needs way longer then in a curing station, but you can check every day how well the thick jelly stuff is seperated from the more or less clean ipa. Then i use woman nylon socks from a 1€ store and use them to filter the ipa from the jelly leftover. Then there follow the final step. i use very, very fine paint filters to get rid of the most pigment leftovers. Well you still loose 2/3 of the ipa, but better then nothing. 🤣 i use this filtered ipa to roughly wash prints before i put them in the wash station, so i can use the pure, clean wash-Station ipa way longer, then without rough cleaning.

[@InvaderKush]

The other day I cured the resin iso mix in the sun for a bit, then I let it sit and separate, and then did the coffee filter. It actually worked pretty well. However my liquid wasn’t that infused lol.

[@SHMIDTEY]

Need to get Nile Red' opinion on this. I'm sure he would have some magic chemical sequence or vacuum pump filters he would use.

[@luvinjefe]

Lots of people have already commented on the correct solution, which is that you are waiting too long and curing a mixture that is too high in resin. My recommendation is that you just have several stages that you cycle through. Because of your industrial level of use, you need to think of this on an industrial scale. Bucket 1, clear to mostly clear IPA. Bucket 2, Used two days - sit in the sun (or in the curing machine), Bucket 3 - resting to get the resin particulates down, bucket 4, filter through the large filter first to get the big pieces out, then filter through a brita (or cheaper filter to clear it and go back to being bucket 1). Additionally, your methodology for testing could use some work. Instead of waiting for days to test, just pour resin into ipa directly. you now have a mixture to test with.

[@brandonbarshinger8162]

I basically do this, but instead of using a 4th bucket, after the 3rd bucket settles, you can get rid of the sediment with a turkey baster or a pipette, you don’t even need to use a filter

[@KellyBC]

This! I do a very similar thing with old pickle jars. It really doesn’t take long for the resin to separate and then siphon off the IPA with a large syringe. I suppose you could filter the IPA at the point, but I don’t ever bother.

[@IngramMk]

very similar to what i do

[@Ellery-USA]

Been watching your channel for some time and glad you're also a local Rochestarian. Great content and production quality. I just got my 1st resin printer this week and wonder what you do to dispose of waste mean green or iPa (even if you're able to clean and reuse most of it) in Monroe county?

[@sespider]

I advise not to sit it outside in the sun, as the IPA will dry out to easily. Instead, pour it in a large clear plastic jug and sit it next to a window that is in sunlight. This way the the IPA doesn't dry out and the resin can cure. Then filter through a decent coffee filters.

[@Goodkid489]

Goobertown hobbies is a PhD chemist and a rad guy, maybe hit him up for a collab?

[@dextersamson8286]

And an sjw

[@chucklamb3496]

Being a Chemist, that’s what I would have suggested, a distillation column.

[@pants15]

Being an idiot, I'm going to recommend fire!

[@wezyap]

From a chemistry standpoint, distillation is the way to go. from a safety standpoint, recommending distillation of IPA to someone without experience beyond describing it as "burning of the IPA" is another matter.

[@1234fishnet]

@@pants15 it's a brilliant technique to separate it. It's just that the IPA is not in the state of aggregation that we want.

[@pants15]

@@1234fishnet So no splosions? :(

[@ronaldod7116]

I use an air distiller. (electric no fire) in 1 hour and 4 liters of IPA cleaned. Just need rinse the distiller with all the goo. No open fire. Still do it in a well ventilated area. Not sure why people are so scared. They clean with IPA, they spray it for cleaning etc. Still with a active printer next to them.

[@charlesw.3245]

You should try to contact the channel "Nile Red." He's a chemist and this seems like a perfect collaboration. Also a cheap easy distillery will work, but has inherent risks.

[@UncleJessy]

Oh awesome. Will look them up! Yeah refusing the distilling route. Flames + IPA just seems like a horrible idea. Refuse to burn down my house for KZbin 🤣😂

[@Trini8ed]

@@UncleJessy I was going to mention this same thing NileRed is amazing with chemistry in making education videos. This would totally be up his alley as he's always looking for good content. I'm sure if you reach out to him maybe ship him some dirty IPA gallon containers or have him create it himself he would do it.

[@pweezy5953]

Couldn't you replace the flame with an electric hot plate? One of those cheap, solid single burners

[@cameronleggett1363]

@@pweezy5953 as far as I understand, IPA already has a pretty low volatility point. So I do believe a hot plate could be more than enough to accelerate the flashing off of the IPA from the solution.

[@cameronleggett1363]

@@UncleJessy I'm pretty sure you would not need an open flame to flash off the IPA from the solution, but Nile red is a great KZbinr to get into the science of how to do what you want.

[@IanJLennard]

I have a variable temperature water distiller that I use and it’s quick and reclaims a lot of ipa that is completely clear

[@chartle1]

But what's left in the pot? Some sort of crusty coating?

[@IanJLennard]

@@chartle1 it’s more like a toffee and just as sticky. I’m now trying to cure it to see if I can remove it as one lump

[@chartle1]

@@IanJLennard yum sticky toffee resin. 😋

[@TheRaven-WingGaming]

See, they're only downside to that is that has the potential of blowing up, and that's not a good thing.

[@xKillaMelxGaming]

@@TheRaven-WingGaming Lol I was intrigued until I saw your comment!

[@thetermite72]

VOG has one of the videos on this subject go watch his

[@UncleJessy]

Thanks! I was avoiding watching it or others to be honest to see what I could come up with but will have to check it out

[@lewiscantplay8639]

@@UncleJessy perhaps consider a collab video with NileRed. He does some really interesting science projects here on youtube. He may be able to help you figure out whats happening when the resin and Alcohol mix And hopefully try to find the appropriate solution. Edit: Also thank you for your video on the Neptune 2, your tips where super helpful when i got mine this last month.

[@TheMidnightSmith]

Noooooo he made a distillation unit, which besides being illegal in the USA, is super sketchy if not done right as the IPA vapors can ignite.

[@thetermite72]

You are right forgot about that part. Geek happens has a no still option like yours but his is still useable when done

[@eclarkmx]

@@UncleJessy I just made the same suggestion…

[@zarni-dude]

Leaving it to separate, then pour the top clear part through a filter and let it stand again, seems to be decent enough. Leave the residue out in the sun to cure in the container and then put that through a filter. You'll need some extra containers and a bit more IPA but such is life.

[@Abedeuss]

Coffee filter is the point. I see people suggesting artist paint filters, which are less dense than coffee filters. I made the mistake of trying to filter raw resin through it, and nothing went through - wasted a cup worth of resin, but works great for filtering water/IPA with resin.

[@CheapTricks]

Try a centrifuge, spin it in a sturdy container at a very high speed to force seperation. Try curing after you see separation. While spinning and while not spinning

[@TheGreatWizardTaes]

For testing purposes, could you simply stir some resin strait from the bottle into the IPA?

[@AriesSupertramp]

yeah.. that's actually a no-brainer..

[@shanecorry]

What I do is have two containers for my Elegoo wash/cure machine and I swap them once a week. I then leave the swapped-out conatiner to sit for 2-3 days to let most of the resin sediment fall to the bottom. Problem is, these containers have a spinner at the bottom that makes it very difficult to scoop out the sediment, so I ended up printing a false bottom / shallow basket that I put into the container at the bottom (resting on the spinner). The sediment collects on top of this and then after a few days you can pull it out - bringing most of the sediment with it. This doesn't filter 100% of the resin out but gets most of the big particles out. The IPA will go back to being reasonably see-through from murky-opaque looking like yours, and I then top it up with new IPA (~15-20% of container volume worth). I now go through like 2-3 litres of IPA every month instead of like 10 litres before I used this method. Big saving with what 95%+ IPA costs round here..

[@Citizen577]

Ooh this false bottom sounds super helpful - would you be willing to share the .stl?

[@thevolatilegentlemen]

I use a water distiller. Works great!

[@togawac]

I think the abs/tough resins don't separate from ipa like other resins. Have you tried this with tough/abs resins?

[@UncleJessy]

I have been struggling with this video for a while now... Hopefully this at least helps some of you out there in terms of WHAT NOT to do. Would love to hear what suggestions you all have! Also - a huge thankyou to Elegoo for continuing to support my crazy project ideas... even when they completely fail... for now ;)

[@SPProps]

Didn't think a video on 3D printing could make me gag, but there ya go... FWIW - the manual for the AnyCubic Photon Mono X recommends the, "let it set and separate method," but I haven't actually tried it myself.

[@Ingram124]

If you think you need to let your dirty IPA sit for a while then perhaps it's worth distilling a big bucket of dirty IPA into smaller containers and then testing them periodically, that way you can leave them different durations to see if there is a sweet spot, also it means you're not cleaning liters of dirty IPA every time :)

[@b5a5m5]

Couple of ideas: Seems like the ipa is a solvent for the resin. Well, seems like a simple chemistry problem with the solution(heh) being put the solution of ipa/resin through a distillation. Should be able to reclaim a good percentage of near pure ipa as long as the mixture isn't some form of azeotrope. Maybe another trick of chemistry will work, loading the solution with another cheaper material that will want to absorb the resin / ipa more? Kind of how to get the last bit of water out of IPA is to load it with salt. Perhaps some form of vacuum/pressure filtration will allow you to suck the IPA out of the resin "sponge." Or perhaps a centrifuge? Could be a fun/dangerous project 😁

[@SethSwanson]

Wish I would have been able to watch this about six months ago because I tried several of the methods you used to equal success.

[@chrisclikks]

I do this to my resin at the research lab I work at all the time and it seems to decently clear it up. I cure the IPA resin mixture for about 10 mins then the cured resin falls to the bottom and leaves relatively clean IPA at the top I then just use a large syringe to skim the clean IPA at the top out without mixing up and disturbing the cured resin.

[@jra]

Easiest way is put the IPA in a clear plastic bottle and let settle the resin to the bottom and then put in the sun for a week... filter and clean IPA... for me works Another method that a friend of mine uses in his print farm is converting a fish tank as a clean tank and use some carbon filters and the water pump to clean the IPA, only one thing must be change are the plastic fititngs because IPA destroy the plastic.

[@UncleJessy]

Yeah I'm going to do exactly that for my next set of resin tests in a sep container. That 2nd idea sounds really interesting! thanks

[@jra]

@@UncleJessy your welcome if you have any questions I can ask to my friend ;)

[@mwarwick3876]

Fish tank filter? That's kinda brilliant. I wonder if it would be worth trying a water polisher, like a diatom filter or maybe even a venturi protein skimmer?

[@jra]

@@mwarwick3876 Maybe I'm not used about diatom filters , water polisher or venturi protein skimmers, as fas as I know the whole deal is how your materials react with IPA and it's corrosion properties, all to avoid leaks. Also maybe the best idea is use a 70%IPA in that kind of tanks as a preliminary clean, and then in a separate container with 99% just for rub the printed parts.

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

OK, I'm only half way through, but it looks like you'll need to build a distillery to have a chance of rescuing the IPA from the grips of the dissolved resin.

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

And 3sec later... You mention it.

[@UncleJessy]

@@OldCurmudgeon3DP haha yeah... was purposefully trying to find a more DIY "simple" solution but that might really be the only thing that works

[@MrPeterMerkin]

You're trying to filter a chemical bind with a compound filter. It won't work. The resin changes the chemical structure of the IPA.

[@Analogcolor]

Speaking of distillery, a lot of distilleries used their excess capacity to create hand sanitizer. I wonder how many of them have vats of extra pure alcohol they may not be able to use.

[@smokeduv]

@@MrPeterMerkin I'd love to see what chemical reaction is happening here, because I don't see any chemical bond there

[@fheral]

Hey Uncle Jessy, I have been recycling my IPA with some level of success. I normally can recover about 70% of the original IPA. I hope this help, here what I do : 1) I do not let the IPA get too dirty. I normally recycle my IPA after around 5 medium size prints. 2) I keep two batches of IPA, one that is cleaning the parts and one that is recycling, this way I do not have downtime. 3) I do wait for a day or two for some of the resin to settle, this is the main reason why I keep two batches of IPA. 4) After the dirty IPA rested for a couple of days, I let it out, on the sun for curing. The sun may cure slower than the UV, not really sure, but as the IPA cures, I can see the resin being attracted to the container walls and the partially clear IPA left in the center. I usually leave outside for a day. 5) After curing under the sun, I filter it with paper towels, two layers. 6) After filtered, I store the recovered IPA for use and let the solids out to cure and dry completely before disposing. PS : I did have one time where I got the gelatin you got, and I concluded it was because there was too much resin, so that is why I try to not let it too dirty. I also do a two step washing. The first step is more to take the majority of the resin (Old wash & Cure - 1 min) then I move to the second wash (New Wash and Cure - 6 min). It may be overkill, but I basically need to recycle the first tub, the second one really takes a long time before it get dirty. I also remove my supports before any washing and I never printed anything hollow. Just letting you know, so you can have an Idea how my dirty parts look like :-) That did not sound really well ... :-)

[@svjones84]

It isn't always about the wins Uncle Jessy, it's about the experience. You could be helping someone else avoid some of the trials and struggles you're going through. Awesome video and looking forward to the Part 2 showing more ideas and hopeful successes! Keep up the great work and love your content

[@0eL3VEn0]

You could use a spinzall centrifuge to separate the resin out of the alcohol since they should have very different gravity.

[@FatylPictures]

they'd have the same gravity, probably different mass though.

[@joshmyer9]

I'm thinking salad spinner: the janky home centrifuge of choice. Haven't attempted it yet, but I very much am going to need something soon =)

[@dougsundseth6904]

IPA has a density of 786 g/l and photopolymer resin (at least the one I found) has a density of 1195 g/l. In principal, centrifugal fractionation seems like it might work.

[@ralphmachesky532]

Uncle Jessy- Lots of good ideas in this thread, but the answer might actually be a combination of some the answers already given. Firstly, the IPA IS a solvent of sorts, but the resin to IPA ratio is just too lopsided to make some methods work. The idea of the 'spinzall' centrifuge is a good starting point, but lets think about dissimilar mediums and temps for a second...you have different specific gravity liquids that are 'sticking together' due to the solvent nature of the IPA. FInd out what the freezing point of the resin is (99% IPA won't freeze fast, if at all) and try to separate from there. Dry Ice is what? 139.2 degrees below zero and I'm willing to bet I can pour even the high ratio resin mix into a stainless steel vessel or container and place it on top of some dry ice. The high solids resin *should* begin to freeze or congeal quickly and pull away the chemical solvents mechanically due to different freezing points. I'm just quickly guessing here, guess I'll have to try it!

[@cnc-maker]

@@ralphmachesky532 dry ice is -40 degrees. CO2 ya know.

[@peterepps3421]

I saw a guy on u tube use a water distiller with the ipa. It is for sale on amazon. The results were fantastic. I am going to try it. Good luck.

[@togawac]

Any results or a link to that vid?

[@miricoleciona]

When I cured my IPA and got the gelatine type substance that’s when I let it sit fir a few days and the ipa just came right out of the jello and I “filtered” it in to a different container

[@UncleJessy]

I will try that again with this 2nd batch.

[@anthonyp4209]

This right here. Put a bunch into a very clear container, I use large animal cracker containers. Put the entire thing that a uv lamp or outside. Let the container sit for a week. Decant the cleaner ipa off

[@cheezunriceramen8995]

@@UncleJessy I think this would only work if you are not past a certain point of resin saturation. As you mentioned, perhaps only a week or so of cleaning instead of 3+ weeks. You would likely get sediment or at worst a thin gel that can be filtered instead of the entire tub turning into thick, solid gel.

[@eclarkmx]

Jessy, I saw the video from VOG (vegoilguy) that shows a way if doing it. I believe you are close to what he says but I think his secret is the time frame and how he lets it sit down. Hope it helps!

[@Cwill1016]

Just buy a water distiller, that's what I do and it works phenomenal!

[@peterchan9525]

Method that works on me: Use coffee filter one layer to filter the crumps > use the Brita water filter to refine a bit > use a clear glass jar and UV light it for 5 mins and let it sit for a night > put it into the UV light machine without moving it vigorously for 5-10mins > shake it and UV again for 5-10mins > let it sit for a night > you will see the alcohol is crystal clear > filter it with a new Brita water filter, make sure the bottom resin don’t get in > then you get a 99% crystal clear alcohol, you can double check by putting it into the UV machine again, you won’t see any crumps or cloudiness anymore. Good luck ! FYI don’t uv light too long when it is too cloudy for the first time, they will bond together too fast with High concentration to form a jelly like video above. Depend on the concentration of the solution, repeat the follow steps a few times if necessary. It will be crystal clear again.

[@davewhite115]

How long does the coffee filter stage take for you? I'm using a coffee filter and it is just dripping through taking hours to complete.

[@peterchan9525]

@@davewhite115 i am able to refine it to be clear. but i dont recommend to use it. it is pain in the ass to filter it out. It took too much time not worth it since alcohol price is going back to normal nowadays.

[@humbletypes6358]

To conserve on IPA usage like others have said do multi stage cleaning before you put your uncured prints in whichever Wash and Cure station you use. I go one more step to save money and I use simple green or mean green for the first stage with warm water and brush off the majority of uncured resin then I transfer my prints to a second stage IPA bath to get off the excess simple green that some complain making the prints slightly sticky. Then after that bath I transfer my prints to the wash and cure station that way I go through less IPA as most of the uncured resin is scrubbed off in the simple green or mean green. I have extra IPA bath containers that I will rotate in and out of circulation when the IPA starts to get too murky I'll move that container outside and let the resin and IPA seperate and then strain out the resin from the IPA. I'm not 100% sure of it's safety of the contamination of simple green into the IPA 2nd stage bath, from what I've looked up I believe their isnt any safety risk of the two mixing, but maybe someone more knowledgeable will be able to answer that.

[@DigBipper188]

I just experimented with the idea of curing the resin then filtering - Works well but you probably want to do it when the resin to alcohol ratio is lower so that it is easier to separate out. I just used the 20w CFL blacklight that I have to cure it out then filtered through a coffee filter. I'm probably gonna experiment with different filters at some point and see what luck I get

[@jrburnsred3666]

I’ve been curing what’s in the ipa after every time I use it then filtering it out using the paint strainer. Now I’m pretty new to all of this but it’s been staying pretty clear so far. I Enjoy all of your videos!

[@sespider]

Did you ever find a solution for your setup? What I do is very simple and you sorta touched on it. I have a number of clear Gold Peak tea jugs. What I do is pour my dirty IPA into it and let it sit at a window where it can get good sunlight. By the end of the week, the resin has cured and I then filter it a few times through coffee filters. But my funnel is large enough to hold a mesh strainer, to which I place the filter. This way most if the filter is used and speeds up the process. I also let it filter near the window to help cure any resin that gets through. At the end, my IPA is near clear and reusable. Without a chem set, there is no way you're going to perfectly clean the IPA. It needs to be noted that I don't use my resin printer anywhere near as often as Jessy does. I also use mostly clear resins or my own 'Monster Batch' resins. With my clear resins, I enjoy adding paint or ink pigment powder to it. This way I can get a nice glittery effect if needed. But cleaning the IPA from this resin is more difficult.

[@leandroocchiuzzi6802]

just an idea out of the box, i clean my resin prints with one cheap airbrush and ipa. fill the cup of the airbrush with the ipa and spray direct on your print, once the ipa is empty just spray whith air coming from the airbrush until the print its dry, then you put that on th uv light and wualaa your print turns awesome and you save a LOT of ipa = save money. i been doing this since i started to print and never have a problem or lost quality of my prints. love your chanel mate and all of your techings. keep ir up! greetings from argentina

[@prismacolor]

I came to the conclusion that just use the ipa till it stops being a good cleaner. it reaches its life at the same time if you clean it or not. I don't care that i can't see my prints in the dirty ipa while its being cleaned. now chemistry might work by adding something that binds just the resin but ipa is cheap enough that i just cure it to a rubber mass and let it dry out in the sun b4 I toss it.

[@Dreoni_]

If you want easy testing samples wouldn't it be possible to just mix the isopropyl with a bit of resin directly from the bottle?

[@10p6]

I wonder if an Ultrasonic cleaner would separate the parts and cause the resin to drop to the bottom..

[@radry100]

The only way is to distillate the IPA but that's dangerous because of the vapours.

[@TKs3DPrints]

i used to filter it after each week of use. now i tend to let the ipa sit in containers for a couple of weeks then filter it off. i have never let my ipa get to that colour. at the moment been using methylated spirits for cleaning the prints.

[@SolderSoldier]

What about a sealed container in UV/sun? Would it prevent IPA evaporation yet still let the resin cure?

[@UncleJessy]

I think i need to let it settle first for a week or two before attempting that. I'd end up with the same situation if I dont wait

[@saintguardian3639]

@@UncleJessy I think you've hit the problem on the head. Putting a container and let it sit for a week. Try doing that then do like 1 week for one container, 2 weeks for another, etc. and see what the magic wait time is.

[@jeanbesnier535]

@@UncleJessy That's what I do, let it rest for 3 or 4 days and let it cure in the sun. All the goo stay at the bottom of the close container and I can take the IPA out throught a coffe filter, then I give a good wash on the container and throw away all that remains. It gives me good results. In the end I use a first washing container with used IPA for a quick first wash and then my Elegoo wash and cure station with some fresher IPA to keep it clean longer and have the best cleanning possible. Tank you for testing other solution !

[@King0fgames_]

Perhaps your IPA is just too dirty for the filtering methods to work? If you had two containers to rotate every few days, the particulate should settle at the bottom.

[@UncleJessy]

Yeah, thats what I'm wondering... I might attempt this after a week of printing/cleaning vs 3+

[@mihaimadalin]

This is the best take, i let it sit after each print and rotate the IPA containers

[@Nazrac79]

I cure a third of my alcohol daily and let it settle in a secondary container. 2 months on the same alcohol now it's not clear but a translucent grey but clear not murky. I print a lot with 2 Saturns and a Proxima. I think the grey is from the dye but I just get some resin like film on the surface of my container and some settle overnight after running through a sieve. I have waited too long and ended up with the gel.

[@igelkott255]

@@UncleJessy just get 4 pint containers and fill each with IPA. In the first pour 1 tbsp resin in and mix. In the 2nd 2 tbsp, then 3 tbsp etc. mix them up really well. Cure each one and see what happens.....

[@Uterr]

@@UncleJessy there is easy and fast way to clear your ipa alcohol. Just put in into a freezer, resin separate and condense in matter of night at -10 Celsius, 95% of resin would condense on bottom of container, if you want to make it clearer, then just refreeze it again, more resin will stay at the bottom.

[@hightde13]

VOG did a video on his process a little while back so maybe he has some suggestions. There are two printable funnels on etsy that let more of the filter, well, filter, that seemed to work ok when I tried this with water from water washable resin. If you re-visit this I would try not waiting quite so long or at least adding in a bit of fresh alcohol so it doesn't gel up so much. And possibly so a sample batch and if it gels don't run the next batch as long. Hope you have some more success on a re-visit!

[@vasili1207]

Yeah vog nailed it.. jess is clueless he has no common sense or a basic understanding of physics

[@dmerriman]

I think my original comment got removed because of a link to Amazon :( I haven't tried it yet, but I would try a all natural water clarifier, commonly used in pools. It will bind to debris and particulates in water, they clump up and settle at the bottom making it easy to strain. Might work in IPA.

[@erikawalley9171]

I have been fairly successful filtering my IPA. I try to use 90+% and cure it early and often before filtering it through the paint strainers. I do this 2-3 times before I get clear,, clean looking IPA. I usually have a few different "cycles" always going so when I'm curing the resin in one batch of alcohol, I'm filtering another, and using another. It's frustrating for sure when I get failed batches, but early and often is the best suggestion I have for you.

[@Xaqaria]

This is basically what I do. 90+%. Turn on the UV light and watch it bubble. Turn off and let it settle. Pour off the top or filter. Do it frequently.

[@Make3DTV]

You may want to try simple evaporation: Pour your dirty IPA in a larger container. Place a smaller empty container (you may need to weigh it down so it doesn't float) in the middle of the pool of IPA in the larger container. Cover the top of the larger container with saran wrap. Place a small weight (a small rock?) on top of the saran wrap in the middle, above the small empty container. The dirty IPA will evaporate onto the saran wrap, condense, and drip into the smaller empty container, leaving clean IPA in the smaller container. This is actually a military survival technique to purify water.

[@teyrasiridae4704]

Great for water, terrible for IPA. Don’t forget that it is very flammable. You’d preferably want to avoid turning it into vapor altogether

[@Make3DTV]

@@teyrasiridae4704 I'm going to try it. As long as it's not near a flame, it shouldn't be a problem. Will report back.

[@charlesballard5251]

Now that's a thought. Easy because the IPA is constantly evaporating.

[@Make3DTV]

I gave it a try over the weekend and it works, but I didn't recover much IPA. I was evaporating in the sun, which caused the resin to harden and lock in some of the IPA. I think the key is to keep the slop in the dark and let the resin settle to the bottom before evaporating. I shot some video that I will put together on it.

[@teyrasiridae4704]

@@Make3DTV I cure my jars of dirty IPA under a UV lamp, then set them in the window sill for a week or so. I've never gotten this gelatinous mass though, just a murky suspension which eventually settles on the bottom. Then you just decant off the clear IPA (you could do that through a funnel/filter too).

[@thomasm06]

Set up some sort of centrifuge? Like what we use in the lab to separate liquids and suspended solids in liquids? But never tried to separate the volume you would need.

[@garethlewin1193]

The biggest issue I have is that I can't get more buckets for my elegoo wash and cure. If you had 2 or 3 then letting them stand for days wouldn't be a problem.

[@learnilluminatedrealitystu5571]

yeah same for the creality wash and cure....I even sent emails and Twitter no response at all from them

[@bebopBiGsHoT]

Pour your used ipa in the bottle it came in.. Marked used ipa... Put that in the sun for a few days.. reclaim liquid on top

[@Tarex_]

Me being one of those who suggested curing the resin in the IPA, i also say patience, let it settle, or if you wanna have some fun design an excenter separator or just get a salad spinner and put the container in it, should get them separated pretty quickly

[@CobaltCatalyst]

Pure the liquid into a mason jar that has a snap lock seal. place that jar in the sun for up to 2 days. the liquid will separate from the resin and you should be left with clean-ish IPA.

[@CYMotorsport]

2:00 I'm sure you figured this out by now seeing the date but this has to do with resin composition and saturation. There's a tipping point when your IPA is so saturation with resin from lack of cleaning, the chemical reaction yields that gelatinous result. However, if you keep it relatively clean and let it fully settle for atleast a day, you'll be successful recovering a fair amount.

[@brettlee4955]

I think you have to let it settle before curing under UV, and then decanting the IPA of the top. Even this leaves some contaminants in the solvent though, and after 3 or 4 cycles it's performance starts to degrade. I know you want a "simple" solution, but a distilling setup costs ~$120 and makes this problem completely go away with minimal effort.

[@DaveRigDesign]

I've been using a degreaser (Spray-9) instead of IPA, but Coffee filters have been working well. You need something in the funnel to keep the filter off the walls or you just get liquid filtering though the bottom and not the sides. I use a webbed insert I printed. as the filter starts to clog with resin the flow rate slows so I end up with the funnel full and draining slowly, But I just let it sit for a few hrs and et eventually drains leaving the a thick paste of resin in the filter. Curing outside dries it out. But I'm only doing about 1L at a time so you may need multiple funnels to do 8Ls My fluid isn't perfectly clear when done though, but pretty close. To get back to 100% distilling is probably your best bet, all be it dangerous. You could try a wine filter pump. They work by using a pump to push the wine though multiple very fine filters under pressure to remove very small particles. You would still need to pre filter somehow though to remove the majority of the resin. Example of a wine filter kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJbSmYSlqNNmaq8

[@sparkyman987]

Distillation would be the correct way but you could also try getting it to seperate on its own. I know you said you're impatient and don't want to wait for it but you should be able to put it in a fridge to help speed up the seperation process. Might speed it up dramatically. Might be worth a try.

[@vasili1207]

This has been covered by Vog... he's nailed it

[@lovrojancic9361]

You should have two sets of IPA, after a two week usage of one set you should let it sit still for a week or two to let your liquid separate its layers by density, after its separated u can carefully run it trough UV curing cycle and filter the hardened parts out, meanwhile u can use the other set and then interchange those two every two weeks. good luck!

[@MkmeOrg]

A modded countertop water distiller will clean it. A stock one with only a few mins on the extended off should do it too so you dont end up with a poof. That should remove the goobers and leave you pure IPA if you keep the temp low

[@unB10]

I run a print shop on Etsy (don't worry, not gonna plug it! lol), but I have tried everything I could to save IPA because I spend as much on IPA as I do on resin. And with the volume I go through, that's a LOT of IPA. Here's the best solution I've found. It's similar to something that you mentioned in the video, but with a few changes. I use a two step cleaning process. I rinse every print off in a bucket of "used" IPA first (see below) to remove the majority of the resin. This helps me extend my IPA usage by a couple of days by limiting the resin that gets suspended in the "clean" IPA. After the initial dunking in used IPA, I transfer to an ultrasonic cleaner with my clean IPA. I change my IPA every 4 to 5 days. By "change", I mean start the rest of this process. 1. I have 3 large sealed containers that I rotate through, for dirty IPA. When it's time to change the IPA, I dispose of what's in my "dirty" bucket (at this point it's more resin than IPA). Then I pour what's in the oldest sealed container of IPA into the dirty bucket. By the time I pour it, that container has been sitting for roughly 2 weeks and the alcohol has decanted from the resin significantly. This is now my new first wash "used" IPA. 2. Now, I pour the formerly "clean" IPA through a metal stainless steel filter strainer from Sovol (on Amazon for about $14...not affiliated at all, just like the product) into this now empty sealed container and shuffle it to the back to decant for 2 weeks. The filter is more to remove any chunks of supports than to remove any resin. 3. Lastly I fill my clean container up with fresh IPA and start the process over. Is it perfect? Not at all. But at the volume of printing I do, I was changing my IPA every 2 to 3 days and this has allowed me to double that. Since I'm selling prints, I have to try extra hard to make sure that I'm not stretching the wash out too far and sending my customers sticky prints. If you do find a way to reliably clean IPA well enough to actually reuse in the ultrasonic cleaner, that would be phenomenal. Hoping you find the magic alchemical formula. Thanks for all the videos!

[@TheZahnputz]

hi, if you postcure your prints submerged in water it quickly eliminates all stickiness from cleaning with dirty ipa! (oxygen contact prevents the resin curing on the surface, leaving it sticky)

[@anthonykirkpatrick30]

I have an idea for the weird gelatin stage. I'm reminded of your video where you finished an FDM print by covering it with resin and curing it. Try the gelatin stage for that, or see if it can be an effective glue for resin parts using a UV light.

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

The way that i clean IPA from resin is to put it in a glass bottle and leave it in the sun, the resin will harden at the bottom, filter the rest and put it in a container for used IPA.

[@HannibalCaine]

Try a centrifuge type device to spin the solution apart. Might work!

[@misteranderbro2328]

Hey Jessy, do you have any recommendations on how to clean cured resin off of the tanks themselves? I cleaned them as much as I can but there is still a lot of particles on the tanks that I'm not excited about

[@jfdkfajsksadjlfa2218]

replying to this to get a notif

[@toaddreyfuss]

First, I don't recommend keeping IPA in your wash station tank. I don't do it, period. If I"m not going to be cleaning prints for a few days, I take the IPA in the wash station and dump it into a five gallon bucket (my wash station is pretty large, about 3.5 gallons). Then I go and rinse out the wash station tank. I destroyed a couple wash tanks by leaving cleaner, IPA, or resin in the tanks... so that's where this is coming from. If you don't do this, it's much easier. You can also take off the impeller at the bottom of the wash stations (allen wrench) and then you can deep clean under them. The magnets that are on the Anycubic one that I have have been damaged (well, my older wash and cure, the one I got before the big one) and so I'm very cautious about that.

[@GregAtlas]

When I do the coffee filter method I do it after every print or every other print and I cure the fluid in clear water bottles (16.9 fluid ounces if I remember the size right) before filtering. Still turns out a little murky but much cleaner than before and I have to change filters every bottle because they will get too clogged after that. It's not a fast process unfortunately but it has worked for me so far. I prefer not to wait typically because clean alcohol really makes a difference in my prints, but I do wish there were an easier way to do it in bulk like you seem to want to do. Interesting idea for distilling the alcohol, but I would want to avoid that setup as well, especially considering the flammable nature of alcohol. I wonder how much the container may play into things. Probably not much if any since I know PET tends to be chemically resistant, but it does leech chemicals into water and possibly moreso into alcohol? I haven't tried any other materials like glass. I think I'll see if attaching a bottle brush to a drill can quickly clean the left over residue of resin left in a Mason jar or something. Edit: I just remembered that there's an old survival method of distilling water where you take a basin/tub of salt water (resin alcohol in this case) and put a piece of plastic over the top and a rock in the middle to create a low divot point (kinda like a funnel) and a container inside the basin. Basically the sun heats the water into vapor, the vapor gets caught and collects on the plastic and as it collects and cools it gets larger and heavier to the point where it will be pulled by gravity down to the point where the rock divot is in the plastic where it drips down into the catching container. This would probably be too slow of a process for our needs, but it would be interesting if it worked in some sort of sealed container and maybe using a sun oven to speed things up. Perhaps having some sort of heatsink system for the collector container to keep the collected fluid cold.

[@gibsonsimpson]

Polymer guy here. I enjoy your channel and your approach to this topic. You are battling three elements in you used IPA. First, the solubilized and unreacted monomers. Those won't come out without distillation or vacuum distillation. Second, the photo initiators are in the solution as well. Same as unreacted monomer and won't come out without distillation. These two problems are why you got the gelled material rather than a precipitate. The concentration was probable too high in the IPA, too. Third is the pigments. You can filter those but you may have to reduce the filter's efficiency to less than 10 microns. You could use pool filtrate (diatomaceous earth) in a filter press. In the end you may be able to filter the particles out but you won't be able to filter out the monomers and photo imitator. You will need to heat distill or vacuum distill the IPA. You could use an inhibitor such as MEHQ to prevent gelling in a distillation set-up if you use the IPA with the current level of washes. Don't know of this helped but best of luck!

[@VinceRoh]

I come after the war but here is some tips working for me: First I do not clean the supports as it just gets your IPA dirty faster. Second I use 2 baths of IPA prior to the wash and cure station, you will have just one really dirty IPA to clean often and the other ones can be used over a longer period of time. Third, to clean the dirty IPA, I expose it to UV over a long period of time in a closed container, then I filter it through a kitchen towel, why? because the coffee filters are too thin and gets clogged so fast... The advantage of the towel is that, when all the liquid goes through, it leaves this gewy slimy residue that you can squeeze to get as much IPA as possible out. It leaves a solid cured plastic on the towel. Let it dry and you can remove it in one bloc so the towel can be reused again. Then you can filter it with the coffee filter, it will be way way faster :)

[@jordangladden]

Buy a $100 water distiller to collect your IPA/ethanol and cure the little bit that remains in the distiller. I've been doing this for years. Alternatively, you can do the first wash with a degreaser (mean green) in a heater ultrasonic. That liquid can be cured and filtered and thrown in the garbage. Then do the IPA/ethanol wash in the cleaning station. This has been my best process and I do this commercially.

[@chidori0117]

I am not sure what process you are using for distilling the IPA and dont want to asume anything. But since I am a chemist i wanted to give the warning that IPA distillation can be a fire and exlosion hazard if done in equipment not designed for the procces and or done unsupervised. Most of the time problems occur if the heated contaier runs dry and get above boiling temperature for the IPA. IN that case vapous can ignite and explode. So if you have not done so already be sure to check for stuff like that and maybe place the distillation apparatus inside some containment. Back in my university the IPA distillery (used for distiling water out of the IPA) blew up 2 times in the span of 3 years.

[@jordangladden]

@@chidori0117 Thanks for the heads up. We have a distiller under a fume hood. We've never had issues but I'll look into these hazards. Thanks.

[@jordangladden]

@@chidori0117 I use a setup similar to this video. There is always a small bit of thick liquid left in the distiller that we harder and discard. We often use ethanol instead of IPA. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3fRdJqOos-ZnbM

[@bradc7827]

I honestly fill mine pretty full in the wash station. I just let my prints soaks in the ipa and don’t turn on the spinning at all. Cleans the prints and keeps all the ipa and resin separated. Can clearly see resin at the bottom. Clear on top. Pour off the clean get rid the nasty at the bottom.

[@StefsEngineering]

Did you consider using something like those oil absorption wipes? I'm not sure those will work in this instance but there may be a fabric type filter that reacts/binds with the resins and not with IPA. That is how those oil filters/wipes work, they attract and bind with the oil but water is unaffected

[@MysticGrower]

I use a machine called "The Source" to reclaim my Ethenol. Not sure how it would work on IPA though. It would take a lot of IPA to cover the cost of the machine ($500) so I doubt it's worth it even if it worked.

[@MacrosV]

Okay, so first thing you want to do is convert an old washing machine into an ultracentrifuge, then you can just distribute the dirty fluid into an even number of containers and distribute them symmetrically about the ultracentrifuge and run it to spin down the solids, ezpz.

[@LoreRavendark]

My process involves more IPA initially but I think you can use it longer. I will use a batch, wash my prints in it, wait for it to start turning colors. Once it is noticeably different in color (a few washes) I will pour it back into into the IPA bottle, let it sit for a while to let it settle out some then blast it with UV. After it has settled and the UV made the sludge I decant the remaining back into another empty container. It is admittedly a lossy process, you lose maybe 10-20%, at least the way I do it. You might be able to get a bit more if you filter the sludge.

[@AdmiralBates2277]

You're going to a lot of effort to test all these filter and you don't seem to be talking about the size of the particulates you're trying to filter out. Surely you get a filter that based on that rather than this spray and pray approach? I don't let my IPA get that dirty. After about 5 or 6 uses I will decant the IPA into clear plastic 500ml water bottles. Screw the lid down (that's important as IPA will evaporate and watching your $ store containers, I didn't see any lids on them and they gave a HUGE surface area to evaporate from). I then leave them outside to allow the natural UV from standard daylight to active the resin particulate in the IPA and then sink to the bottom of the bottle. Small bottles are best as they ensure that the light can penetrate with greater efficiency than a bigger bottle that has a bigger volume to "attack". Let it settle for a week or so and then filter off what's left. It's not perfect by any means, but I have never had the gelatinous blob you had.

[@cgjeff]

Personally, for my big ultrasonic, I designed a little cage that uses 1 or 5 micron home water filters cut into thirds, and a cheap aquarium pump. Don't ever let the tank get super dirty, it is an active filter system running anytime I clean anything. It legit pulls like 99% of the schmutz out of the tank easily. Those filters get GROSS after a while, but the mean green / ipa mix stays perfectly clean for ages.

[@specialingu]

if they seporate over time, you could probably use a centrifuge to speed up the process, and another filter type i thought of, is fuel. im guessing if the filters youve tried cant filter out the resin greyness, they arent fine enough, or the particle size is the same as the ipa. i do wonder if the distilling idea would work too, but just using the sun and some black paper or white paper to direct as much energy as you can into your ipa container, but without flame :)

[@brandonb417]

On Hackaday there was an article where a guy made a rotary machine that uses a TP roll and a UV light to cure out resin. By the time it was done the roll had a big buildup of resin and a tub full of ipa The name of the article is "TOILET PAPER TUBE PULLS DISSOLVED RESIN FROM IPA, CURES IT FOR DISPOSAL"

[@1234fishnet]

Idea 1): Destillation of the alcohol Idea 2) Centrifugation In a test tube (this small tubes used for blood samples). It's used to separate different fluids of the blood in medical use Idea 3: put the whole liquid in a long pipe to increase the total height so that it separates by gravity. Maybe put a small (not powerful) UV Diode in the middle. So when the resin particles cure they can sink down. I think filters will not work because it's a solution [chemistry]. Btw I would have tried exactly the same things that you tried before

[@icemanfred]

I don't print very much in resin. but i started to collect the dirty liquid in glass jars. since i am lazy they sat around a few days.it did start to separate. but i think it cures better in glass. it continued to separate during curing. I was previously using the same plastic containers i was using for actually washing the models in.

[@ra.5197]

I know im way late to this discussion. However, I got some dirty ipa from work that im trying to filter. No cost👍 After thinking about it, i would think the method of letting it sit in the sun brings the heaviest stuff down. The remaning cloudy stuff i am guessing are resin bits that are so small that they remain in suspension. Thats why fine filters don't work. Again, that's just sn observation. If anyone wants to comment please do. Im going the distillation route. I like making this stuff so an old crockpot, a can, and a few condenser coils to start the experiment.

[@mrawesomeDK]

Your problem is patience :-) By sticking it in the curing chamber, you're basically curing the resin leftovers too fast, which is why you end up with a gooey mess. Filter it once into a seperate clear bottle, to get rid of any bigger chunks of cured resin. Then leave it in your window sill to absorb natural UV for a couple of weeks. This will cause cured resin to precipitate to the bottom, and leave a virtually clean IPA. When your IPA solution is clear, filter it through a regular coffee filter - pour slowly, as you don't want to stirr up the settled resin too much. You'll probably clog up a few filters in the process, but they're dirt cheap. Compared to boiling IPA in a still it's a much safer process. So if you keep a couple of IPA batches in circulation, you'll have a "fresh" batch by the time your IPA becomes really dirty.

[@AndrewSink]

Just drop a slice of lemon and a little umbrella on it! 😂

[@TheSlurton]

It would be nice if the resin printing vendors would put their heads together and figure this out. Having said that, I've tried everything you have as well. The problem also exists in the type of resin being used for the print. I've seen that putting the resign in a glass jar and putting it out in the sun for a few days will separate the alcohol from the resign. However, this seems to only work with resins from FormLabs which is a different type of resin because the FormLabs is an SLP printer. I did buy a medical grade filter for $25 per filter but it only lasted for one 6 Inch bottle of resin. Waste of money.

[@moussabellahcene6787]

Depends of the resin. Don't melt all dirty IPA in the same bottle : one tank for each resin is better. Some will clean, other will fail. With Elegoo Std and Sunlu Std I got a blob : Can't get IPA back. With Phrozen Aqua (Name si Aqua but it needs IPA to clean) the IPA was almost as clean as new after some days out in a bottle.

[@mordokai597]

Start out by dissolving 1-2 TBS of alum/aluminum sulfate or black mica in 100-200 ml of distilled water and add to up to a gallon of IPA. Agitate a little bit, wait 24 hours. Like 90%+ of the resin will have sedamented at the bottom. Pour off the top "aqueous layer" through any kind of simple filter

[@brianwillis3892]

DISTILL IT... same way we reclaim IPA when making oil plant extracts.... (it's called Fractional Distillation)

[@MrGerhardGrobler]

Interesting video... Have you ever seen the water filter that uses evaporation to filter water? You take 2 coldrink bottles. Cut a hole in the 2 caps, and place a 20mm PVC conduit pipe inside. Then you have dirty water in the bottom. put it in the sun and the evaporated water will condence in the top bottle you can unscrew and have clean water. So, what if you try that for your ISP? Not to complicated, and no fancy equipment needed. As I just do FDM printing for now {I am sentitive to stuff} I haven't run into your problem yet. BUT! Recycling your ISP, rather than than just dumping it, is a very GREEn thing to do. And will save you $$$ in the long run.

[@David-gr4ko]

Not an IPA solution but... I use Mean Green in a large ultrasonic cleaner (holds about 2.5 gallons). When my solution needs to be changed, I transfer/drain it to a 5 gallon bucket and refill my ultrasonic cleaner. Mean Green and resin separate very quickly. So after a day I will use a fish tank gravel siphon to gently and slowly siphon off the separated mean green solution without disturbing the settled resin. I typically place it back in the gallon containers I originally purchased the Mean Green in. I set the remaining solution and resin in the bucket outside for a day and then get rid of the cured resin....rinse and repeat. Lowes/Home Depot/Ace bucket = $4.00, fish tank gravel siphon = $6.00+

[@mrgriff9648]

Controversial suggestion, use dipropylene glycol methyl ether instead. Per gram of solvent you can dissolve between 30 and 50% weight resin which is a much higher loading compared to ipa, ethanol or acetone. Think of how many prints 300g of liquid resin represents. After it's saturated take it to your local waste disposal site (in the UK it's free) and dispose of as waste chemicals/paints. : In the UK you can get the solvent for £6‐7 per kg/L and will outlast equivalent cost of ipa etc.

[@ragathielcross2179]

Im having HUGE problems....so i have a HALOT One resin printer with elegoo water washable resin and when i go to print its like it just fails half way. So i got a orc bust statue and the head came out great but when i went back 9 hours later it was like right after it was done with the head it did not add the neck and the body to it. everything sticks to the build plate very well takes a bit to get off. I just dont know why no matter what i print or the size it only partially prints...when i printed dwarf minis the legs printed until it got to the waist and then stopped but the dwarf beside him on the build plate printed just fine.....im just stuck i have know idea whats wrong or how to fix...PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!

[@cidraalaraj871]

Elegoo listens to you.. please ask them to make NON clear red resin 😢😢😢 i need it for my work and I've tried to make my own but it just doesn't work..

[@andymoses628]

1) don't let it get that dirty. 2) Do not expose to UV. 3) put it in a clear sealed container and let sit in the dark. 4) pour out the cleaner IPA off the top through a filter into a second sealed container, repeat until clean. About 3 time's. The residue you put in a sealed plastic bottle let sit Some more IPA will separate. Pour off into the first container. and keep doing so until plastic bottle is full. Expose unsealed bottle to UV, cap and toss. THERE IS NO FAST WAY!!!

[@ТимурХисамутдинов-ь1ъ]

Hello friend! I'm from Russia, I'm writing through a translator, so I'm sorry, it will look crooked! I light up the alcohol, wait until the polymer precipitates and expose it to the street now we have -30 degrees Celsius, the polymer thickens and the alcohol can be safely poured!

[@Calumetto]

Centrifuge? Distillation? Maybe you could boil off the alcohol WITHOUT IGNITING IT. Then pass the vapor through a coiled tube or AC condenser and catch the liquid in a container.

[@lordbinky]

Don't know if you solved your issue with a practical method but I got a two part method I like that can be done relatively quickly ( I'm not waiting days for this). Dissolve some aluminum sulfate into distilled water then mix it up really well, then mix it into the IPA and I just let it stir for 30 minutes using my cure station for this. I dump the mix into a bucket, and let it sit there and stir it occasionally when I remember for the next half hour or so until I feel warm and fuzzy that the resin precipitated out of the IPA. Between cleaning the cure & wash tub and normal household distractions it's usually settled for me. I pour off the cleaned IPA into a couple big pickle jars (and use a dedicated turkey baster for the last bit if I feel it's worth the effort). I could strain it, but I haven't yet and I'd rather just cure the leftovers in the sun and bin it. In the jars I dump some brine water and stir it up again. This step dries the IPA out letting the salt water pull more water from the IPA and it makes a nice layer to tell the two apart leaving me more concentrated IPA than when I started the whole thing which I see as another reward for the effort. When done right you'll be edging toward a layer of 99% IPA, but I have neither the means nor the inclination to quantify my results... Which I guess is odd for me and my number chasing ways... The salting step I either wait for about 30 minutes for this step if I'm impatient or let it sit till the next day when I'm willing to deal with it again. In the jar you'll see within minutes the separate IPA layer and water layers making it easier to get just the IPA out and store it. As for the mixtures, the salt water I just use kosher / iodine free salt dissolved in tap water. For the flocculants I mix 50 grams into 1.25 cups per 2 liters of IPA, (for ~$10 for a 1lb on amazon you can clean/improve up 18 liters of IPA). I should try mixing both steps into one some day and see if it works out. if the resin wasn't cleaned from the IPA well, you can tell on the salting step because you have clear salt water to compare your IPA to.

[@nilsendjer3079]

Vertical pipe, about 1m long and 10-12cm diameter T-Piece with on port horizontal and one down, additional 10-20cm pipe and plug at the bottom, one simple valve at the pluged up horizontal port, Fill with IPA, let ist settle over the next days and take the now slightly cloudy IPA out via that valve. about 1-1,5 liter of IPA will konstantly remain at the bottom flip that entire contruct upside down from time to time, so that this goo gets out. if metal piping is to expensive, use something that blocks UV light or else everything hardens over time on the inside it also works at 1/2 scale

[@stinkyham9050]

Filters will never work. You are attempting to filter out one liquid from another. Physical filters are designed to remove suspended solids from a liquid so they aren't going to do anything. There probably is a solution but it's probably expensive and difficult. Separating the 2 would probably go something like this. Slowly evaporate the IPA, the vapor passes by a UV light to remove any resin that might still be in it, then the vapor is put through a condenser and the IPA is collected. Basically this is distilling the IPA which could be very dangerous (explosion hazard) and possibly illeagel, it's the same way booze is made.

[@Adonathiel]

Your IPA is too saturated with resin. You HAVE to cure the resin particles before you can filter them out, otherwise the resin is in solution with the IPA and no filter in the world will do anything. If you expose the IPA to UV light before it becomes this saturated, then you will get small flakes swimming in the IPA, instead of this gelatin. What do is I agitate it after curing (just shake the container a bunch), to break up those flakes, let them settle and then filter the mostly clear IPA that accumulates on the top. You can dump the remaining flakes into a cheese cloth and squeeze more alcohol out. I usually recover about 80-90% of the IPA this way TL;DR : Your resin is over saturated. Clean it more frequently

[@drathscion]

I have seen people suggest putting your dirty ipa in sealed Mason jars and leave it sit outside until the resin falls out because of the sub light. It takes a couple days. Then filter it. The only way to get it completely clean is distillation, which I wouldn't try until I got most of the resin out of the ipa.