Purple Pond Container

[midwest 1953]

For those of you who have a "Purple Pond', what do you keep it in?

My previous one...I used a plastic shoe box, but it didn't seal well, so I poured the stuff back into the gallon container when not in use.This worked ok, but sometimes made a mess. Eventually, something happened, and the gallon container developed a leak, which ran all over the floor, and made a big mess.

I had considered using a 5 gallon pickle bucket, but the lids on these don't always fit tight either.. and I have had these to split across the bottom.

Thanks,

Jim A.

[Marc @ MPC Motorsports]

I use a "Rubbermaid-type" small plastic box with a lid to contain the purple stuff. I don't keep it forever. I find it loses its effectiveness after you strip two or three models in a short time, so I dispose of it and get new. At $5/gal at Wal-Mart it's too cheap not to use fresh. The lid on this particular container is not air tight, so it evaporates in time anyway.

I've heard stories of builders keeping this stuff forever, but not this one.

[Eric Stone]

I use some sort of plastic box, possibly intended to be a shoe box since it's about the right size. The lid is hinged along one side, and it doesn't seal real well. It works fine for me, since it never travels far. I keep the box under the sink in the hall bath (near the model room) and when I'm accessing it, I take it out slowly and carefully set it on the toilet tank by the sink (it's a tiny bathroom...).

I used some Castrol stuff for a long time in the past, but I think the stuff I have now is parts store brand or off brand stuff, and I've noticed it's not as potent as it once was. I recommend pouring it back into its original container or a similar one and saving it. (OFFICIALLY GOING OFF ON A TANGENT STARTING... NOW) Do some research and see if there are any facilities that take household hazardous waste in your area. Some agencies also have events a few times a year to collect household hazardous wastes- This would be the old paint cans in your garage you'll never use, bottles of waste brake fluid you caught last time you bled the brakes on your car, that weird bottle in the shed that stinks like acetone but you're not exactly sure what it is, the jug of Super Clean that is infused with stripped paint particles, etc... These types of things shouldn't be thrown in the trash, but should be collected by groups or agencies that will ensure they're treated properly and not exposed to the environment. The Super Clean (or generic equivalent) jug says the stuff is safe to go down the drain, and can even be used as clog remover, but you have to remember that your local sewer treatment plant works so well because it's populated with bacteria that thrive on digesting your poo. When you start introducing chemicals to them, they don't like it as much, some die, and the plant isn't as effective at treating your wastewater. If you have a septic tank, you could also wreak havoc on that, which could cost you money to fix. Most treatment plants discharge the clean water into creeks, rivers, etc, and you want that effluent as clean as can be, so it's important not to poison the bugs in the plant by pouring mass quantities of nasty stuff down the drain. I guess this applies more to chemicals in general- I don't know exactly what's in the purple stuff, so I can't say for sure how nasty it actually is, but keep in mind what it does to your bare skin when you handle it... (END TANGENT)

Edited March 2, 2010 by Eric Stone

[Blake Rogers]

[Eric Stone]

??

I know, it's not exactly on the container topic, and is really only sorta halfway related to Marc mentioning it was time to replace his purple stuff, but I felt I should share in case that reminds everyone to throw theirs out and get new stuff.

[Blake Rogers]

ok eric no problem i was reading it and was like WHOA lol

[Eric Stone]

ok eric no problem i was reading it and was like WHOA lol

I work for a local environmental regulatory agency (the Gov'ment!), so I look at many things with an environmental slant, and learn about stuff like the household hazardous waste collections or what happens when you flush your toilet... Just wanted to share, hope I didn't overwhelm.

[Railfreak78]

This is the tank my buddy and I use. It works great so far (about 4 months) We have actually moved to a new house with this. It slowly evaporates and we just add more. It's cheap and very effective. Here is the tank and has the brand and the stuff we use in. It currently has a whole bottle of each.

[Eric Stone]

Here is the tank and has the brand and the stuff we use in. It currently has a whole bottle of each.

You mixed the brake fluid and purple stuff, or you have one container of each?

[Railfreak78]

You mixed the brake fluid and purple stuff, or you have one container of each?

They are both mixed together. Its soft on the car plastic and takes the paint off well. The longest I waited was a car with 4 different colors layered over each other. It let go of the paint after soaking for about 3 or 4 days without killing the body. I have also let one coat cars be in there for only 2 hours and grabbed a tooth brush and under the sink "whalla"

[Greg Cullinan]

I use a 5 gallon bucket with a twist on lid. Mine is from pool chlorine but its the same or similar for paint,spackle and a variety of other items,

[VW Dave]

For smaller stuff, I use an upside-down AMT showcase; while not totally airtight, it is easy to handle and keep out of the way. Here's where it's really great, however: when the bottom is loaded with sediment, I use a flashlight to help locate any small parts. I also have two of them stacked on top...er, bottom...of each other, and the second one has another stripper in it(ScaleCoat II).

For larger stuff, I have a square 5-gallon can in the garage that's about 1/3 full of the purple stuff.

[Blake Rogers]

I work for a local environmental regulatory agency (the Gov'ment!), so I look at many things with an environmental slant, and learn about stuff like the household hazardous waste collections or what happens when you flush your toilet... Just wanted to share, hope I didn't overwhelm.

well Eric at first you did man but i sat there for a second and thought you make a very good point thanks for the info

[midwest 1953]

I'd like to thank everyone for their replies... I will probably go with a two gallon glass jar with screw on lid primarily because I build a lot of trucks , and this will allow for the extra length

And maybe a small box as well....

[Scott Colmer]

Dont forget your tea bob the little parts. Otherwise you'll be fishing around for them. Oh, I use an old Q-tip container. Probably too small for body, but does the trick with the rest.

Hosted on Fotki

[Eric Stone]

Midwest,

Be careful if the jar has a metal lid, because I hear the stuff is pretty brutal on metal over the long term... I think it's corrosive.

[426hemiman]

I put the cars in a large ZipLoc container with the SuperClean, and then put the container into a utility sink filled with hot water. I do the same thing for parts, only use a smaller ZipLoc container. Using this method, the paint usually comes off within an hour.

[charlie8575]

I was toying with trying a Ziplock/Glad-type container, but I wasn't sure if it would seal tightly enough to work. I may give it a try.

Charlie Larkin

[Railfreak78]

Also one other thing I will get a picture of later is for small chrome parts I use a small container with a strainer made from something cheap out of wal marts kitchen section. This container holds Westley's bleach white for cars. It strips the chrome right off.

[Danno]

I previously used a plastic Sterilite/Rubbermade container with the supposedly-latching cover, but found they were loose enough to permit sloshing and spilling, creating mini-Tsunami like messes all over the place.

Following a tip from a friend on the Spotlight Hobbies board, I tried the container box that Swiffer mop pads come in. It's great!! Much better seal, no leaks, sloshes, splashes, spills! And, just the right size for most bodies without wasting too much liquid.

I now have one for the purple pond and another for Bleche-Wite (for cleaning/soaking resin bodies).

The only problem - you'll first have to be very nice to the little lady to get one, or you'll have to use the mop pads yourownself just to get the container!!

Try it. You'll like it.