Prep-sol & resin

[mopargreg]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question about preparing resin parts. I see most recommend & use Westleys Bleach white for soaking the body prior to painting to remove the mold release. In in Australia & have looked high & low & its not available here. I have seen on the forums people have used a few other products & the only product I can get here is Prep-sol, I have a can already.

So if I use Prepsol to remove the mold release on resins do I just wipe the parts well followed by a wash in warm soapy water. Or do I need to soak the parts for a day or 2 in Prep-sol? Does the Prep-sol need to be diluted with water or something?

I have built a few resin cars in the past & all I have ever done is wash the parts in warm soapy water. Maybe Ive been lucky. Im about to build a few Modelhaus & MCW resin cars so Im wondering if I need to do something more than a quick wash with those as I would ather not have painting issues with the more expensive resin pieces.

Any help would be great as its confusing.

[monkeyclaw]

Greg; simply cleaning well with prep-sol is sufficient....I usually give a good wet wipe; then wipe off the haze; and it's ready for sealer.... The amount of release that's still on your parts is the key to the amount of cleaning needed....If the part is so slippery you cant even hold it; then try scrubbing using prep-sol with a soft toothbrush; so you are sure to get in all the cut lines and such....I have been using prepsol for many years; and it always works well for me...I hope this helps.........matt

[spad007]

A can of Prep-sol ought to last you years ha ha...it is a solvent so test it on some place it won't show.

I have used it on cars and pu's many times (Full size)

some times just on scuff and shoot jobs it's best to go over every thing twice then wipe clean

then tack rag and shoot before stuff gets dirty again .

[Roncla]

I've been using Prep-sol for decades. I have always used it straight from the can. Just apply it to a cloth and give the part a good wipe down.

I've never soaked anything in it and since its a solvent I'd be hesitant to do so.

A Modelhaus resin kit I have here has a sheet that says to clean the parts with POR 15 Marine Clean which is a water based industrial strength cleaner degreaser.

Edited June 30, 2012 by Roncla

[Aaronw]

Anyone use Prep-All? I sent my wife to a local paint shop that said they had Prep-sol (my work hours don't work with their business hours) and she came back with Prep-All. I assume it is a knock off but probably the same basic thing? Seems to work ok, the first piece I cleaned with it had pretty bad orange peal, but that could be due to my adjusting to it. I've always used Westleys in the past, but like the idea of not having to soak parts over night.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I know some of you guys use PrepSol to clean resin parts, but personally, I'm afraid of it. Why? A lot of resin parts are porous, and the stuff can soak into the pores of the resin and play jell with adhesion down the line. I painted the leading edges of the wings on a Cirrus SR22 a few years back, and used PrepSol as a final cleaner before the color coat. The PrepSol penetrated the primer, and the paint came off in sheets first time it was flown in rain. I've used 91% isopropyl alcohol for my final cleaning (and ALL of my cleaning other than the first wipe of a painted surface prior to sanding) since then, and haven't had any more problems.

Granted, you probably won't drive any models 180mph in a rain storm. I'm just sayin'..........