Solvent for Styrofoam

[pantherx12]

Fair enough. Around here you need a permit even to burn leaves in a barrel, although to be fair, there was one guy who lit like three farms on fire because he was dumb enough to leave the fire going and go into town The one thing you can always trust to be true is people are idiots.

Wait... was that a riots joke?

No not a riots joke, just an Essex joke (It's kinda seen as a scummy place in England )


Technically your not supposed to burn stuff here either but people do it regardless.

People just don't like spending money on getting rid of stuff they don't want.

 

[m4gicfour]

Aha. I see.

Wouldn't that be considered part of this;

Threads that should/will be closed

Threads that request forums to participate in something illegal. For example, we will not tolerate threads requesting how to pirate Windows, where to buy marijuana, how to compromise a PC, etc.

I suppose it's not asking how to do something illegal, it's advising someone to do something illegal so that makes it OK?

Meh.

 

[pantherx12]

Aha. I see.

Wouldn't that be considered part of this;


I suppose it's not asking how to do something illegal, it's advising someone to do something illegal so that makes it OK?

Meh.

Not illegal ( technically ) where I'm from : ] ( You can get into trouble if your obnoxious about it, I.E burning stuff all the time or at odd times of day stuff like that)


( did have a longer post with the ins and out of it and a fake disclaimer but I feel the humour would be lost on non English folk)

 

[Kreij]

Advising someone to burn something (as in this case) is not requesting that someone participate in something illegal. It's up to the person to make the call for his or her area.

Burn Carry on.

 

[Arctucas]

<SNIP>

Where to I find MEK?

Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

You did not try the Acetone as I suggested?

 

[stinger608]

As I recall, the foam is actually adhered to the tank with a high temp adhesive. One may want to find a good quality adhesive remover to finish with the stripping process.

 

[Kreij]

Many paint strippers have Methylene Choride in them, just find one that does and try it. Most also work as adhesive removers. Just make sure you use it in a well ventilated area and use rubber gloves. It won't kill you from one use, but it's better to use protections from it than not.

 

[m4gicfour]

Advising someone to burn something (as in this case) is not requesting that someone participate in something illegal. It's up to the person to make the call for his or her area.

Burn Carry on.

Maybe if it were wood I'd agree, but it's a cured chemical compound and in 90% of places there will be some form of regulation relating to how it may be disposed of. Even if that regulation is nothing more than, "do not burn indoors or within 100 yards of occupied buildings". Neglecting to deal with the legal component is shady at best. Simply saying, burn it - but make sure it's safe and legal to do so first - completly sidesteps my argument.

On the other hand you're a mod and I know when to STFU. I'm mainly playing devil's advocate here anyway.

 

[Kreij]

@M4gic : lol ... your input is not misplaced nor misguided, it just does not fall withing the rules of TPU as being an attempt to gather people to contribute their efforts to an illegal activity.
In this case no one is attempting to get anyone to participate (become a party to) something that would be construed as an illegal activity. There is no attempt to gather support (whether through veral consesnsus or social gathering) for, nor imply connection with (by a consignment of binding agreement) an activity of that nature where the partipants could in some way could coerce, or physically force, that method.

Anyway ... I look forward to seeing if Sasqui got that crap off the tank.

 

[m4gicfour]

Oh legalese. How I want to be a smartass right now.

Yup I agree, I want to see how he did.

 

[Sasqui]

Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

You did not try the Acetone as I suggested?

Yes, 100% Acetone was the first thing I tried, then 91% alcohol... neither touched it. The power washer tore off all but about 50% of the residue. I'm going to try Methyl Ethyl Ketone next if I can find it.

Now I want to build a stainless steel computer case... have a freind who is a gifted welder.

 

[Arctucas]

Yes, 100% Acetone was the first thing I tried, then 91% alcohol... neither touched it. The power washer tore off all but about 50% of the residue. I'm going to try Methyl Ethyl Ketone next if I can find it.

Now I want to build a stainless steel computer case... have a freind who is a gifted welder.

http://img.techpowerup.org/110823/SS-Tank_After.jpg

I see...

The are other solvents you could try, such as Xylene or lacquer thinner.

 

[yogurt_21]

methyl ethyl ketone will certainly do the trick, there's little it wont dissolve.

we used to use it in the warehouse to melt plastic.

 

[Cuzza]

Welcome to the club. lol

We'll make it the Official TPU Burning Stuff Club

 

[jsfitz54]

Try Gasoline again, as solvent...it melts styrofoam coffee cups and it may disolve any adhesive now that the tank is almost stripped.

Could try a small burn area with gas as well.

See what a soldering torch, on its own, does to a small area.

Paint Stripper, with Methylene Chloride, as previously suggested. Should work with Poly based material such as polyurathane foam ie: Great Stuff in a can...clean up is paint thinner before cured.

Real Turpentine. Not cheap.

Could try sandpaper.

FOR ALL CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS WEAR A PROPER RESPIRATOR!!! Rated for that solvent.

Major BRAIN Damage with, Lacquer thinner, Acetone, MEK... any keytone, Toulene, Xylene, Benzene, Methylene Chloride.....

 

[BUCK NASTY]

OK, this is sorta my area of expertise. White Styrofoam is known as Expanded PolyStyrene(XPS). It will appear as little compressible beads that are bonded together. Gasoline is a simple solvent for this product. The product you have encountered is PolyIsocyanurate. This is a monolithic closed cell insulation/adhesive that is often used to bond metal skins to products and is a form of Polyurethane. It has a off-white(new) to yellow-orange(aged) appearance. The nature of its production makes it a very stable product. It is produced by mixing a given ratio of Part A and Part B depending on the desired psi compressibility. It can be made very firm or spongy like a sofa cushion. Unfortunately, the cured product is highly resistant to solvents. Prior to curing, Glycol Ether is one of the few products that will clean up PolyIso. I'd sandblast the shit out of it. Simple abrasion will be the only way to remove the cured product. Wish i had better news for you. Good luck!

 

[OneMoar]

PB blaster will melt 80% of all plasics

 

[Lazzer408]

Try carb cleaner.

 

[f22a4bandit]

Take a sander to it.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Try carb cleaner.

Take a sander to it.

Ditch the whole project and buy a Lian Li!?

 

[Lazzer408]

Screw it. Hook the pressure washer to the tank. The end results will be more fun then anything you'd build from it anyways. But don't think of doing something like that in your driveway. Use the neighbors driveway.

 

[m4gicfour]

Hey, why don't you stick an airbrush in the inlet and fill the tank with paint thinner vapour, stick a model rocket engine igniter in the overpressure valve and blow it up? Make sure you've got a juice box full of H2SO4 to drink while you're doing it.


Okay, maybe I should leave the trolling to others with more practice

 

[<<Onafets>>]

Put Windows Vista on it. What better way to get rid of bloatware than with really, really bad bloatware. * realizes he is 2 years late on vista jokes*
But seriously a high pressure cleaner like a gurney or a sand blaster seems like the only way with proper safety precautions and a good softening agent before hand.

 

[mastrdrver]

Ok, Pics - went with pressure washing, about 1 hour worth, 3000 psi washer:

After taking the skin and 3" of styrofoam off with hand tools:

http://img.techpowerup.org/110823/SS-Tank_Before.jpg

Almost done with power washing:

http://img.techpowerup.org/110823/SS-Tank_During.jpg

Done with power washing, still a thin layer on about 50% of it:

http://img.techpowerup.org/110823/SS-Tank_After.jpg

Where to I find MEK?

I see you went against the majority suggestions of burning it.......well, at least us pyros know who is not part of the club.

Though you still have a slight chance to redeem yourself though it sounds like your going to need a torch......or use m4gicfour's suggestion.

In related incidents a friend and I used to burn styrofoam cups in his fireplace......until he said not to do that anymore because he hated cleaning up the mess in the gas fireplace.