Bestine Users Speak Up

[carlso]

If Michael's doesn't handle it anymore try an art supply store. That is where I got mine.

Carl

[Dave Schneider]

This is a rubber cement thinner, so art supply shops are more likely to carry it than a place like Michaels. Surprised that they carried it in the first place.

Best wishes, Dave

[rschaffter]

Naphtha from the hardware store should work.  It is a mixture of light aliphatic hydrocarbons, including heptane...

[bbussey]

Blicks also carries it.  As does Amazon online if you can't find it locally.

[C855B]

Naphtha from the hardware store should work.  It is a mixture of light aliphatic hydrocarbons, including heptane...

Not to be contrary, but do you have firsthand experience using naphtha with Shapeways FUD? I'd be concerned with the other-than-heptane solvents it contains and would want to try it on scrap first if it's a relative unknown.

As Mark (Spookshow) can definitely attest, even solvents we consider to be "normal" or "harmless" can do very strange things to the mostly-new-to-us resins used in rapid prototyping processes. Heck... the discovery that Bestine/heptane works as well it does was pretty much a happy accident, IIRC.

[Jamesn320]

And as for the likes of us that live outside the US and can't get Bestine I can 100% confirm that Goo Gone works and works well.  A 24 hour soak in Goo Gone followed by a rinse off under the tap will leave the parts half translucent with a yellow tint.  But if you then leave them for another 24 to 48 hours out in the air they will turn opaque and almost white.  Paint takes to them perfectly, there is not a lot of fuzz to brush off and defiantly no waxy residue left.  And I am speaking form lots of experience here. 

And as C855B says, heptane is the active ingredient that works with the chemical products but some of the other ingredients do more harm than good so read the label and test on a scrap bit.

I have also found the Goo Gone loses its potency the more you use it, the first time it is used it can be a bit harsh so don’t overdo the 24 Hours with a new batch.  And also remember to use it in a sealed jar or container because it evaporates quickly.

-James

[Chris333]

Doesn't Goo Gone have pine oil in it? You would have to clean the Goo off when done before painting. (I think) When I get Goo Gone on my hands they are slick and I feel I need to wash them very good.

I read Goo Gone is mostly tolulene:

The problem is that you are going to have to use something. After you use the Goo gone, I would use soap and water, mineral spirits and then finally lacquer thinner or acetone.

When I soaked parts in acetone they look just as clean and dry as with Bestine.

[Jamesn320]

Doesn't Goo Gone have pine oil in it? You would have to clean the Goo off when done before painting. (I think) When I get Goo Gone on my hands they are slick and I feel I need to wash them very good.

I read Goo Gone is mostly tolulene:
When I soaked parts in acetone they look just as clean and dry as with Bestine.

Hi Chris, yep, when the parts come out of the Goo Gone they are slippery.  The wash in the water gets rid of most of it plus the wax it has lifted off. Then the rest evaporates off.  I am sure it’s a lot more technical than that but it works perfectly for me.  When I pick them up the next day after being out in the air they are bone dry and take paint really well.

-James

[rschaffter]

Not to be contrary, but do you have firsthand experience using naphtha with Shapeways FUD? I'd be concerned with the other-than-heptane solvents it contains and would want to try it on scrap first if it's a relative unknown.

As Mark (Spookshow) can definitely attest, even solvents we consider to be "normal" or "harmless" can do very strange things to the mostly-new-to-us resins used in rapid prototyping processes. Heck... the discovery that Bestine/heptane works as well it does was pretty much a happy accident, IIRC.

I have a MS in Chemistry, but everyone is an authority on the Web.

Sokramiketes used Naphtha here:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28137.105

and Fishplate used it here...

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?137121-Question-on-cleaning-Shapeways-FUD-material

[jimmo]

My experience with Bestine is that it gets rid of the crap you don't want and (depending on the item) in a relatively short time, the item is ready for paint. Yes Goo Gone works but the trade off is that takes a while for the Goo Gone to be gone.

[DKS]

the discovery that Bestine/heptane works as well it does was pretty much a happy accident, IIRC.

I will not lay claim to being the originator of this application of heptane, but I've been using it practically since RP models first started appearing commercially (anyone remember MakeMyModel?). Once I learned that wax was the residue, heptane became the automatic choice since I've been using it for graphic arts production since the early 70s, when it was used to soften the wax applied to the back of text and artwork. Heptane won't attack most resins or plastics, and is extremely volatile (evaporates quickly), leaving no chemical residues, unlike others such as Naptha or GooGone which often require an additional cleaning step before painting. Since it works better than anything else I've tried, I've been recommending it to anyone working with RP models.

[mmagliaro]

Thanks, Max!  I found a Michael's store that's not too far away.  I'll give it a shot.

DFF

Unless it's a regional thing where they don't all carry it, they should have it.  I saw it on the shelf in Michael's less than a month ago
here in Oregon.

[JMaurer1]

I've been to three Michaels in Nor Cal and have been able to find the glue (Best Test) but I haven't even found where the Bestine should be anywhere. Then again, this IS California and it may be illegal or restricted here. If it ain't pot, it ain't legal.

[peteski]

... leaving no chemical residues, unlike others such as Naptha

I strongly disagree.

Naphtha (such as the VM&P Naphtha or Ronsonol Ligher Fluid) leaves absolutely no residue.  Easy test is to place a drop of it on a piece of clean glass and see what is left after it evaporates. Make sure the glas surface is clean not to skew the results.

But OTOH, Goo-Gone leaves an oily residue and as I said earlier, I would not recommend it for cleaning anything which needs to be really clean for painting.  But Goo-Gone is not pure naphtha.

[sd45elect2000]

I tried:
 A cheap ultra sonic cleaner with soap and water. poor results
 A cheap ultrasonic cleaner with goo gone. Better but still poor results
 Scalecoat wash away paint stripper. Destroyed 2 expensive models, I used the stripper because the paint would not dry and I dropped the model on a carpet floor.

The problem is that paint won't dry on models that are not free of wax (or at least it will take weeks to dry) and oils and the paint will chip off or peel off when you remove masking tape.

The only thing I use now is Bestine. I have left the models in the bestine for a week or more without damage. I don't have any stores near me so my only option was to order it online.


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