Ipa Wipe Down Tricks... Please Post Your Experience

**EMIN007** · 10-08-2009, 10:57 PM

Hi everyone wanted to see what are some of the common practices with IPA wipe down. I`m noticing a lot of time spent wiping with IPA, then wiping with final inspection just to remove the haze that the IPA has left and I wanted to know if there`s a more effecient or better process over all. Please post your best practices...

**Darkstar752** · 10-08-2009, 11:17 PM

If you spray a fine mist (put the IPA in an old windex bottle or something) and just wipe with a MF, you won`t get a haze. You get a haze when you use too much IPA. That`s my experience at least.

**EMIN007** · 10-09-2009, 12:02 AM

thanks so would you sayd use a 60/40 or 70/30 water/alcohol ?

**Accumulator** · 10-09-2009, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by EMIN007

Hi everyone wanted to see what are some of the common practices with IPA wipe down...

Let it dwell for a while before wiping, and don`t rely on just one try to get all the oils/etc. off.

Also consider using PrepWash along with/instead of IPA, which I find more effective in some cases.

I`m noticing a lot of time spent wiping with IPA, then wiping with final inspection..

Different wipes for different purposes. I use the #34 to lubricate and encapsulate when wiping off abrasive residues (i.e, M105) and I use the IPA/PrepWash to clean off residual oils/fillers.

would you sayd use a 60/40 or 70/30 water/alcohol ?

Guess that would depend in part on the concentration of IPA you`re starting with.

I`ve been using straight (70% IIRC) IPA, but I hear that can cause certain paints to swell (resulting in a different type of concealing).

**getcha** · 10-09-2009, 08:13 PM

^^ Curious to this last part and where you `hear` things like it.. Its such a mild, yet effective solvent and its boiling temp so low that I see it as a safe step to help ensure nothing is being concealed. Are you getting at the 70% fills where the 91% doesn`t???

I personally, through experimentation and post correction detail follow ups have seen that nothing is filled with just IPA that I have eliminated the need for another wash following corrections.

**wannafbody** · 10-09-2009, 09:24 PM

I waiting for someone to claim that IPA swells paint:nervous:

**Darkstar752** · 10-09-2009, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by wannafbody

I waiting for someone to claim that IPA swells paint:nervous:

LOL who the hell would think that?

I use 70% straight.

**Alex Boyce** · 10-10-2009, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by wannafbody

I waiting for someone to claim that IPA swells paint:nervous:

I wouldn`t be surprised...

**Accumulator** · 10-10-2009, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I`ve been using straight (70% IIRC) IPA, but I hear that can cause certain paints to swell...

Allow me to rephrase that:

I`ve been using straight (70% IIRC) IPA, but I hear that can *POSSIBLY* cause certain paints to swell...

Operative word being the omitted "possibly" and bad on me for omitting that and thereby expressing myself so carelessly.

Now that I`ve cleared that up:

Yeah, I literally *heard* it (no scare-quotes necessary

) in a telephone conversation with a *very* highly regarded member here. It is *not* something that either he or I have ever experienced. It was presented as a possibility and I can`t remember his source for this speculation (or if he even mentioned it).

And upon reflection, I think I will *NOT* mention who this member was as the general tenor of the posts inquiring about this suggest that I`d be dumping a [stuff]-storm in his lap. Maybe that inclusion of "possibly" will clear all this up, but I`m not gonna bet on it.

I for one *can* imagine IPA causing swelling of old-school (N-C) lacquer, other solvents do, but that type of paint`s not too common these days. Other threads here have suggested that some solvents apparently *can* swell modern b/c paint and I simply dunno whether a) this is true or not or b) IPA is one of them or not.

Is it an issue I worry about? Not in the least. I was just passing along something that came up in conversation with a (IMO) credible source and that seemed relevant to the thread.