I use epoxy for hotcoats and cant seem to figure out how to clean the brush I use of all the resin. I’ve tried soaking it in denatured alcohol but this still leaves the brush stiff and un-useable. I’m wondering if anyone has solutions to cleaning brushes of epoxy.
Clean with acetone after using (2 stages), then water + detergent, comb out and rinse. Blow out and comb again before next use. This only works for quality brushes.
Use a 3" or 4" “throwaway” chip brush. And after use; Throw it away. I use throw away for Epoxy and a Wooster “Schooner” for Poly. I rinse the Wooster in Acetone and then a couple of dips and a rinse in Lacquer Thinner. From there I finish it of with a quick rinse in Paint Thinner/Mineral Spirits. Shake it out real good or use a brush spinner. Leave it on a pad of paper towels until it is 100% dry. When I am ready to use it again, I dip it a couple of times in Acetone and shake it out before dipping in hotcoat or gloss resin. The dip in the Acetone softens the brush and gets rid of any contaminates from the Paint thinner. Lowel
Agree with the chip brush. Pull back some wide tape on the roll and stick the brush to it multiple times to pull any loose hairs out.
all the best
Epox ee kleener (link below) I have not tried with a brush yet (still on chip brushes) but coupled with a firm bristle scubbing brush and water removes epoxy off a squeegee really easily and quickly. Breaks it down / epoxy gone. Just make sure to use it as soon as you’ve finished glassing :).
Had good luck from the dollar tree ($1.25) 3 pack. The 2" is good as is .and the smaller ones (1"& 1.5") I tape up together ,they also sell a 3" single., tap on some sticky tape to get loose strands off… has black and clear tip so easy to see if came loose.at that price skip the DA and start fresh…
a artsy lady at Home Depot told me she super glues the base of brush so strands don’t fall off…
PS : the dollar tree also sells quart measuring cups with handles and pour spout 
I try many things but can’t find one that work nice for epoxy brush. So one shot cheap brush. But because I don’t like to put them in rubbish bean I mostly make poly finish on well cured and sanded squegged epoxy cheater coat on epoxy lam. And so I can use and reuse a quality brush that I let in a closed bocal of acetone.
Lemat, to be clear, are you using poly over an epoxy sanded. Heater coat? Thanks.
all the best
He will answer for himself, but I am pretty sure that is what he does. Which is easy enough over a properly sanded Epoxy hotcoat,
Yes exactly, I lam with epoxy then when it’s set and tacky I cheater coat: thin coat of epoxy squeeged on lam, it fill a bit give a resin rich lam aspect. I let this fully cure then sand/scuff and gloss with poly resin, best for this is an high quantity isophtalic,more flexible and chemically stable than orthophtalic.
I know, no poly on epoxy, but I learn this mid 90’s with local epoxy gurus that made successful epoxy only business, surf, wind, boat and do it every time, at that time epoxy were not as friendly as today and must be protected to uv. Many still do it like this everywhere. For sure not as impact resistant finish, when dinged finish coat can spiderweb and sometimes slightly chip of at ding easy to repair or let it.