Baby wipes for cleaning surfaces prior to epoxy?

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mariobrothers88

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Hey guys I've been going through a lot of tack cloth for wiping down surfaces prior to putting epoxy, but I was thinking of using baby wipes since it's so cheap and readily available. Would there be any issues with using the baby wipes to wipe down surfaces prior to epoxy work? Thanks for all the help and advice guys!!!
 
The oil and softeners in them would be a problem.
 
I use compressed air. I rarely am using chemicals, except before paint. Before paint, I am using the paint manufacturers recommendation; which is often their product.

No way would I clean all my areas with chemicals; too costly.
 
The cheapest tack cloth I can find is $0. 83/cloth on Amazon. Does anyone know any cheaper alternatives?
 
mariobrothers88 said:
The cheapest tack cloth I can find is $0. 83/cloth on Amazon. Does anyone know any cheaper alternatives?
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why are you tacking? I only tack after the boat is spotless; one tack cloth for the entire thing to paint

I use air, then old linens or bedsheets or cutup shirts, mostly cotton and glass prep cleaner. Once the boat is spotless; a tack cloth that I chuck before paint. For the Skoota, I bought a case of tack cloths and seem to recall about 50 cents a piece.

Your tack rag should be almost spotless. It is used like a white glove test; not major cleaning.
 
Should add, you can also use denatured alcohol and old non-oily washed and dried rags for cleaning, but I have been worried the alcohol was contaminated recently, so I was not gonna mention.
 
I almost always recommend against using a tack rag of any type. They can leave a residue on the surface that can cause fisheyes.

Automotive type surface cleaners work well if used correctly, but most people don't use the correct method. Acetone doesn't work very well as a surface cleaner.

As long as the air is clean and dry, blowing it off works.

Large amounts of dust on a surface may interfere with the bond, very small amounts are insignificant. Better to have a small amount of dust than tack rag or solvent contamination.
 
My use of the tack rag also uses an ultright touch because I worry after one time I was convinced the tack cloth residues caused fisheye; lots of them that would NOT go away.
 
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