Printer Ink Solvent ?

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

John K Jordan

I haven't tried using printer ink to dye my hands but with other things I use a hand/nail brush and scrub. Recently, I got some black urethane on my hands when installing windshield glass, even when using nitrile gloves. (I think the gloves developed holes in use.) Hand cleaner made for shop grease, denatured alcohol, and acetone didn't touch it. What worked best was a gel ethanol-based hand sanitizer scrubbed with a soft hand/fingernail brush, followed by soap and water and the same brush. Don't know if that would work for printer ink.

But if it doesn't, don't worry too much, time should remove it.

The problem

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The ink is made by dispersing pigments in something. The "something" will dissolve but the pigments are highly insoluble. As Jordan said, the only way to be rid of them is scrubbing and given their color intensity even if you scrub away most you will remain colored until that layer of skin falls off.

The YouTube recipe is a testimony to the failure of high school chemistry classes to teach chemistry. Other than the abrasive in the toothpaste there is nothing in that mix that would be useful for this task, or any other I can think of. Any time someone recommends mixing an acid (vinegar and lemon juice, AKA acetic acid and citric acid) and a base (baking soda , AKA sodium bicarbonate) to make some even more effective product than either alone one can be assured the source of this suggestion failed chemistry.

Hey, it made my hands smell like lemons.

Yonak

It wasn't all bad.

Soap with Pumice particles????

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

Leo Cuellar

Goof Off painters wipes, Tub O' Towels, or Scrubs in a Bucket all do a good job with dies & inks and other noxious stuff. They store for a loong time if you keep the container closed. Nut Scrub is ok too if you like the pour out stuff.

ReDuRan *LINK*

Clifton C

This stuff is the real deal... I'm sure there is stuff it won't remove, but so far, its removed everything I've gotten into.


ReDuRan

Thank you, Clifton.  I ordered some.

ReDuRan how it works

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The literature says it is for removing dyes, no mention of pigments. MSDS reveals how it works. It is simply a bleach in a glycol solvent. More mild on the hands than chlorine bleach but probably not as effective. I'll be surprised if it bleaches printing ink, at least the ones for photograph prints. But let us know if it does as that will be useful knowledge.

Will do.

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

Stuart Johnson

I seem to always have some sort of crap (not literally) on my hands along with al the nicks, cuts and so forth. I figure I might be old but I an out last them so I just move on and don't worry. If the only reason my wife is going to leave me is because I have a purple stain with green edges on my hand instead of the other 45 years of stuff I'm in pretty good shape.

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

You are supposed to be socially isolating, so why do you care

Not so fast...

Jim Matthews

"If the only reason my wife is going to leave me is because I have a purple stain with green edges on my hand instead of the other 45 years of stuff.."

You're not getting off so easy.

SWMBO gets the last word.

That's how they win.

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

TomD

Hair spray was always the cure for ink stained wretches. Haven't tried it on printer ink.

Re: Printer Ink Solvent ?

Yonak

Tom, I hope that's a typo. If not, I'll bet you know some pretty good lookin' miscreants.