I left my Form Wash unused for about a year with some isopropyl alcohol (mixed with some amount of resin) in the tank. Over time all of the isopropyl alcohol and water dried out but the dissolved resin remained and condensed into a solid. The cleaning basket is now stuck and cannot be removed manually. The automatic raising of the basket also fails when I try to push “OPEN” in the menu. I tried to refill the whole Form Wash with 92% IPA again in order to re-dissolve the resin at the bottom, but after a week of sitting in IPA the basket is still stuck. Is there another way that I can release the basket and re-dissolve the resin at the bottom of the Form Wash? I included some pictures for reference.
I had the same thing happen to me after I abandoned my Wash (I started using an ultrasonic cleaner instead) and when I got around to putting it away I had a solid puck of resin at the bottom.
If you let it sit in IPA long enough the resin will start to soften at the edges. Eventually you should be able to get the basket loose from the bottom and then manually pull it up while still attached to the center column. From there you can pull the sleeve at the top of the machine up and off to get better access, where you can use pliers to break off chunks of solid (softened) resin.
It will eventually work, with patience… and a few pairs of gloves!
Thank so much for those tips! I’m actually curious to know more about your experience with an ultrasonic cleaner. Has that been a better experience for you? Could I ask which solvent you use (and concentration) and which model of ultrasonic cleaner you use? Any special consideration on the vessel to wash the parts in with it? Thanks again for the advice!! Also, below I’ll include a link to a better video of the situation in my Form Wash:
For my ultrasonic cleaning, I use an Elma P300H (large enough tank for full-sized Form 3L parts) and 20L of TPM
From your video, I think your only hope may be to wait for the IPA to seep around the edges of the solid resin and soften it to the point where you can physically pull the basket up from the bottom. Gently pulling on the basket to see if there’s any progress may also help more IPA seep around. Unfortunately, it might be a matter of waiting.