Whats the best way to clean covering coloring off your iron? Im tired of staining my covering with different colors.

There are a couple of different ways.

1. Use Monokote trim solvent.

2. Use acetone (this is the least expensive - also the one I use).

In any event MAKES SURE THE IRON IS UNPLUGGED AND COLD TO THE TOUCH.

Try Bounce (the sheet you toss in the dryer.) Works for most stuff, iron COLD.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

I use acetone but most of the time an iron sock or cotton baby socks over the iron work out better then using an uncovered iron.

Acetone on a cool iron.

Gene, where do you find the cotton baby socks. Since I first heard of using them, Ihaven't found a single place that sells anything but poly blends. It's getting time to sew up another batch of socks i guess.. I'vea couple covering projects ahead of me and I need some more covers.

Don

some times rubbing alcohol on a paper towl might work.

I use the poly blend baby socks from my daughter's pile. They work fine too since I do my shrinking with the heat gun.

Don, I was getting them at Target and Kmart but I haven't bought any in a year or more, most likely more. I had always had some of the store bought iron covers in my shop too but I wore them out and haven't replaced them. Last week when I was giving the building and covering lessons I had to use my iron naked, the iron, not me!! At the first sign of any scratching I stop and clean my iron off. When I'm out running around this week i will check out some of the stores and see if I can find you any baby socks. I know it's even hard to find cotton diapers these days too!! What do they think a man is supposed to wax his car with???

Yup, the baby socks recommendation is the way to go...

I've never cleaned any of my irons because I use them.

As far as the socks go, try one of the donation stores, hospice, salvation army etc.etc. they usually have baby socks. Now as far as cleaning an iron, I use a dryer sheet. With a hot iron just run the iron over it then over a clean towel or paper towel, ( I use blue shop towels ). NOTE : the dryer sheet will leave a film on what ever you had it sitting on, it just wipes off but fighured I should add that in.

I also leave a dryer sheet in any drawers, boxes etc. it seems to keep that old smell down. And seeing that you ( tripower ) are from Fla. a dryer sheet will get the "LOVE BUGS " off your car in nothing flat. Dampen the car and sheet, wipe the bugs off then wash clean with soap. ENJOY !!! RED

detergent and warm water works for me.  My iron has a teflon coating so it cleans up very easily.

I never have to clean my irons and I don,t have to go anyplace to get cotton baby socks and this method using my old cotton T shirts works great and surprisingly cotton/synthetics work fine too but just don,t last as long. Also using this setup you will find that the cotton does not walk around on the shoe like real baby socks do.

John

My apologies the posting program mixs up the order of the photos.

I don't have to clean my big iron as I sew cotton cloth scraps onto it instead of buying the expensive premade socks. But for my trim iron I spray a paper towel with windex and rub the iron tip over it while still hot. Works fine for me.

I too have been using acetone with a clean paper towel to clean my iron as I am using it. Several folks in this thread have emphasized using acetone on a cold iron. Am I doing something detrimental to my irons by cleaning them hot? I guess ignorance is bliss. I've been doing this for a long time with no apparent bad results but I am always open to change.

Jolly,

Nothing detrimental to your iron, but definitely to you and your surroundings. Acetone is extremely flammable, so please use caution when using it (it's not good for your brain cells either, so breathing the fumes is not a good thing.)

A product called GOOP

You can buy "Hot Iron Cleaner" at WalMart. It comes in a small tube and is usually hanging near where the irons are located or on the detergent aisle. It only takes a tiny amount to clean the iron and you can do it without unplugging. IIRC, it costs about $2.00.

Bill Hodges

[quote]ORIGINAL: JohnBuckner

I never have to clean my irons and I don,t have to go anyplace to get cotton baby socks and this method using my old cotton T shirts works great and surprisingly cotton/synthetics work fine too but just don,t last as long. Also using this setup you will find that the cotton does not walk around on the shoe like real baby socks do.

John

I'm with John, I too use old cottin T shirts except that I use the large binder clips [for paper] to attach to the iron.

Gary

Here's the stock number and retail price of Coverite Ironex cleaner:

COVR2600 IRONEX CLEANER 8 OZ US$9.99

This can be ordered through any hobby retailer who sells Coverite products.

Clean your covering iron? Why would you want to do that? Those streaks are cool

If it happens in the middle of covering a wing where I do not want to stop and let the iron cool, I use the back of a old wicker chair and just scrap the iron accross the edge of the wicker (while the iron hot) and it cleans it well enough so that it stops leaving streaks. I have found that rubbing alcohol cleans the streaks off easily as well.

Try bouncethe sheets you put in your dryer.