Cleaning up black oxide?

[Wendy90292]

I diluted just 2 measly teaspoons of Crafter's Choice Matte Black Oxide pigment in 2 T of Sweet Almond Oil. Now I have Black Oxide all over my silicone tools, plastic bowls, scrub brushes, two wash cloths, my gloves, my mold...anything made from plastic and/or silicone that it touched. I can't get it off!

I tried: Dawn, white vinegar, already-made soap, Lysol, straight laundry detergent, rubbing alcohol, and some olive/rapeseed oil I bought by mistake. YIKES! NOTHING gets it off, it just smears and transfers. It seems like I now have 4 lbs. of black oxide pigment all over my workbench and utility sink! Please help!

Suggestions/advice?

 

[earlene]

Rubbing alcohol. I find it cleans up all kinds of colorant spills extremely well.

Oops, I see you said it isn't working for you.

Perhaps try it the way I do it: Put it in a spray bottle, spritz the spilled area. Wipe with paper towel. Repeat if it is excessive. It always works really well when I do it this way. But I've never spilled 4 pounds.


ETA: If it's still dry, perhaps you can vacuum up some or most of it with a hand-held vacuum or attachment if you have one for your household vacuum cleaner.

 

[TheGecko]

I swear by Microfiber Cloths when it comes to soap making and general cleaning. They are great 'dry' for eye glasses, tablets and phones, and dusting in general. I use them with a light white vinegar and water to first wash windows and mirrors, then dry with Windex to polish them. I use them damp with plain water to clean my television, computer and laptop monitors, then dry with a screen cleaner.

I use them both wet and dry when making soap and then rinse them clean in the sink with soap and water, and let them dry.

A note about washing/drying in a machine...do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I just take them out of the washer, shake them out, and lay flat. Even when it's wet and cold, they dry pretty quickly.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I had black oxide stain one of my little silicone spatulas. It’s been months and I can’t get it clean. Maybe scouring powder would do the trick, but it could also be damaging. I have not had any problems with dark oxides and molds. Black oxide is strong and you should not need much to alter other colors. I haven’t tried it for straight black. I stick to AC if I want black without using mica, or I use AC or a pinch of black oxide to make a dark mica almost black.

 

[Catscankim]

I know its not eco-friendly, but I use all disposable stuff when mixing my colors: tiny bathroom dixie cups and mini skewers. I have ruined too many good things mixing colorants, I just do it that way from now on. I have a white sink that when I tried to clean colorants from a glass bowl, stained blue no matter how much bleach, CLR, etc i tried to clean. So I just mix in dixie cups and throw it away. After I made soap and clean dishes it isn't a problem

But I have never used black oxide. I use AC.

 

[Wendy90292]

I know its not eco-friendly, but I use all disposable stuff when mixing my colors: tiny bathroom dixie cups and mini skewers. I have ruined too many good things mixing colorants, I just do it that way from now on. I have a white sink that when I tried to clean colorants from a glass bowl, stained blue no matter how much bleach, CLR, etc i tried to clean. So I just mix in dixie cups and throw it away. After I made soap and clean dishes it isn't a problem

But I have never used black oxide. I use AC.

This is a really, really, really helpful tip! Thank you.

Rubbing alcohol. I find it cleans up all kinds of colorant spills extremely well.

Oops, I see you said it isn't working for you.

Perhaps try it the way I do it: Put it in a spray bottle, spritz the spilled area. Wipe with paper towel. Repeat if it is excessive. It always works really well when I do it this way. But I've never spilled 4 pounds.


ETA: If it's still dry, perhaps you can vacuum up some or most of it with a hand-held vacuum or attachment if you have one for your household vacuum cleaner.

Maybe I used the wrong amount of alcohol or something. I've been so discouraged that so much of my equipment/supplies are ruined with the black that I haven't made soap since I posted this! Thanks for the tips and the encouragement.