Best Hand Cleaner

Hi Everybody,

Nice to meet you! I just joined LOL, very excited. In all of my reading through the discussions about press clean-up I noticed there was no mention of the most miraculous hand cleaner out there, and I feel compelled to share my secret: Baby wipes. It’s not actually my secret, NY Center for Book Arts turned me onto them, and I haven’t looked back! All of that scrubbing and soaping I used to put my hands through between inking and printing – totally unnecessary, just a light wipe with any cheap store bought baby wipe completely removes rubber based ink. I have had a box of Huggies next to my press ever since. 

For acrylic-based, I’ve used this once at the local book arts center to get a silver metallic off my hands: http://www.pressmanspride.com/reallyworks6-45lb.aspx It worked amazingly well but seems pretty expensive.

I know you wrote this years ago, but I just have to say THANK YOU! I have a meeting with a client tomorrow and I have blue fingers and nails from todays printing. I went to LOL to see if there was a solution to ink stained hands and I found your post. Maybe now my clients won’t think I strangled a smurf! ^_^

Hi Ladies,

Interesting and kind of funny….baby wipes are great, as are several commercial hand cleaners, but the funny part is that for years, when interviewing press operators, I would look for the “tell”—-an ink-stained thumb indicated experience!

I’ve long-since gotten into the habit of using surgical gloves while cleaning equipment (or restoring Brit bikes, my “other” hobby). But, Baby-wipes! Proof that one can always learn something, even after 46-ish years in the trade! Thanks!!

Barb

I use a soap bar from Soap Works, called Pumice. Works well and smells nice too!

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