How to Clean Scrapers

Scrapers have long been used to remove some of the toughest adhesives and paints from surfaces. Scrapers are usually made of metal although some plastic models perform scraping jobs quite easily. Scrapers work best for paint removal and puttying drywall when the edge surface is clean. These common edging tools often suffer a beating during home remodeling projects, getting tossed into a storage container without proper cleaning. Methods for cleaning scrapers will work on every kind of scraper from the basic pot variety to paint removal scrapers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Liquid dish detergent
• Pot scrubber
• Grind wheel
• Solvent (turpentine or paint remover)
• Metal putty knife
• Steel wool

1. Remove basic dirt and loose water-soluble under warm running water. Use a textured pot scrubber to remove caked on dirt, putty or loose dried paint. Dry the scraper completely to prevent rust from forming on the blade.

2. Scrape against the putty knife with a clean scraper to remove really caked on paint or glue residue. Sometimes placing the scraper on a flat surface and pressing hard to free debris can loosen dried paint, glue or putty.

3. Use a scrubbing motion with steel wool against the scraper to help remove residue on the scraper. Wear gloves to protect your hands from metal shavings. Steel wool can also be carefully used on plastic scraper as long as you don't press too hard to damage the edge.

4. Immerse the scraper blade in a light solvent to loose paint, glue and putty. Only soak the blade portion of the scraper to prevent damage to the handle.

5. 
    
   Bench grinder

   Set up and turn on a bench-grinding wheel to smooth the surface of metal scrapers. Grinding wheels can also be used to sharpen the edge of a scraper after complete cleaning. Grinding will also remove rust spots caused by improper drying of the metal blade.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your putty knife immediately after use to keep this tool in the best possible condition. Since most people allow putty, paint and adhesive to dry on the surface, each requires different cleaning techniques to remove the residue.
• Always wear protective eye wear when operating a grinding wheel. Follow all directions on the container when choosing and using a solvent to clean dried paint and glues. These strong smelling chemicals should always be used in a well-ventilated room and stored properly.

References

• House Painting