Getting flux stains out of jeans

[drummerdimitri]

So I know that 99% isopropyl alcohol works but I have not been able to get my hands on them where I live for some reason all pharmacies only sell ethanol.

What else can I try? Don't want to ruin a 100$ pair of jeans 

[Nusa]

What country?

Ethanol is probably just as effective as isopropyl. However, I can't say how well either works in this situation.

[jpanhalt]

Nordstom's (a high-end American retailer) sells dirtied jeans for $400:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/26/nordstrom-is-selling-jeans-caked-in-fake-dirt-for-hundreds-of-dollars/?utm_term=.c07a84042e94

There is no reason you can't do the same.  Yours are even "electronic."  So, sell the dirty jeans as being"camp" for $400, buy 3 pair for $100 each, and use the remainer to treat yourself to a night out.

If you have a particular attachment to your current pair, use ethyl alcohol with or without a little acetone.  A little additional acetone will not harm even the Nordstrom jeans but will improve the solvent strength.   Avoid water in the mixture!  Once you get most of it gone, saturate with detergent and wash.   If you cannot get pure ethyl alcohol, use denatured alcohol.  You might also try toluene or xylene to get rid of waxy residue.

I would notltry chloroform or methylene chloride (as are in some paint removers) as the dyes may be removed by those two solvents, particularly in the presence of methyl alcohol that is usually also present.

[Electro Detective]

Residue free (leaves NO residue) 'contact spray' for car electronics 'should' work, sold at auto shop/supermarkets

You may even be able to spray the flux off cleanly, using the thin nozzle attachment without rubbing and messing around, perhaps causing a bigger drama

Use a plastic hair comb for stubborn bits, spray and comb etc


Try it on a similar fabric with flux first, and good luck 

You will find other uses for the can of contact spray btw, handy stuff sometimes for a quick fix 

[Halcyon]

Try soaking the stain in WD40 before placing in a regular wash cycle in your washing machine.

[wraper]

90+% ethanol will work even better. However, save money and buy a bottle of denaturated alcohol in hardware store.

[Terry01]

Think outside the box buddy.....solder a heatsink or a resistor ladder or something on to your jeans and tell everyone it's the new "in" thing! Tell them everyone is at it and see if you can start a new trend for 2018! 

[aargee]

Is that what they call it now? 

[martinator]

What were you watching before you noticed the stains?

[GreyWoolfe]

Just wear an old pair of shorts like I do.  Who cares if they stain.  If you miss the shorts, flux cleans off the skin easily. The occasional dropped blob of molten solder only hurts for a moment and the hair does eventually grow back.

[Electro Detective]

My method will/should/better work     

But have a pair of scissors ready in case it's a fail, to convert the fluxed jeans to hipster shorts   


yes I know  >   

[Ampera]

Have you tried banging them on the edge of a toilet? According to Doc Brown, that's how you make a flux capacitor.

[Electro Detective]

Has "put them in the freezer" been suggested yet ? 

Works with almost dead hard drives, sometimes   

[Falcon69]

I don't know if this works, But my mother at one time owned a wedding business renting out dresses. She often used coca-cola (Coke™) to get out pen marks and other stains (allthough if you don't rinse off quickly, the coke leaves stains) out of the dresses, so maybe try that?

[aargee]

Probably the phosphoric acid in Coke, phosphoric is used as a cleaner in its own right.

[drummerdimitri]

Looks like electronic contact cleaner works perfectly.

Thanks for the suggestions 

[Electro Detective]

Looks like electronic contact cleaner works perfectly.

Thanks for the suggestions 

No -Before- and -After- photos... or Youtube Parts 1 +2 ?    

 


EDIT: did you need to wash or dryclean the jeans afterwards to remove any faint outlines, or no trace left of anything?   

[drummerdimitri]

Looks like electronic contact cleaner works perfectly.

Thanks for the suggestions 

No -Before- and -After- photos... or Youtube Parts 1 +2 ?    

 


EDIT: did you need to wash or dryclean the jeans afterwards to remove any faint outlines, or no trace left of anything?   

No unfortunately I didn't take any picture of the stain.

I just washed it with my other clothes in the washing machine and now no stains or anything clean like new!

[KhronX]

1) Why would you buy such expensive jeans, in the first place? 
2) Why would you wear those, when working? 

Umm... I'm afraid that's all i've got, for now 

[tooki]

1) Why would you buy such expensive jeans, in the first place? 
2) Why would you wear those, when working? 

Umm... I'm afraid that's all i've got, for now 

What do Levi’s cost in Finland?

In USA, Levi’s are normal (non-budget, but also non-luxury) jeans and cost usually under $50 on sale. Here in continental Europe, it’s usually around $130 for the same model...

[KhronX]

Don't know, don't care  "Plain" jeans, at least for me, are "utilitarian", rather than any sort of "fashion statement" or whatever.
So i'm not partial to any particular brands - as if they're not all made in some sweatshops in the (more or less) Far East...
That being said, even $50 for a pair of jeans is kinda pushing it, but that's just me.

On a side-note, i'm not a native, and most of the clothing i've bought here have been t-shirts at the (relatively) few tour-shows of some of my favourite bands 

1) Why would you buy such expensive jeans, in the first place? 
2) Why would you wear those, when working? 

Umm... I'm afraid that's all i've got, for now 

What do Levi’s cost in Finland?

In USA, Levi’s are normal (non-budget, but also non-luxury) jeans and cost usually under $50 on sale. Here in continental Europe, it’s usually around $130 for the same model...

[tooki]

Don't know, don't care  "Plain" jeans, at least for me, are "utilitarian", rather than any sort of "fashion statement" or whatever.
So i'm not partial to any particular brands - as if they're not all made in some sweatshops in the (more or less) Far East...
That being said, even $50 for a pair of jeans is kinda pushing it, but that's just me.

On a side-note, i'm not a native, and most of the clothing i've bought here have been t-shirts at the (relatively) few tour-shows of some of my favourite bands 

I’m not too fashionable myself, but I have been loyal to Levi’s for many, many years now because they have aways been reliably good — the quality and the fit continue to be good. I know that if I buy a Levi’s 527 in 33x30”, it’s going to fit me. I know there are cheaper jeans that would also fit, but having to restart the fitting process again... meh, I’m lazy.

Similarly, I’ve been very partial to Puma shoes, because they have proven to be better for my feet than other brands I’ve tried.

What I do find highly amusing is how a given brand can be utilitarian in one place and fashion in another. Case in point: Carhartt. In USA, where it’s from, it’s considered purely a utilitarian work clothes maker. You buy them because you need durable clothes for your job on a construction site, on the farm, etc. Meanwhile in Europe, Carhartt has been a fashion brand for years, with high street boutiques and everything! Americans always laugh incredulousy when they see a Carhartt shop the first time, because it’s so preposterous! “Lumberjack chic” a friend of mine once said!

[Electro Detective]

So guys, now that OP has sorted out the stain   

What should drummerdimitri wear at the next soldering session (KISS costume and makeup is not an answer)

and a budget please