Squeegee Sharpeners...?

[ScreenPrinter123]

For all of you squeegee sharpening shops:

So, are there any tell-tale signs on the squeegee (aside from something really uneven) that can tell you your squeegees need to be sharpened?  Was having issues getting tidy white to pass through 180S mesh last week at 30 psi going at 8"/second on a 65/95/65 squeegee, which is strange.  Tension on mesh was c. 30 newtons, off contact was typical, pallets were warm enough, ink was fluid enough..... wondering if the squeegees need to be sharpened -- never done it, so no idea what to look for on the squeegee itself to confirm or disconfirm it. 

Gracias.

[Orion]

This from print guru Coudray...

"To determine if the edge is sharp, lightly drag a finger tip over the squeegee edge. If you can feel the individual ridges of your fingerprints, the blade is sharp enough. If you can’t, it’s time to sharpen the blade."

[ZooCity]

+1 to the fingerprint test.  When we see a scenario like you described it's very often a dull blade edge.  I've been rotating instead of sharpening but am going to move us to light sharpening/honing the blades before each run this year. All other things being in place, it can make the difference between a 1x and a 2x stroke which can be a huge deal some days.   

[ScreenPrinter123]

Well just noticing a # of people here willing to part with their sharpener recently and seemingly a # of people wanting them, so who is getting the raw end, the buyer or seller?  LOL.

If anyone has a sharpener they're looking to part with pm me.

Has anyone used this one yet?  Seemingly only $445 and am hearing it can do auto squeegees too. (We have 16" m&r assembly squeegees): http://floridaflex.com/squeegees.html

[pwalsh]

Well just noticing a # of people here willing to part with their sharpener recently and seemingly a # of people wanting them, so who is getting the raw end, the buyer or seller?  LOL.

If anyone has a sharpener they're looking to part with pm me.

Has anyone used this one yet?  Seemingly only $445 and am hearing it can do auto squeegees too. (We have 16" m&r assembly squeegees): http://floridaflex.com/squeegees.html

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think that the image on this link is of the $445 diamond EZ Table Top Kit.  I might be totally wrong and suggest that you check in with the folks at Florida Flex just to make sure.

[Doug S]

Well just noticing a # of people here willing to part with their sharpener recently and seemingly a # of people wanting them, so who is getting the raw end, the buyer or seller?  LOL.

If anyone has a sharpener they're looking to part with pm me.

Has anyone used this one yet?  Seemingly only $445 and am hearing it can do auto squeegees too. (We have 16" m&r assembly squeegees): http://floridaflex.com/squeegees.html

I looked at the same one.  I know it's a diy kit.  It says for manual squeegees.  I was told that the diamond ez kit might not allow the auto blades to reach the diamond wheel.  I just purchased a diamond short cut and should receive it Thursday.  As far as benefits of sharpening, I can tell you that the other day I was printing through a 180/48 mesh and at first I was getting a little blur at the bottom of the image.  The only thing I changed was to a sharper squeegee because the original was a little dull edged and that fixed the problem and that leads me to believe that a sharpener will be great addition to the shop.  It sure beats buying new squeegee rolls and taking the time to cut and round corners.  I'm pretty sure that the sharpener will benefit us greatly when it comes to simulated and 4 color process jobs for sure.  I'm going to sharpen before every process job.

If you can't find a used one.  I was contacted by fimor and was told that they are offering show specials on all of the sharpeners at 10% off.  If you want just pm me with your email and I'll send you the price list they sent me.

[ScreenPrinter123]

So is Fimor the m&r of the squeegee sharpening world, though I see m&r has one as well?  Other recommended brands by anyone that have a good price point?  Again, just needing a small one that does 16" squeegees (though I'm guessing the smallest ones do up to 20") with m&r squeegee holder assemblies (don't know if that matters or not with these smaller ones).

[alan802]

Watching one video of the Diamond-eez you could see it doing a manual squeegee and something that has a shorter "handle" might not reach the bit but it looks extremely easy to fix that.  The positioning holes that are already built into the cheaper unit can be replicated easily to allow for a shorter blade assembly.

If for some strange reason I'm not satisfied with the diamond-eez I have a plan to build a DIY unit (or rather piece together one from existing tools).  I can get a cheap tabletop router for wood projects and buy the diamond bits needed and I might have to rig up some sort of guide to get the squeegee to run perfectly parallel to the bit.  With a few adapations it will work just as good as a $1500 unit assuming you have a good diamond bit and have a good guide assembly for the squeegee.  With a tabletop router and one drill bit you're looking at a cost of around $400 or less.

I'm not cheap by any means but when I look at the squeegee sharpeners I'm almost blown away by the up front cost.  I understand the ROI and all that but if I can make one that functions at 100% for $400 instead of buying the $1500 then I'm all about DIY.

[ScreenPrinter123]

Stumbled across these glass grinders that are very inexpensive and run at around 2800 rpm.  The only thing would be to add some kind of rip fence.  They sell the bits too and I was told that they are used in some squeegee sharpeners. 

Now someone come up with a good way to add some rail guides for a fence and we are in business.

Grinder table - http://www.inlandcraft.com/singleproduct.asp?position=3&department_id=40&keyword=&category=&partnum=10650

[ScreenPrinter123]

clamp on one of these bad boys....watcha think for a squeegee sharpener under $200

http://www.amazon.com/E-Emerson-Tool-C24-All-In-One/dp/B002NZZE7O/ref=pd_sim_hi_2

[alan802]

Perfect.  Very similar to the router table I was looking at yesterday but more portable and better access to the bit.

[Inkworks]

I found the Cadillac of squeegee sharpeners used for a great price and jumped on the deal, way more than what I needed, ROI - Long time from now, but happiness factor is through the roof. 60" capacity, 6" diameter diamond wheel, auto feed and .005" depth increase on every pass. you set the width of the squeegee, and the number of passes you want it to make, hit the switch and walk away and it shuts itself and the vacuum off when it's done.

I've mentioned this before, but sharpening the squeegee is only half the benefit, the other half is having a perfectly true-straight edge to print with, you don't have to use print pressure to overcome irregularities in the print edge that you get on pretty much any squeegee not trued after inserted in a handle. Put a straight edge on almost any non-sharpened squeegee to see what I mean. I'd bet almost all are out by at least .030" or more. I'd bet the M&R clamp system is better than most, but still not perfect.

[alan802]

I appreciate good engineering as much or more than the next guy, but good lord that's a bit much for sharpening a few blades.  I'd take one at a good price but I can't imagine what one of those would cost new.

[Inkworks]

New would have been a no-go, Used at a good price was what made me buy. Later this week we have $200 worth of sharpening to do for a local shop. I might actually achieve ROI after all in a few years.

[ScreenPrinter123]

Just spent a whopping $144.14 on a clamping tool, steel flat bar, and diamond grinder (meant for stained glass) that has a variable speed of 0-2800 rpm and 3/4" 120 grit diamond bit.  All new products so we shall see if the idea in my head plays out as I am hoping it will because this would be a cool cheap alternative to a commercial squeegee sharpener.