Author Topic: Post exposure dip tank  (Read 2059 times)

Offline ebscreen

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Post exposure dip tank
« on: June 14, 2016, 03:01:54 PM »
Ours starts stinking a few weeks after changing the water. Instead of wasting water (which is kind of the point of the thing)
is there something we can add to it that is emulsion friendly but bacteria un-friendly?



Offline mimosatexas

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2016, 03:06:46 PM »
little bit of bleach and some kind of a lid should keep it "fresh" for at least 2 months.  That's what I do.

Offline LuckyFlyinROUSH

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2016, 03:16:21 PM »
Dawn Dish soap. We just keep refilling ours...water is black...but smells like dawn.
I spend too much money on equipment...

Offline alan802

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2016, 03:18:02 PM »
Ours just recently started doing this, just the last 6 weeks or so.  I thought it was the new emulsion we were using, but perhaps not.  What emulsion are you using EB?
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Offline JBLUE

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2016, 03:45:33 PM »
Little bit of Simple Green every so often keeps ours nice. You should see all the cool stuff it kills on the label.
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Offline jvanick

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2016, 03:52:23 PM »
ours stinks after a month or so as well.. just as easy to change it out rather than risk changing the chemistry of the emulsion.

Offline kingscreen

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2016, 04:23:07 PM »
Simple Green here too. 
Scott Garnett
King Screen

Offline ebscreen

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2016, 04:34:45 PM »
Ours just recently started doing this, just the last 6 weeks or so.  I thought it was the new emulsion we were using, but perhaps not.  What emulsion are you using EB?

SP-1400

ours stinks after a month or so as well.. just as easy to change it out rather than risk changing the chemistry of the emulsion.


Clearly you don't live in California.



Thanks everyone. I've heard of people using bleach to reclaim screens so I'm going to shy away from that, dilute
as it may be.

Dawn or SG, whichever I find first...



Online mk162

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2016, 04:49:23 PM »
yup dawn here.  works great.  our dip tank is around 75 gallons or so and I use around a tablespoon.

Offline Frog

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2016, 05:06:46 PM »
Does anyone use a pump and keep the water moving?
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline Maxie

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2016, 05:16:09 PM »
At the moment we have no water shortage and I refill it once a week.
I've thought of getting a air pump like in a fish tank, I think the oxygen will keep it going longer.
I really need to try this, with everything else we try to be environmentally friendly.
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Offline im_mcguire

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2016, 05:31:29 PM »
Anybody have a source on a plastic container that would hold a 23x31 screen? I don't want to buy another dip tank from enviroline.

Offline Evo

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #12 on: June 14, 2016, 06:07:48 PM »
Ours starts stinking a few weeks after changing the water. Instead of wasting water (which is kind of the point of the thing)
is there something we can add to it that is emulsion friendly but bacteria un-friendly?

Does it smell like a disposable diaper sometimes? Ours does.

We clean and disinfect the tank with ammonia or bleach when we change the water. That helps to keep the stench at bay for awhile. I'll add a little ammonia to it every once in awhile and that seems to help as well. Once the stink starts, it ramps up quick so we just change it out.
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Offline Dottonedan

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #13 on: June 14, 2016, 06:51:44 PM »
Not sure how much it helps the smell of old, dirty water, but I have a few customers that have pretty high pressure air pumping in from the bottom that agitates the water to help break down the ink on the screens faster. Probably intended to also smell better. Couple tablets of clorine and some gold fish sounds fun.
Artist & high end separator, Owner of The Vinyl Hub, Owner of Dot-Tone-Designs, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 35 yrs in the apparel industry. e-mail art@designsbydottone.com

Offline jsheridan

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Re: Post exposure dip tank
« Reply #14 on: June 14, 2016, 08:45:10 PM »
ours stinks after a month or so as well.. just as easy to change it out rather than risk changing the chemistry of the emulsion.

A little dirty water isn't going to alter the chemistry of an exposed screen.

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