Dip Tanks - a question from a slightly different angle

[Prosperi-Tees]

I remember reading an article about how a dip tank is inferior to sprays, I'll have to search for it tonight

[ebscreen]

When  I got my first tank I almost threw it out after a couple days.

The "one step wonder" claims are what drove me (and I imagine most who quit on them) to get
frustrated with the damn thing.

After realizing that anything that sounds too good to be true usually is, and yes Mabel, you do still
have to scrub ink, I would never go back to the sprays.

[mk162]

the problem with sprays is usually the scrubbing and waiting.  Scrubbing sucks.

[RICK STEFANICK]

yep and then went back. much less crap goling down the drain. 30% minimum savings in chemical
. and i would say 20% faster.

[cvreeland]

I've been buying used roller frames off & on for the last 5 years, and have grown to hate dip tanks from afar because of how badly they muck up the rollers. From what I can see, an awful lot of shops out there let 'em fill up with muck to the point where the bottom side of the frame is dipped in muck, and it fills up the mesh troughs, making it impossible to get the old mesh out, and many hours spent cleaning out the troughs enough to get new mesh in.

It seems like the time saved letting the screens soak in the dip tank is going to be spent again on the back end, when you've got to re-mesh the screens, and it takes 2 hours per frame. I train my screen people to do minimal scrubbing, and to turn around & do something else, like un-tape the next two screens, as the first two are soaking post-spraying, and we easily churn out 20 screens in an hour's time. Having a 2-wide reclaim sink helps, I suppose.

I can un-mesh/re-mesh a clean frame in about 15 minutes. I'm all about cleanliness, and dip tanks seem to be a gateway to grunge.

[brandhouseink]

I just introduced a dip tank and One Step by Franmar into my production. So far so good. I do have a concerned in regards to gunk buildup in the rollers, and locking strips. What are others doing to combat this issue? I have frames that take forever to get locking strips out when re-meshing. I assumed a dip tank will soak those areas and make it easier...

[Gilligan]

That is a concern of mine as well... I notice that this seems to have happened to the previous owners of my rollers.  I can't help but think that proper flushing as well as maybe some stand offs on the bottom to keep them from sitting so low.

The CCI has a small couple of humps to do this built in... maybe it could be bigger though.

[alan802]

De-ink before you put the screens in and I put some rocks in the bottom and we don't have much if any gunk buildup.  What is there can be sprayed out easily enough.

[brandhouseink]

Thanks,

Those are some good preventive measures. Are there any solutions to removing locking strips that are already gunk'd and stuck in the frames?

[Gilligan]

Thanks,

Those are some good preventive measures. Are there any solutions to removing locking strips that are already gunk'd and stuck in the frames?

Ickie stickie unstuck from franmar was suggest to me by Dennis I believe.

[ebscreen]

Thanks,

Those are some good preventive measures. Are there any solutions to removing locking strips that are already gunk'd and stuck in the frames?

Back in the dip tank actually. Soak 'em overnight. Water is the only universal solvent.

[ZooCity]

I just introduced a dip tank and One Step by Franmar into my production. So far so good. I do have a concerned in regards to gunk buildup in the rollers, and locking strips. What are others doing to combat this issue? I have frames that take forever to get locking strips out when re-meshing. I assumed a dip tank will soak those areas and make it easier...

Zero issues with this.  We:

• Use yellow newman tape over all channels.
• Rinse thoroughly and completely after each chem, giving some pressure washer love to the crevices where the mesh meets the roller.
• Avoid letting our emulsion slough off into the dip tank.
• Wipe the ink from screens before going to reclaim.
• Use a standalone ink degrader, Green Again from Franmar and rinse before dunking in One Step

Our frames look great and never an issue with gunk in the channels.   I've seen this on used roller though and I think it's a product of moving too quickly on reclaim and letting the the emulsion melt off into the tank. 

Ickee Stickee is the roller frame cleaner of choice for me when they get the tape residue on them. 

[Inkworks]

I have to wonder why use a diptank if you are brushing on ink degrader and rinsing before using the diptank. All you are saving is the time it takes to brush on emulsion remover, which is only 20-30 seconds tops.

It may make me rethink getting one if we're not removing ink and emulsion in one step.

[brandhouseink]

I have to wonder why use a diptank if you are brushing on ink degrader and rinsing before using the diptank. All you are saving is the time it takes to brush on emulsion remover, which is only 20-30 seconds tops.

It may make me rethink getting one if we're not removing ink and emulsion in one step.

Not sure of the issues others are having; but we're removing ink, and emulsion in one step with no problem.. It's much better than spraying and scrubbing.. We won't be getting rid of our tank any time soon...   

[Frog]

Some folks just are not enamored with the combo chemical. Not long lived.
Another angle is two tanks. One for ink degradent, and one for emulsion remover.
Still two steps, but minimal scrubbing if any at all.

But once again, I am looking for the cons here, not the pros.