best spatulas for ink?

[ericheartsu]

i have a ton of these 8" metal spatulas with plastic handles here, but i'm wondering if there is something better? some tips and tricks you guys can recommend maybe?!?!

[Frog]

In general, even the ink knives sold by suppliers are merely re-purposed cake spatulas.
Somewhere here, there is a thread from about a year ago, I think, about sourcing them.

[ericheartsu]

In general, even the ink knives sold by suppliers are merely re-purposed cake spatulas.
Somewhere here, there is a thread from about a year ago, I think, about sourcing them.

i'm not really looking to get them cheaper, but just looking for something that might work a bit better?

[Frog]

Got a pic of what you are using?

[tpitman]

I use 2" steel putty stiff putty knives from Home Depot. I work the end of the blade over with a belt sander to round over the edge and the corners so they won't tear mesh. I've also got a couple of those aluminum knives with the "monkey thumbs" I bought for gallon pails but they're a little too wide, so I need to cut them down. Never found anything plastic that I liked, and I've never bought the metal knives from screen suppliers because they look too narrow/flexible for stirring ink. That's typically what they use in offset print shops but then they use them to put ink into the fountains on a press.
Most of my containers are quarts, for what it's worth.

[tonypep]

We use the steel knives and scrapers as well. Various widths. Be sure to grind off the sharp corners with a bench grinder!

[Socalfmf]

we use wilton frosting spatulas...the ones that are 8 inches with a bend...great for getting ink in and out of screens and easy clean up..

get them at Michaels or any craft or cake store..

sam

[Denis Kolar]

Here it is what I use http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Restaurant-Supply/Johnson-Rose-/Offset-Spatula-73426439
They are good AND cheap. A bunch or other sizes on the web site

[jasonl]

I used the steel ones forever, but changed to the GOOP SCOOP and I like them 9999999999999999 times better.

[mk162]

I hate good scoops.  the problem I have with them are the edges are crap and you leave so much ink in the screen.  I like to get as much ink out as possible

[Frog]

The slightly springy offset spatulas are the easiest for removing ink, but I keep slightly bigger, more rigid straight ones in my whites for stirring and scooping out.

[alan802]

We use "goop scoops" and don't have any issues leaving ink in the screens.  They get as much ink out as any other tool I've used besides a squeegee.  The metal spatulas are too thin to get the ink out in a timely manner.  I do sand down the edges of our goop scoops when they get bad so maybe that's why we like them.  I've tried everything for this and the goops are my favorite.  The metal drywall spackling tools are good but they seem to tear tape and mesh on occasion. 

[aauusa]

this is what we use and love them.
http://www.onestrokeinks.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=B1D7BAA3734A4714AD04358EC8A63C18

[dave58]

we use wilton frosting spatulas...the ones that are 8 inches with a bend...great for getting ink in and out of screens and easy clean up..

same here......work fine for me....no issues at all

[mk162]

I use 3" drywall spatulas.  I round the corners slightly.  They work great.  you can get them direct from Red Devil and they are perfect.