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screen printing => Waterbase and Discharge => Topic started by: Maff on December 09, 2015, 10:02:15 AM
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I'm referring to crystals here, ZFS agent...
1. Is there a shelf life to discharge agent?
2. If it is not stored properly will it loose it's effectiveness?
3. Are different brands of ZFS agent interchangeable?
We buy our agent in small batches, only about 2 lbs at a time and we go through it usually within a month or 2 depending on how many discharge orders we are doing. But recently we started using a squeeze bottle with a pointy little top to disperse the agent into the discharge and for us it makes adding it more accurate and cleaner. BUT, the little opening at the top is not capped. So, at the end of the bottle recently our discharge prints were coming out a bit bland. We keep a pretty tight log and formulas that have always been consistent, so the open squeeze bottle was the first thing I started to think could be wrong. Also, I've been using Sericol Texcharge in recent months (which has been working awesome! :) ) but we have a mix between Matsui and Sericol agent, so my other wonder was if they can be interchanged since we still like Matsui white the best.
Thanks guys,
- Chris
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...I asked my CCI rep about this once when I unknowingly left the top off of our container for an extended period of time. The crystals had actually started to clump together from humidity, like sugar. he said it would be fine, and it continued to work as expected.
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Best kept cool and dry but pretty indefinite pot life when in crystal form. Yes ZFS is interchangeable
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Ok good to know and also good to know that they are interchangeable. For some reason Texcharge agent is way more expensive than Matsui...
Thanks guys!
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I buy Union activator from Texsource. About $94 for a gallon.
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Price can vary by about $50. however that could vey well be a weight vs volume issue
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But recently we started using a squeeze bottle with a pointy little top to disperse the agent into the discharge and for us it makes adding it more accurate and cleaner.
I have to ask, is this ZFS in the squeeze bottle mixed with water?
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But recently we started using a squeeze bottle with a pointy little top to disperse the agent into the discharge and for us it makes adding it more accurate and cleaner.
I have to ask, is this ZFS in the squeeze bottle mixed with water?
Wouldn't that just turn into a solid rock/crystal ?
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But recently we started using a squeeze bottle with a pointy little top to disperse the agent into the discharge and for us it makes adding it more accurate and cleaner.
I have to ask, is this ZFS in the squeeze bottle mixed with water?
No water, just straight crystals. It dispenses great, way easier and more accurate than using a spoon or poring in from the container, especially in small amounts. I just need to get a little cap for it.
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But recently we started using a squeeze bottle with a pointy little top to disperse the agent into the discharge and for us it makes adding it more accurate and cleaner.
I have to ask, is this ZFS in the squeeze bottle mixed with water?
No water, just straight crystals. It dispenses great, way easier and more accurate than using a spoon or poring in from the container, especially in small amounts. I just need to get a little cap for it.
I have been doing this for a couple years. I use a flip top squeeze bottle. it has about a quarter inch hole with flip top lid. It doesn't let any chunks through and makes adding it easy. If you mix more than a quart or two this method maybe too slow for you.
Good to hear the crystal agent lasts for ever. I taught a few months back guys were saying it lasted 6 to 8 months. I still had that number in my head thinking my stuff may be getting bad.
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Never had ZFS go bad, the CCI chemist I talked to when we had a problem with their flo orange a while back said there is really no difference between brands, all interchangeable. Doesn't really expire if you keep it sealed.
Odd this was brought up though, we have some non formaldehyde discharge agent from Magna, maybe 2 years old, tried it Monday and nothing.... Maybe the non formaldehyde stuff has a shelf life?
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Formaldehyde free agent is thiourea dioxide.