Before I fill the tank...

[Prince Art]

So I've spent the last couple of days sifting through past dip tank discussions here. Going to attempt the 2-step process several others here have had success with (dip, then destain/degrease). Ordered the tank today, and have chemicals pretty much narrowed down to either:

Easiway Supra + 701 (thanks to Mimosa & Evo's incredibly detailed contributions)
-or-
CCI Dip'N Strip + Envirohaze (or RenuIt)

(Other top contenders: Kiwo's equivalents of the same; FranMar stuff.)

2 main questions:

1. How does Dip'N Strip do on screens used for waterbase & discharge? (Obviously they'd be rinsed before going in the tank.) Supra claims to work with wb, Dip'N Strip doesn't mention it.

2. Is there something less of a threat to mesh adhesive than 701, that still gets stains/residual ink all the way out? I get that if you work quickly enough, there shouldn't be a problem. Just a little wary of premature screen death.


Thanks!

Bonus for reading this post: At the moment, Nazdar has a DST1 tank for about $100 less than everyone else. In case you're in the market.

[Prints Charming]

We use easy way supra and 701. We love it.

[Maff]

We use easy way supra and 701. We love it.

Same here, works great on everything

[RICK STEFANICK]

We use easy way supra and 701. We love it.

we use exactly the same. clean and easy.

[Printficient]

Xenon XER 25 and FSIC.  XER 25 is a 25 to 1 concentrate.  FSIC is an all in one ink degrader/Press Wash/Haze Remover.

[screenprintguy]

Do yourself a favor, Supra in the tank, Make sure you card your ink off nicely, remove tape, don't waste money on chems to remove ink from the screens, take those screens that you carded the ink off of and put them in the tank, supra will loosen the ink on the screen, and eat into the emulsion without making it fall to the bottom of the tank. Blow it off in your booth, apply 701, or now we switched to SAATI IR 26 in place of 701, does the exact same thing and is $70 per 5 gallon cheaper. Let those screens with the scrubbed in 701/ or IR 26 sit for a couple minutes, for example, start a loop where you are now removing ink and emulsion from another set of 2 or 3 screens, this gives a good few to 5 minutes for the haze remover/degreaser which both of these chems contain, to soak in, after they sat for a few mins, pressure wash them off, then use your regular hose to fan or sheet off any over spray and rack. You will have perfect screens in a 2 chem, 2 step process. We used to do things the other way, wasted a lot of time, and a lot of money down the drain in an ink remover chem, and a degreaser. Both 701 and IR 26 have degreasing properties and work really well!!!

[Atownsend]

I use the Supra in the tank now, but me always wanting to save a buck, have been considering having some sodium metaperiodate shipped in from china @ $20 a kg. Having not used the crystals before, is the Supra really better? I can't help but think we are wasting $$$ having so many gallons of liquid shipped. Has anyone used the crystals and switched to Supra or vice versa? Is there a big difference between the two? If you are using the crystals, what powder to H20 ratio are you using and how often do you dump / refill?

[RICK STEFANICK]

Labor is the biggest cost factor not the product. If you do say go with the crystals I promise you will add cost somewhere.

[Prince Art]

Thanks for the input. Everything I've seen described as good pre-dip procedure is what we already do: card out thoroughly, squeegee off/print out what remains, and remove tape, all as part of tear down. Even with a spray bottle routine, it doesn't make sense to send any more ink to your sink than necessary. I see the tank fitting in well with what we already do, with only slight adjustments to be made.

As for crystals... I don't want to go that route, personally. I think having products & procedure many people find to be effective is a better way to streamline, right now. On top of that, I believe Alan Buffington (I think) warned of the crystal use having the potential to increase tank acidity over time (via topping off), eventually resulting in emulsion locking, rather than breaking down. (If I remember correctly; I skimmed a lot of threads.)

[mt_signex]

I used Easiway dip tank solution (Supra now, used to be a different name I believe) for about 5 years but the last time I changed my dip tank I simple used 2 gallons of CCI GemZyme which was roughly only $35 delivered and I have the larger dip tank that holds 23x31 screens.  It's 20:1 ratio on water to chemical.

The process I've found to work best is to scrape the screen, clean ink with Easiway 701, rinse, dip into the emulsion remover, spray out with pressure, de-grease with 701 and let dry.

If you do not clean the ink before dipping, the smallest amount of ink film will cause the "one step" dip tank solutions not to release the emulsion and you'll either have to dip a second time or blow out emulsion with the pressure washer which is no good on the screen.

So instead of having $200 worth of chemicals in my tank, I now only have $35 and it seems to be lasting just as long, so that's a win for me.

Hope it helps.


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[mimosatexas]

Supra and 701 here. Wouldn't switch to a 3 step process ever again....f that.

I have a 37 gallon tank that holds 6 23x31 screens at a time. I think cost to fill it is around 175 or 200 bucks, but I change out my fluid less than once a year. I card off and detape and in they go. I use sp1400 diazo, and nothing comes off in the tank, so very little scum at the bottom, even after a year without cleaning it. Everything breaks down easily with the pressure washer. 701 works great for dehaze. Haven't tires the saati product.