Dip tank (problem)

[mimosatexas]

I finally bit the bullet and bought a 5 gallon of easiway supra to start using my diptank since I already use the easiway 701 and love it. This morning I was looking at the bottom of the tank, and what I originally assumed was just staining is actually a thin, uniform layer of cemented on emulsion sludge.  I have read plenty of warnings about sludge and leaving screens in too long killing the tank chemistry, so ideally I would like to remove this prior to filling it.  I tried spraying on some emulsion remover and a bit of water and let it sit for the last few hours, and not a dent.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to remove this, or if it needs to be removed to prevent chemistry issues?  Thanks!

[mk162]

sometimes you can roll it up like a carpet, or you can use a dehaze/deagreaser to kill it...you might have to scrub it

[mimosatexas]

It's definitely not going to roll up.  It is basically cemented to the bottom of the tank.  I'll toss some tougher stuff than the emulsion remover in and see how it does...

[alan802]

Ours used to build up at the bottom, sometimes 5-6" thick and we would drain the tank and use a shovel to peel it out of the tank.  I never noticed that it does any harm to the chemistry and as long as we recharged it every 500 or so screens, it worked just fine no matter how thick the sludge was in the bottom.  Once out of the dip tank it dries up and there is one lying somewhere around the shop that I haven't done anything with other than move it to different places in the shop to see if others will do anything with it.  Some of the things I do around here to entertain myself.

[mimosatexas]

I think the problem is this is already dry, so you can literally crack off small pieces of it, but it is reeaaallly stuck onto the bottom.  If the current soaking doesnt do anything to it, I am just going to leave it in there.  I would obviously prefer a pristine tank to start with, but what can you do...

[3Deep]

Try some dish washing soap and some hot water that should soften it up so you might can peel it out.

Darryl

[mimosatexas]

Success!  I finally just put the whole think into my washout booth sideways and blasted the hell out of it with the pressure washer.  That got a lot of it started.  Then I grabbed a rubber mallet and wacked at it from the back and after about 30 minutes of switching between those two methods it's as good as new!

I build a 14 inch tall base on casters for it and finished filling it up a minute ago.  Glides around effortlessly despite weighing about 350 pounds, and tall enough to drain into a bucket if necessary.

edit: any suggestions on keeping it a constant temp?  Would one of those glass enclosed fish tank heaters work?

[Frog]

Success!  I finally just put the whole think into my washout booth sideways and blasted the hell out of it with the pressure washer.  That got a lot of it started.  Then I grabbed a rubber mallet and whacked at it from the back and after about 30 minutes of switching between those two methods it's as good as new!

Except for the 12" crack! LOL!

[starchild]

I know when developing the stencil that the water temp should be at 125°F to help with removing the unexposed emulsion.. so a diptank, filled with water, and set at the recommended temp is a smart move.. To help at the reclaming stage, a constant flow of hot water about 150°F is ideal, so your water should (before being fed to your pressure washer) be plumbed through some form of heater that could supply the volume needed for the number of screens you do at once.. Heating an underexposed screen on press whether by flashing or even during the print stroke (in the case of autos) will continue the arcing of the emulsion that didn't crosslink properly and cause problems with reclaiming..

I wonder what reaction reclaim chemicals has to a constant hot temp? What does the kinetic energy do it's ingredients? suspend them or colide them? maybe mutate them into something undesired? I don't know..

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[screenxpress]

Success!  I finally just put the whole think into my washout booth sideways and blasted the hell out of it with the pressure washer.  That got a lot of it started.  Then I grabbed a rubber mallet and whacked at it from the back and after about 30 minutes of switching between those two methods it's as good as new!

Except for the 12" crack! LOL!

This crack's for you...........

http://www.oddee.com/item_98258.aspx

[mimosatexas]

Success!  I finally just put the whole think into my washout booth sideways and blasted the hell out of it with the pressure washer.  That got a lot of it started.  Then I grabbed a rubber mallet and whacked at it from the back and after about 30 minutes of switching between those two methods it's as good as new!

Except for the 12" crack! LOL!

i honestly was terrified it would crack, but it didnt even come close.  i could probably take an axe to this thing...

[Evo]

We use Supra and I just drain the tank every few months, scrape out the muck on the bottom, strain the fluid back in with a screen as a filter and keep on going.

The Supra and the 701 are a great combo.

[mimosatexas]

Mind going into more detail on your process Evo, like cleaning process, chemical order, dwell time in the tank, etc.

Glad to hear you're happy with the combo.  I saw pretty mixed reviews, but it was one of the only two chemical brand combos that people seemed to like and is stocked by my local guy.

[mimosatexas]

testing now. water is really cold though. definitely want an easy way to keep it at a constant temp.

[ebscreen]

Aquarium heater, Ebo Jager brand.