Parts washer?

[Gilligan]

I hate cleaning squeegees.  I'm thinking about getting a parts washer.

I know some of you guys have done that.  What is your advice.  How big?  What chems?  Diluted?  What brushes?

Those that maybe haven't do you have any reasons that you don't like the idea?

[mk162]

i have a zep dyna clean.  works great, after about 16 years, the pump gave out.

i use xenon plastiwash in it.  i love it.

[Gilligan]

How much fluid do you use?  Do you dilute it?

[mk162]

plastiwash is a solvent, I wouldn't recommend diluting it with anything, especially paint thinner or mineral spirits.  That stuff will kill squeegees.

I use about 10 gallons at a time, so about $250.  I also put an extra filter on it and I made it 4 years without cleaning out or changing the fluid.

All you need is an oil filter relocation kit and some oil filters.  Just rig it up AFTER the first filter since the oil filter is finer than the other filter.

[screenprintguy]

Honestly man, we have gone back and forth with the parts washer, either way you slice it, cleaning these puppies is a dirty mess. We came up with a tray from a cut piece of wire shelving that we lay on the rail in our wash out booth, Franmar beenie doo and a scrub brush, 30 seconds of scrubbing and hit it with the pressure washer and your squeegee's and floods are cleaned. The cost of the service for saftey Kleen or even if you buy min spirits yourself doesn't make sense since you already have other ink degraders on hand. We used beenie doo for our ink degrader, cheap easy to use, doesn't take a whole lot, 3 sprays and you can easily break down thick white from your screens, floods or squeegees. You will see alot of "un-used" parts washers sitting in shops for the same reason. I just had my rep from SPA out here today setting up a friend's shop with a new reclaiming system and we were going over the MDS sheets for the reclaiming chems that we use and all of them break down plastisol to be drain safe, not for septic tanks, but outside percolation drain, or right down the pipe. We drain into a sand basin that filters out any solids which we can dispose of monthly. Everyone has their own preference though, it's messy either way.

[Gilligan]

I have satti IR14 and that stuff doesn't work well except on screens (and that I'm still skeptic on)... I have Satti PW4 press wash and it works well, but I was unsure of the life span of such a chemical in a recirculating system (even or maybe especially if idle).

Brad, I had read about your Oil Filter relocation kit and was planning on doing that if I went this way (no brainer, great idea!)

Seems with IR 14 it degrades a thin coat and then the water just washes mostly the chemical away.  PW works well, just seems like I'm wasting a lot of chemicals and paper towels cleaning them up that way.

[Binkspot]

We have been using a little CCI press wash 200RV and a scrub brush in the wash out booth after the ink was carded off.

In the last engine shop I was at we used Crystal Clean. The small ones, 30 gallon drum with the wash tank 18"x 30" on top was $212 per quarter. This included the washer rental (they would replace it if it broke) 100% virgin solvent and disposal.

[alan802]

We use the expensive Safety Kleen service but I tell you what, you'd have to pry that thing out of my cold dead hands if you tried to take it out of this shop.

[Gilligan]

FYI, I was talking about buying a cheap $99 harbor freight parts washer, not paying a service.

[alan802]

My post should tell you all you need to know, assuming the thing works worth a damn.  While you're there, will you price me a long-handled torque wrench?

[jasonl]

We use the unit by Screen Klean Systems, I bought it used for 400 bucks.  10 gallons of chemical is 150 bucks. Good units, I had 3 at my old shop.

[Gilligan]

My post should tell you all you need to know, assuming the thing works worth a damn.  While you're there, will you price me a long-handled torque wrench?

You mean like this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-drive-click-stop-torque-wrench-808.html

Need me to pick you up one?

[Prosperi-Tees]

I have been debating the HF parts washer as well. Pick one up Kev and give us a review.

[ScreenFoo]

They run the 1/2" drives for 9.99 with the right coupon--got one for M3's, one for MZX's.   No torque changes for me.   

If you're using them on rollers, you get a little more bolt purchase on those grinding the bevel off a couple sockets too...  although you can get a couple of quality sockets for less than their set costs.

[ebscreen]

You know, there's a ton of things in this industry that shops either love or hate. I've seen
parts cleaners sitting in a dusty corner in many a shop. I've seen TriLoc's like that too,
but lord knows that wouldn't happen here.

And unfortunately the only way to know if to buy the (occasionally expensive) ticket and take the ride.