Dip Tank

[Shawn (EIP)]

I know your not sopposed to but I sometimes leave my screens in overnight (when I'm lazy). The ink hardens up into an almost powder form when left in the dip tank long enough making it so I can blow out the screen from the bottom (print side) and 90% of the ink will get blown out.

Screen Systems 2900 Clean & Strip

2 or 3 months now doing it the wrong way (overnight soaks) and still works great.

BTW I opted out of buying one of those fancy expensive tanks and use a 55 gallon plastic drum , works just fine and picked it up for free. Fits 6 manual newman frames. 

[ebscreen]

CCI Gemzyne.

I gave up long ago on a "put dirty screen in tank pull out clean" solution.
Still have to remove ink no matter what.

Gemzyne is $40 for a 27 gallon tank plus some to refresh. Lasts forever.

I've never been able to throw a screen straight into the "one step"either. You either loosen up the ink before hand with ink cleaner or you have to do it with the dehazer. Far as I can tell there's no such thing as a combination ink/emulsion remover.  Franmar's works great as an emulsion stripper but that gem zyne sounds like a better deal.

'zactly.

[screenxpress]

Can't set the tanks on top of something like a concrete paver (or 2) to raise the height.  Probably even be easier to drop/pull the screens.

[ZooCity]

Casters work great.

[screenxpress]

Tks,

I just bought one and had not filled it yet.  I can make one of those things easy

[ZooCity]

I'd one-up those in the pic and frame out the tank so it doesn't bulge. 

[screenxpress]

I'd one-up those in the pic and frame out the tank so it doesn't bulge.

Mine is from easiway.  Does it bulge?  If so, high high?  Low?  Middle? Where?  You got me thinking.

[ZooCity]

They all bulge, at least Easiway and Blackline do.  The Easiway lid still fits on but the Blackline one has some gaps which leads to evaporation.  I'd frame 'em up as the bulging is annoying.

[Frog]

Perhaps those with the right shipping equipment could easily reinforce them with that yellow plastic banding stuff.

[inkbrigade]

CCI Gemzyne.

I gave up long ago on a "put dirty screen in tank pull out clean" solution.
Still have to remove ink no matter what.

Gemzyne is $40 for a 27 gallon tank plus some to refresh. Lasts forever.

I've never been able to throw a screen straight into the "one step"either. You either loosen up the ink before hand with ink cleaner or you have to do it with the dehazer. Far as I can tell there's no such thing as a combination ink/emulsion remover.  Franmar's works great as an emulsion stripper but that gem zyne sounds like a better deal.

Sounds like you contaminated the one step clear. I can tell you it works every day for us. You need to card off the excess ink of course, put it in the tank and hit it with the pressure washer.
The only time i need to use ink remover is when their is ink in the open area of the mesh. Like some one flooded the screen but didn't finish the print stroke.

I know once you get another chemical in the tank (even another franmar product) you contaminate the tank and it doesn't work anymore.

So we make sure not to use ink remover on the screens before putting them into the tank. If we have to we rinse the screen with water before putting into the tank.

Check out my video here.
http://www.youtube.com/jamiemcparland#p/u/7/ggYBDrisFzc

[mk162]

I use some ratcheting straps and some plywood to wrap around mine.  I think I might do the caster thing next time I change it out.

[ZooCity]

I had checked yer video before we went that way Jamie and it's actually part of what convinced me to try it out. 

It's possible but not likely it's contaminated, we made sure to never use another product on the screen prior and, if we did for a color change on press or something, we rinsed the screen well before dunking them.  It never got the ink all the way off from the get go.  We use the ink spatulas to get the majority of the ink out, pull tape and wipe with a dry rag before throwing them in.  There's very little ink on there.  I did notice the ink seemed to be most tenacious where the reg marks and image was though. 

It does still strip the emulsion down just fine and has been doing so for what feels like a really long time now.  Just doesn't seem worth it if I can use a straight sodium periodate concentrate since all it does is strip emulsion.   EB concurred with me on this earlier too- maybe we're just dumbasses and doing something wrong or perhaps it's the phthalate-free ink?

That's a purdy good idear MK, ours our so far gone that we'd have to use ratchet straps at this point.  I'll try it out this winter when I put the warming wraps on the tanks.

[inkbrigade]

I had checked yer video before we went that way Jamie and it's actually part of what convinced me to try it out. 

It's possible but not likely it's contaminated, we made sure to never use another product on the screen prior and, if we did for a color change on press or something, we rinsed the screen well before dunking them.  It never got the ink all the way off from the get go.  We use the ink spatulas to get the majority of the ink out, pull tape and wipe with a dry rag before throwing them in.  There's very little ink on there.  I did notice the ink seemed to be most tenacious where the reg marks and image was though. 

It does still strip the emulsion down just fine and has been doing so for what feels like a really long time now.  Just doesn't seem worth it if I can use a straight sodium periodate concentrate since all it does is strip emulsion.   EB concurred with me on this earlier too- maybe we're just dumbasses and doing something wrong or perhaps it's the phthalate-free ink?

That's a purdy good idear MK, ours our so far gone that we'd have to use ratchet straps at this point.  I'll try it out this winter when I put the warming wraps on the tanks.

Oh crap.. now i feel bad you tried it and it didn't work. That stuffs not cheap. I'm sorry, man i swear it works great for us. Just like in the video.  I will say that one time we got a brand new 5 gallon and it was bunk. Just didn't work. I called and complained and they shipped out a replacement, maybe give them a call and ask WTF?

It's called one step clear for a reason... So if it's not working the way it's suppose to call 'em up! Good Luck man!

[ZooCity]

Yeah way to go Jamie you ruined my life.   

But really, your vid convinced me that it would strip Aquasol, which it does for me everyday in here.   

When you got a bad bucket of the Franmar One Step, did it still strip emulsion?  Because ours strips emulsion very well, it just doesn't remove ink from anywhere the emulsion wasn't. 

[inkbrigade]

Yeah way to go Jamie you ruined my life.   

But really, your vid convinced me that it would strip Aquasol, which it does for me everyday in here.   

When you got a bad bucket of the Franmar One Step, did it still strip emulsion?  Because ours strips emulsion very well, it just doesn't remove ink from anywhere the emulsion wasn't.

haha.. ok. I just hate to give bad advice, and I'm so happy with ours that's why i wanted to share. Just bums me out when crap doesn't work out. I know this stuff costs money ya know?

Yep the bad bucket still did the emulsion no problem. Just none of the ink. Also the area under where the ink was the emulsion was hard to get off.

I remember talking to someone and they were like "It's not suppose to get the ink off" but that's bullshit! It's called one step clear for a reason. If i just wanted the emulsion off buying a $400 dip tank would not really be worth it.

This is from the franmar website "One-Step Clear™ that removes both ink and emulsion safely and affordably in one, quick step. "
http://franmar.com/textile/techniques-demonstrations.html

If it's not cleaning the ink off call them up and complain. That stuff is to expensive not to have it work!