[norcaltodd]

My hands are raw and Im tired of scrubbing screens. I want a dip tank and someone told me there is a one step dip process which makes my troubles go away. This sounds like a dream. What do I get?

I clean about 10 screens a week and this is about 1/3 of my inventory. Screen printing is my second job and I'm not making money cleaning screens because time and energy are my most limited assets.

HELP!!!!!!!

 

[ItsNnicholas]

I'm on the same page too... anyone know how?

 

[KillerTees.ie]

Use the search button. They're are a few threads on diy dip tanks. You can buy suitable polypropylene tank for a fraction of the off the shelf dip tank price.

 

[choppinsky]

If you use wooden frames, dip tanks are a bad idea, since the frames will absorb solvent as they sit in the bath, and this leads to structural breakdown. Roller frames are also a bad choice, since the roller mechanisms will take on solvent that can leech out during coating or exposing. This leaves you with stretch-and-glue metal as the only really compatible frames for the dip process, and at 10 frames a week, I really believe it's more trouble than it's worth. Call your local screen supplier and have a rep come by and bring some cleaning products to help with your problem.

 

[Texsource Bruce]

I have sold Dip Tanks for over ten years and have many customers using them still. Some have wood frames, some have metal frames and some have roller frames. A good test of a product is how long you stick with what you are using.

 

[CNClark]

I exclusively use roller frames and I use a dip tank. You can use rollers with a dip tank no problem. Maybe some ancient rollers have issues with holding the solvent, but any made in the last few years don't. I know of several shops with several hundred rollers that use dip tanks exclusively. In fact, one could argue using aluminum statics is about the worst frame you can use in a dip tank because of the often shotty welding and holes that allow the solvent to seep into the frame.

That said, you still need to deink your screens before putting them in the dip tank. How you do that, ink degradent, or press wash is up to you. You still have to scrub, haze remove, and then lather up in soap which again leads to more scrubbing. Cleaning screens is part of the job, and if you are only doing 10 a week, your talking about 30-40 minutes of work even without the dip tanks. If you are billing your customers correctly, washing screens is profitable too.

 

[foot print]

My hands are raw and Im tired of scrubbing screens. I want a dip tank and someone told me there is a one step dip process which makes my troubles go away. This sounds like a dream. What do I get?

I clean about 10 screens a week and this is about 1/3 of my inventory. Screen printing is my second job and I'm not making money cleaning screens because time and energy are my most limited assets.

HELP!!!!!!!

Raw ..? you are not supposed to scrub with palm of your hands..LOL Have you tried using emulsion remover ..? buy it by the gallon mix it into a spray bottle..Here is my process, i remove all the tape and ink from my screen, wet both sides of my screen, then spray both sides with emulsion remover mixture. Let sit for about 1 minute grab a BBQ scrub pad the mind on a plastic handle. lightly scrub both sides and wash away all the junk. the whole process should take 3-4 minutes tops. oh yeah wear gloves, SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY.

 

[choppinsky]

CNClark, good to know that the current crop of roller frames are well-sealed enough to make dipping and soaking practical. However, I'll stick to my statement regarding wood frames. Run a wooden frame through an ink-saturated solvent bath numerous times, and you'll have one nasty black frame, and if it has any tension on it , it will begin to rack and twist. CN, you mention several shops with several hundred rollers who use dip tanks, sand I would agree that that is the type of shop where I've seen dip tanks used most effectively, when used as part of a speedy, high-volume reclaim-reuse process.

Ernie Johnson
M&R Regional Manager

 

[CNClark]

I wouldn't know about the wooden frames, I havent touched one in a decade. But it makes sense. That's the problem with any wooden frame, they begin to soak up water or solvent and warp, which leads to on-press issues with registration, etc. I'm a small auto shop, we clean 20-40 screens a day, and the dip tank has sure sped up that process. I have found alot of the ink spots that are missed on the frame itself and the ink that gets stuck between the mesh and the roller is easier to get out/off if letting them soak in a dip tank.

I would highly recommend getting one, but at 10 screens a week, I don't know if I could justify the cost and in the end, you still gotta scrub.

 

[alan802]

Before a dip tank, we reclaimed 8 screens per hour. After a dip tank that holds 5 screens, my guy (he's better than your average screen guy) can do 25-30 per hour. We've used several different dip tank chems, franmar one step, easiway easistrip and I will be demo-ing some Saati ER-2 in the next few weeks.

Dip tanks are a no-brainer for even the smallest of shops, the smaller the shop, the longer you'll have to wait for your ROI, but our dip tank paid for itself within 2 weeks, we use anywhere from 60-120 screens per week, newman rollers and shurloc ez frames.

 

[Texsource Ronnie]

A dip tank is by far the way to go