mkmie
Lost Soul
Yep, Seems costly at first but saved many a print here.
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What do you use to dust off prints?
- Thread starter Tony Rome
- Start date
Johnny Best
Active Member
I have had an Alvin draftsman's duster for years that I use to go over prints before laminating.
Have one of those silicone rollers also but like the duster better.
Have one of those silicone rollers also but like the duster better.
Santimus
Member
We use one and its just like the rest of these options. It does not get everything and static will still screw up your lams no matter how many passes you give it. It does have a slightly tacky surface and is easily cleaned by rolling it over scraps of vinyl with the adhesive side up. As for those who say it is expensive... I've been using it for 10 years. I don't know how long the shop had it before but at 10 years and a 1 time cost it's not that hard to do the math and come to the conclusion that it's the cheapest option for those shops that plan on being around for a while.
For the lazy ones... or those bad at math... $185/10years= $18.50 per year $18.50/12months= $1.50 per month $1.50/22working days a month= $0.075 per day. Its a great option IMHO
equippaint
Active Member
They get used on fresh base coat before clear, that's much more risky than a cured print. It's a staple product in the autobody industry and there really is no substitute. I'm surprised more people are not using them. A tack cloth will actually retain the trash it picks up and you don't have to worry much about it being redeposited on a print. Drop it on the ground, pick it up and flip it around, no big deal. My experience with the swifers is that they dont pick anything up except for fine dust and tear really easily if you hit the edge of the paper which leaves fibers.
Brandon708
New Member
I am also looking for good methods to do this. We used to just whip down panels with paper towels. Now I am using microfiber towels but I am having an issue with getting shocked every damn time. Do those rollers cause any static shock?
I never get shocks with the tack cloths as I'm laminating, but I'd assume they create a little static since anything moving on a surface will create static to an extent. I used to get shocked like crazy using microfiber cloths on materials on our table that's got a self healing mat on it, until I figured out to put a finger on a screw in the table and that grounds me out.
Brandon708
New Member
Exactly. I have a Roll-X table with a cutting mat and when I whip it down with a microfiber cloth I get a shock from the side of the table right on the head of my you know what. I was hoping that blue roller doesn't promote static and if I can add a small extension pole to it.
eahicks
Magna Cum Laude - School of Hard Knocks
The pad will last you 6 months to a year, depending how much you use it. If you can't figure $30 in to your cost of goods for over a year....
You can also use strips of scrap vinyl to roll on to remove the dust, if you're just too cheap to buy the pads. We do that now and then.
IV
New Member
We do the same thing in using scrap vinyl/laminate to clean off the roller. Also, a rinsing in the sink with straight water will get off the hard to take off specs of stuff that sticks to the roller.
I do have a question on static control. Any good ideas out there to minimize static? Peeling backing off of laminate or moving vinyl on the table can generate static. Any suggestions folks? I'd love to hear what you do to minimize.
Thanks!
bannertime
Active Member
Yeah, see this is my point. Exact same thing with the helium trades. Taking a "medical grade" product and selling it to other industries with the same price saying "well this is just how it is." When obviously it can be sold for much less. These rollers appear to have come from medical or scientific clean room needs and carry that inflated price across other industries. Microfiber towels work just fine for our needs and if someone wants to compare math, we spend way less than $18 a year on them.
I'm using a 'roller fuser' from an old copy machine, it work great, its tacky enough to pick up dust and weak enough to leave small vinyl pieces. It's also helps when I need to apply masking tape to larger decals.
I had a client who placed a big tent in her warehouse as a clean room environment with vacuum blower to suck out any dust inside the tent. She also wears a suit before going in. Inside the tent includes the laminator and printer. Cleaning roller with extended handle is used to prevent close body contact from the print. Works for her.
