Drying press - avoid cloth soiling?

fritzsiepen · 2009-03-08T21:44:33+00:00

Hallo ! Kann man, wenn das Tuch einer Trockenpresse durch Chemierückstände verschmutzt ist, einfach ein Leinentuch zwischen Print und Tuch legen, damit die...

fritzsiepen

Hello! If the cloth on a dry press is soiled with chemical residues, can you simply place a linen cloth between the print and the cloth to prevent the residues from coming into direct contact with the print? If that doesn’t work... can you make a replacement cloth yourself on a sewing machine, or is that precision work? Do you need a special linen cloth, or is any old one fine? Many thanks! Fritz

bernhardmangelsgmxde

Hello! If the cloth on a dry press is soiled with chemical residues, can you simply place a linen cloth between the print and the cloth to prevent the residues from coming into direct contact with the print? If that doesn’t work... can you make a replacement cloth yourself on a sewing machine, or is that precision work? Do you need a special linen cloth, or is any old one fine? Many thanks! Fritz

I just washed my linen cloth.

Urnes

Hi Fritz, I remember reading somewhere, either here on the forum or on the large-format forum, about someone who said it was enough to boil the sheets in the washing machine, even if the discolouration didn’t come out. I’ve actually had my mother-in-law sew me some new sheets; it’s not rocket science, but you do need the right material. An old bed sheet isn’t really up to the job, because the cloth gives way as soon as it gets wet. As I wanted a larger press anyway, I now have one with new cloths, which I haven’t used yet... but I’ve made a firm resolution to keep them clean. Regards, Sven.

fritzsiepen

I boiled the cloth today (on the hob) with washing-up liquid. It’s definitely turned white, but the stubborn brown stains are still there. I’m wondering whether these stains might still contain chemicals that could damage my prints! But to come back to the original question... has anyone ever tried putting a clean cloth in between? Perhaps a microfibre cloth if the temperature doesn’t get too high? Thanks! Fritz

cfb_de

Hi Fritz, Whatever’s left in the cloth after this treatment will stay there. No need to worry – nothing will rub off onto the prints. When inorganic chemicals are insoluble (and silver residue in cloths is one such example), they stay that way. A dirty-looking dry cloth won’t do the prints any harm. That’s my take on it as a chemist. Not everything has to look ‘deeply clean’ like a toothbrush. In fact, in terms of how dirty they are, toothbrushes and dish sponges are *far* dirtier than the toilet brush, which is also ‘deeply clean’ white. That’s also my take as a chemist :-) Best regards, Franz

fritzsiepen

OK, that puts my mind at rest :rolleyes: I’ll give it a go then! Thanks Fritz

hansschneider

I’ll give that a go then!

Fritz, the bit about the toilet brush? Seriously: what Franz tells you ‘as a chemist’ is something any housewife with a bit of background knowledge would tell you too. Those ‘deep-clean’ items of laundry (the language alone is a total rip-off – since when do cotton fibres have pores?) are usually just as stained after a week as they were before; you just can’t see the stains anymore, thanks to the brighteners in the washing powder. Have a look at that “deep-clean” stuff under UV light. Best regards, Hans

cfb_de

Have a look at that "deep-cleansed" stuff under a UV light.

Hi Hans, Exactly. If you can’t be bothered with that: put on a white shirt, have a good blow of your nose, then head to the dance club and try to pick someone up under black light. It’s bound to go wrong... Best regards, Franz