Wash up

Hello friends. I currently am looking for an alternative to California wash for press cleanup… because my press is in the basement nearby a furnace, I currently bring everything up to the garage for cleanup… which is exhausting and time consuming… I have been told that odorless mineral spirits aren’t as “harmful” as cal wash but also some people use Citra solv? Has anyone used before and opinions?

Thanks!

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There is a story of a chap who was using gasoline to clean paint brushes in the same room as his furnace. The furnace kicked in and drew combustion air from the room.
BOOOOOM.
Thus the guidance is to not use volatile solvents in the same room as the furnace.
I use mineral spirits as my type and press wash. It is cheap and efficient. Even the odorless stuff has a certain amount of volatility. My less than scientific thinking is that it should be safe. I would not leave the can uncorked and I would not leave the solvent soaked rags in that room, or any room.

The question was directed to what Incould use in the basement as an alternative… But thanks for the story

Use baby oil and simple green. You will double your clean up time versus using Mineral spirits, or Cal wash but its safe.

You will still need to use Cal Wash, or Min spirits when using dark ink, but it will be a quick wipe down.

I would suggest that nschwerer should continue to clean-up the way he/she is presently doing. There is no totally safe solvent. Kerosine is the least flammable of all options (this is considering that washing up with vegetable or baby oil is just stupid, and not an option), but any solvent runs the risk of spontaneous fire in the presence of open flame. Most people know better than to wash-up with regular gasoline, because it is loaded with carcinogens, and California Wash also has similar chemicals used to retard evaporation, but the problem here is building up fumes in a small area. Possibly buiding a wash-up station that has a fan that vents fumes outside, and using less volatile solvents would be a possibility. Consulting a fire marshall is a good suggestion, after all it is their job to sort these sort of things out.

Paul

I use baby wipes now, very handy on an old Adana using oil based inks

Baby wipes hmmm… have to test that maybe. Ive heard on people using baby oil and I have experimented a little with it but seems to leave some residue behind.

I now some people here in the Netherlands use vegetal oils to clean up, once finished, they use water with a drop of dish-washing liquid in it. I’m not convinced myself and continue to use mineral spirits. But as little as possible.

I print with oil based inks and use primary kerosene for cleaning, but sometimes when I have a huge amount of ink on the rollers from printing poster forms or solid surfaces I use corn oil to loosen up the ink. Normally I let the oil stay on the rollers for a few minutes and then wiping of the oil and the main part of the ink with a dry rag. Afterwards I clean with kerosene. The benefit is that the corn oil is less toxic and flammable - and that I use less of the more expensive kerosene. It works!
Gott grüß die Kunst
Jens

There are benefits to using the correct wash-up fluids. Your local “Paper House” would stock these. They contain the necessary chemicals not to strip the life out of your rubber. It helps keep the correct firmness and will not make your rollers swell out of round. In some cases shrink your rollers. The places you buy your ink would recommend the correct wash-up fluids. I certainly would ask the manufacture of your roller material, what NOT to use. There are many that have little smell.
Brands to Look for…. Hurst, Varn, I use Pronto.

I’ve used kerosene on my V-50. Sprinkled a small amount over rollers, let the machine run for a few minutes, then wipe everything down with dry rags.