Thread: Calcium build-up??

Hi everyone
On our Ryobi 525GX press we are having probelms with calcium build up on our magenta head, which means we have to clean the rollers by hand. We currenty use Win Wash RG1 Calcium Removing Gel but even then we have to wash-up the rollers by hand, can anyone suggest a better calcium cleaning product that might avoid cleaning the rollers by hand in the future?

Prisco has a 4 step Calcium Elimination Kit that works very well. With the press idling(about 7500 rph) apply the first chemical to the roller train(ensuring ink rollers and damps are integrated) as if you were washing up, allow to run in a bit, apply a bit more and again allow it to run in. Let the product run in for about 5 min. then wash the rollers using roller wash and lots of water. Do this for each of the 4 steps. An instruction sheet comes with the kit.
Through experience I have found that when you have finished all the applications and washes, apply some ink to the rollers and let it run in for a min. and wash the rollers(automatically if possible). If you have live plates on the unit being washed, remove them before starting this wash sequence.
Some etches are more prone to causing calcium problems than others, and changing solutions can also cause calcium problems on your rollers.

I hope this helps.

Grant

try a quick vinagar wash.....i wash all rollers once a week ..mostly before the weekend with vinagar and then a normal final wash with presswash and water...hope this helps

Do you mean the water oscillator is clouding up? If so we changed our fount. (we were using OD50 from Apex) Cleared up straight away. We had all the engineers in, saying clean your steels etc... turned out it was the fount we were using.

Originally Posted by 6colorpressman

try a quick vinagar wash.....i wash all rollers once a week ..mostly before the weekend with vinagar and then a normal final wash with presswash and water...hope this helps

At last! A real pressman speaks - this works really well if you use warm water as a final rinse. don't waste your money on all those fancy a$$ washes when all you need is good dose of vinegar or acetic acid solution.

Does vinegar work for calcium build up? I thought it was used for de-glazing or is it the same thing?

Have you considered changing inks? Many oil based inks have calcium components which in addition to a hard water supply and perhaps an over acidic fount solution can deposit calcium carbonate onto your steels/copper/rilsan etc and then these become very prone to colour stripping.

The vinegar breaks down these deposits but if you get repeat occurrences in a short space of time I'd suggest trying a vegetable based ink. The Novavit Bio series from Litho Supplies we find works well - used it for over 5 years no, repeat no colour stripping ever.

See this link for more info..

Calcium deposits

if there a lot of calcium deposit on roller surface could it will effect the roller nip? hmmm now i knew why before our new LS540 apply a little of water before end of roller cleaning

I was taught the same as mentioned previously -hot water and white vinegar. After washing majority of ink off the rollers, run in the hot water & vinegar mix. I usually do it ay the last wash up of the day. I even had a chemical salesman try to sell me the "latest chemical for wash ups". I told him what I use, he said never mnd and walked out. It works and it's cheap.