cleaner for dried pigmented ink

[Lothman]

Hello,

some months ago I switched from dye printer to an epson r2400 and due to the good reported results in this forum I use Image Specialist inks.
In order to see the behavior of the prints on misuse:
I dripped water on them (TPI-luster paper). no reaction
I drowned them -> no reaction -> let them for some minutes -> no reaction
I used dish soap on them -> no reaction

Excellent results for me. But last week a friend visited me and we stood in my kitchen having an espresso. I wanted to demonstrate him how well the prints hold under water, but instead of the dish soap I grabbed the bottle with a degreaser. And all of a sudden the inks were solluted and the paper was white again. In Germany it is called "Fett Lser" and is used in gastronomy to clean fat/oil off.
http://www.drbecher.de/de/produkt/3170
Sorry only a german website. But with this product I also can easily clean dried ink droplets from the last refill action on the floor , it also can clean my fingers after refillung. I have not observed such a good solvent for pigmented inks.

May be this is a help for somebody else or might be this degreaser is the last solution for clogged print heads.

Regards
Lothman

just a few strokes with a cotton wipe moistened with this degreaser on a luster print:

 

[RMM]

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to see if the US based oven degreasers have the same effect. Ink is very difficult to remove from my hands sometimes. It seems that the dye based inks are even worse than the pigment based ones, it appears that they penetrate deeper into my skin leaving me with colored hands for 2-4 days sometimes.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I hope your "oven degreaser" is not like Easy-Off.

 

[stratman]

I hope your "oven degreaser" is not like Easy-Off.

What are you implying with Easy-Off?

 

[Grandad35]

What are you implying with Easy-Off?

After reading the link, I wouldn't want to get it on any part of my body. I'm not sure that lye would be good for a print head, either.

 

[ghwellsjr]

It would be dangerous to use a product like Easy-Off to clean pigment ink off your hands. I just don't know if that is what RMM meant by "oven degreaser".

 

[sllowmail]

If possible, will you please let the world know the composition of this degreaser. I believe some chemicals in it are solvents of the ink.

 

[stratman]

What are you implying with Easy-Off?

After reading the link, I wouldn't want to get it on any part of my body. I'm not sure that lye would be good for a print head, either.

Agree Grandad35 and ghwellsjr. I don't want Easy-Off on any part of my body or even in my airways. Alkalines like lye are not freindly towards fats, including skin and other body tissues/organs. A little lye on the hands to clean injet dyes may work but will strip skin resulting in a smooth surface, though not one you would necessarily recommend for beautifying the skin. :-(

There is a link to what appears to be a (potential) MSDS PDF on the page Lothman provides. I don't know if it's safe for skin, but I'm sure you don't want to ingest it.

 

[Lothman]

Ho quite some echo ;-), it is an alcalic soap not an oven spray for burnt residues. It is a professional cleaner for gastronomy. Of corse they do not recommend it to use it as cosmetic ;-)

I often used it without gloves and never had any skin irritations, but certainly it is better to avoid this. At least ist helped me to clean off some ink stripes on my floor what I couldn't get off with anything elese. I would use window cleaner first in a print head, but in case everything else failed then I would give this degreaser a chance.

I googled a bit and the German "Fett Lser" seems to be similar to the 3M Food Service Degreaser
3M Food Service Degreaser
PDF of 3M

 

[stratman]

Looking at the MSDS for the 3M degreaser, one of the ingredients used is ETHYLENE GLYCOL ETHYLHEXYL ETHER which is also found, ironically, in inkjet inks. (hxxp://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/Chem_Background/ExSumPdf/EthyleneGlycol2EthylhexylEther_093008_508.pdf)

Certain Glycols are used as humectants such as with tobacco and in Nifty-Stuff's very own Pharmacist's concoction for cleaning and revitalizing the sponge in Canon inkjet cartridges.