larry@kitty.UUCP (02/21/87)
Most fabric printer ribbons which lose contrast still have enough
ink for additional life with decent printing. The problem is that the ink
is depleted from the active striking area of the ribbon, while the rest of
the ribbon still contains a copious amount of ink. If the remaining ink on
the ribbon could be "redistributed" evenly over its surface to restore the
depleted areas, then additional printing life can be obtained.
There are some aerosol sprays on the market which perform this
function by acting as a solvent for the ink, causing it to evenly spread
over the ribbon surface.
These sprays are absurdly overpriced. All one needs is some 95%
isopropyl alcohol, which can readily be obtained from drugstores, hardware
stores, etc. Do not use rubbing alcohol, however.
The easiest (and least messy) ribbon to rejuvenate is one which is
contained in a cartridge with an inking roller. Carefully open the ribbon
cartridge, and saturate the roller with isopropyl alcohol using a medicine
dropper. Some ribbon cartridges have an inspection hole over the inking
roller which makes this task very easy. Run the ribbon through the cartridge
several times to distribute the alcohol. This is best done with the cartridge
removed from the printer; _cautious_ use of a variable speed electric drill to
turn the ribbon roller(s) will substantially speed up this process.
Ribbons on spools can be also be rejuvenated, although this is
messier. A simple approach is to immerse the entire ribbon (spools and all)
in isopropyl alcohol for about one minute; let the entire ribbon dry for
several hours before using. The alcohol can be used to clean any ink which
drips on the outside of the spools.
I have used the above technique for a number of years with good
results. Some caveats:
1. This is not intended to eliminate buying new ribbons! I use it
primarily as an emergency measure when I am out of replacement
ribbons, or when replacement ribbons are "discovered" to be
partially dried out. (Special flame to AT&T Teletype Corp. for
failing to adequately seal replacement ribbons!)
2. Don't do this inside the printer, or install a ribbon which is
still dripping!
3. Make certain that the ribbon is reasonably dry before attempting
to print with it; a wet ribbon may tear or deform under impact.
Isopropyl alcohol seems to work on every fabric ribbon ink that
I have tried.
<> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
<> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rocksanne|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
<> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|mtune|seismo|utzoo}!/
<> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?" kludge@gitpyr.UUCP (02/22/87)
In article <1609@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > There are some aerosol sprays on the market which perform this >function by acting as a solvent for the ink, causing it to evenly spread >over the ribbon surface. > These sprays are absurdly overpriced. All one needs is some 95% >isopropyl alcohol, which can readily be obtained from drugstores, hardware >stores, etc. Do not use rubbing alcohol, however. I always had great luck with WD-40 from the local hardware store. This is a lubricant which contains lots of unidentified, light petroleum distillates, and is also available in a spray, which makes it much easier to use on the reel-type ribbons. -- Scott Dorsey Kaptain_Kludge ICS Programming Lab (Where old terminals go to die), Rich 110, Georgia Institute of Technology, Box 36681, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!kludge
salem@sri-unix.UUCP (02/24/87)
I have used WD40 on an MX-80 ribbon with desirable effect. When the ribbon gets light, just pry up the tabs that hold the plastic box together. You will see the ribbon snaked up inside. Now, spray WD40 inside over the ribbon, about 4 short bursts from the spray can without the applicator tube will do. Let the ribbon set for a few hours. If you spray more oil you will have to let it set longer. I have tried this and it moves the ink around on the ribbon so it prints dark. I have seen no ill effects on my printer. Bruce Salem -- Bruce B. Salem UUCP: hplabs!ames!spam!sri-unix!salem ARPA: salem@unix.sri.com SRI International PHONE: (415) 859-5334 PN309 333 Ravenswood St. Menlo Park Ca. 94025
rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP (02/24/87)
The recent article about giving printer ribbons new life through the use of isopropyl alcohol was quite interesting. Has anyone tried re-inking printer ribbons? I have seen an advertisement for a company in CA that will "re-ink" cartridge ribbons for ~ $5.00. I wonder if this is really re-inking or just rejuvinating through the use of alcohol. Personally, I would prefer to re-ink my ribbons rather than rejuvinate them, assuming the same amount of effort and mess is involved. Would be interested in hearing about techniques others have used for reinking. Randy Marks rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP
larry@kitty.UUCP (02/25/87)
In article <1311@sri-unix.ARPA>, salem@sri-unix.ARPA (Bruce B. Salem) writes: > I have used WD40 on an MX-80 ribbon with desirable effect. When the > ribbon gets light, just pry up the tabs that hold the plastic box together. > You will see the ribbon snaked up inside. Now, spray WD40 inside over the > ribbon, about 4 short bursts from the spray can without the applicator tube > will do. Let the ribbon set for a few hours. If you spray more oil you will > have to let it set longer. I have tried this and it moves the ink around on > the ribbon so it prints dark. I have seen no ill effects on my printer. I have no doubt that your method works empirically; however, it is important to use caution in applying lubricants and solvents to a printer. This reason is that some printers use rubber and/or plastic rollers to guide and/or propel the ribbon. Many types of rubber and plastic are attacked by the aliphatic hydrocarbons present in WD40 and similar substances. A specific example is the rubber pinch-rollers which propel the ribbon on the older Centronics printers (like the Models 702 and 703). The ribbon inks and ink binders themselves attack these rollers and cause them to deteriorate. The reason why I used isopropyl alcohol as my "home remedy" is that it is safe on virtually all plastic and rubber material. <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rocksanne|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|mtune|seismo|utzoo}!/ <> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?"
salem@sri-unix.UUCP (02/26/87)
In article <119@ritcv.UUCP> rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) writes: >Personally, I would prefer to re-ink my ribbons rather than rejuvinate them, >assuming the same amount of effort and mess is involved. >Would be interested in hearing about techniques others have used for reinking. The reason rejuvination with alcohol or WD-40 for my MX-80 ribbon is that the print heads impact only the center of the ribbon, so the ink at the edges is wasted until remobilized by the solvant. I don't really disagree with you, I only wish to add that new ribbons bleed ink onto the paper if the printer sits unused for a while between jobs. Bruce Salem -- Bruce B. Salem UUCP: hplabs!ames!spam!sri-unix!salem ARPA: salem@unix.sri.com SRI International PHONE: (415) 859-5334 PN309 333 Ravenswood St. Menlo Park Ca. 94025
blgardne@esunix.UUCP (02/26/87)
in article <119@ritcv.UUCP>, rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP says: > > Personally, I would prefer to re-ink my ribbons rather than rejuvinate them, > assuming the same amount of effort and mess is involved. > Would be interested in hearing about techniques others have used for reinking. > I've been re-inking the ribbons for my Epson RX-80 with good results. Simply pop off the top of the cartridge and run one of those roller-ball stamp pad re-inkers (Sanford #857) across the ribbon. Be careful doing this, you'll be very surprised at how much ribbon can fit into that cartridge if it pops out! I've done it, and it's a real mess. The best technique seem to be simply pushing the applicator down into the ribbon, rather than trying to roll it across the entire length of the cartridge. I try to get the ribbon wet in 3 or 4 places along the length of the cartridge, then seal it back up and put it on the shelf for a week or so to let the ink soak through the entire ribbon. It helps if you wind the ribbon part way through the cartridge every couple of days. (The Skill Twist electric screwdriver is perfect for this.) One important tip: use less ink than you think you need, or you'll wind up with a first class mess. Re-inking can be messy, but a buck or so for the bottle of ink beats $5-10 for a new ribbon, or $60 for one of those powered re-inking machines. The stamp pad re-inkers are also available in a few colors, it makes using colored ribbons much cheaper. -- Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland UUCP Address: {ihnp4,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne Alternate: {ihnp4,seismo}!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!blgardne
rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP (03/03/87)
In article <6@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: >in article <119@ritcv.UUCP>, rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP says: >> >> Personally, I would prefer to re-ink my ribbons rather than rejuvinate them, >> assuming the same amount of effort and mess is involved. >> Would be interested in hearing about techniques others have used for reinking. >> >cartridge if it pops out! I've done it, and it's a real mess. > >Re-inking can be messy, but a buck or so for the bottle of ink beats >$5-10 for a new ribbon, or $60 for one of those powered re-inking ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >machines. The stamp pad re-inkers are also available in a few colors, it ^^^^^^^^^ I have never seen such a machine. For $60.00 and the number of ribbons that I go through, it might pay for itself in less than a year. Can anybody give me a phone # or address so that I can obtain one of these re-inking machines?? Randy Marks (716) 442-0917 rsm6306@ritcv.UUCP