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  #1  
Old 26th April 2021, 09:36 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Cleaning out a Nova Processor.

This is not my favourite task It was last done on August last year and the slots replenished as I went on. Push came to shove when the blix slot had so much contamination it looked like a strong cup of latte.

The dev and stop were dumped, but the blix was filtered twice through coffee filter papers that removed all the... errrr, I suppose it is a by-product from the bleaching process. What was left looked just like newly mixed blix. In all the 38 yrs I have been printing RA4 I have never seen it so bad.

The slots were so badly stained with tar, especially the stop bath I resorted to using automotive brake cleaner, a strong degreasant which will shift anything - I call it liquid Pickford's. The slots are not perfect, but now quite clean for a 14 year old processor.

I have just finished a printing session with new developer and it was certainly easier to assess the colour balance, the old chemicals must have muted the colours somewhat. The filtered blix even without replenishment worked as well as it has always done.
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Old 28th April 2021, 08:20 PM
Stocky Stocky is offline
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I haven't come across automotive brake cleaner. Do you know what's in it? I would be a bit tentative about a solvent sort of cleaner in case it affected the plastic or the cement used in its construction.

I could not function without my Nova, and here at the End of the Earth trying to replace one now would send me broke. I am Very Careful with it!
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  #3  
Old 28th April 2021, 09:22 PM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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I clean mine mostly with bleach solution and a suitably sized bottle brush. It usually takes a couple of days before I'm satisfied with the result.
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  #4  
Old 29th April 2021, 11:46 AM
Terry S Terry S is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stocky View Post
I would be a bit tentative about a solvent sort of cleaner in case it affected the plastic or the cement used in its construction.

I could not function without my Nova... I am Very Careful with it!
Luckily, I haven't had to clean my Nova since buying it many moons ago now, but that may be down to it only being used with b/w processing chemicals. I was also lucky(?) to have been given a spray bottle of Nova's own processor cleaner, when I bought the unit, which will be used when I eventually have to clean it .

Just checking out a few sites, to see what the composition of brake cleaner is, I came across this, which would make me wary of using it in my Nova:

'Take care not to inhale the brake cleaner, and keep it away from automotive paint and plastic parts, as the solvent can be damaging to both of these.'


This quote is taken from the following link which gives a lot more details, including the composition of the cleaner:

https://www.ehow.co.uk/list_5985776_...gredients.html

Terry S
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Old 29th April 2021, 01:57 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I have only ever used my Nova once for RA4 and there was a kind of tar substance in the developer slot which may have been in the blix slot as well but frankly I cannot recall.

What I did find was that Nova's "Tarbuster" did seem to shift it quite well. It is supplied with a face mask as there is a very pungent odour when it is sprayed but it is clearly designed for the Nova and for that reason there is no worries of it reacting with the plastic.

I suppose the key here is knowing what possibly cheaper liquids do the job without fear of affecting the plastic and I am afraid that my chemistry knowledge is much too poor to be able to do this unless this was clearly stated as OK for the plastic and glue used in the Nova

There may well be cleaners that are much cheaper and safe but I'd have no way of ascertaining this

I take it, John, that the good old standby of strong bleach is ineffective for developer or blix tar?

Thanks

Mike
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Old 29th April 2021, 03:00 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry S View Post
Luckily, I haven't had to clean my Nova since buying it many moons ago now, but that may be down to it only being used with b/w processing chemicals. I was also lucky(?) to have been given a spray bottle of Nova's own processor cleaner, when I bought the unit, which will be used when I eventually have to clean it .

Just checking out a few sites, to see what the composition of brake cleaner is, I came across this, which would make me wary of using it in my Nova:

'Take care not to inhale the brake cleaner, and keep it away from automotive paint and plastic parts, as the solvent can be damaging to both of these.'[/I][/B]

This quote is taken from the following link which gives a lot more details, including the composition of the cleaner:

https://www.ehow.co.uk/list_5985776_...gredients.html

Terry S
The brake and clutch & cleaner does not affect paint or plastic. It dissolves grease which the black tar is a type that accumulates in a NOVA It is my degreaser of choice when respraying anything on top of old paint and after years of use I have yet to see and damage caused by it. It is not an aggressive cleaner or like cellulose thinners which will melt paint and some plastics, almost certainly acrylic which the NOVA tanks are made from. I have been using it in the garage for years. I clean my NOVA tank in the garage where the cleaner is normally used, when I am working on my motorcycles. Yes it smells but it evaporates so quickly that soon dissipates and leaves little residue. That mask that is supplied with the NOVA kit is about as useful as a waterproof tea-bag. It isn't the risk of splashes that are the risk, it is the chemical smell that will affect your lungs, and those mask are not proof against that.

It has a far less damaging effect on your lungs than the caustic cleaner that you can get from NOVA at around £20 a litre and MUST be used out of doors in a well ventilated area. I am very surprised it is not a banned substance!!! Try spraying B&C cleaner on your hands it will vanish without trace, then do the same with some of the stuff from NOVA and prepare for chemical burns!

Last edited by John King; 29th April 2021 at 03:27 PM.
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  #7  
Old 29th April 2021, 03:12 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
I have only ever used my Nova once for RA4 and there was a kind of tar substance in the developer slot which may have been in the blix slot as well but frankly I cannot recall.

What I did find was that Nova's "Tarbuster" did seem to shift it quite well. It is supplied with a face mask as there is a very pungent odour when it is sprayed but it is clearly designed for the Nova and for that reason there is no worries of it reacting with the plastic.

I suppose the key here is knowing what possibly cheaper liquids do the job without fear of affecting the plastic and I am afraid that my chemistry knowledge is much too poor to be able to do this unless this was clearly stated as OK for the plastic and glue used in the Nova

There may well be cleaners that are much cheaper and safe but I'd have no way of ascertaining this

I take it, John, that the good old standby of strong bleach is ineffective for developer or blix tar?

Thanks


Mike

Read my views on the 'Tarbuster' above and you will see why I will not use it. A 25%/75% household bleach works a treat but it is very slow to work and you have to thoroughly wash out the tank afterwards, likewise 'Tarbuster' but even more so. All the tanks need is a good rinse out with a household washing up liquid and you are ready to go. The main build up of the tar seems to be in the Stop Bath slot and then the developer slot. It stains but not as bad as the stop bath. The Blix slot is almost like new.
The tubular lids also accumulate tar and these are also cleaned as well using a similar method to that of cleaning a rifle barrel Ex Servicemen will know what I am talking about (I don't use any liquid except water) by pulling a a thick plug of muslin from one end to the other. It is surprising how much accumulates after only one session.

Last edited by John King; 29th April 2021 at 03:19 PM.
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  #8  
Old 29th April 2021, 03:48 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stocky View Post
I haven't come across automotive brake cleaner. Do you know what's in it? I would be a bit tentative about a solvent sort of cleaner in case it affected the plastic or the cement used in its construction.

I could not function without my Nova, and here at the End of the Earth trying to replace one now would send me broke. I am Very Careful with it!
Think of Clutch and Brake cleaner as a more active and effective grease solvent for use in a garage for cleaning greasy parts such as kerosene or even petrol, but the upside, unlike those two it doesn't leave any residue which is why it is used for clutches and brakes. It evaporates quickly and cleanly very much like dry cleaning fluid. It seems to be mainly made up from Hydrocarbons, but with more letters in the names than the alphabet, so I am not going to attempt to type them here. It is very inflammable and must be used in a well ventilated area. Eye protection is advisable, as is not breathing in the fumes directly, common sense really. It can also be used on electrical components and will not harm them. It literally saved me hundreds of pounds on an electronic motorcycle speedometer that had stopped working because of dirt inside. You should be be able to buy it from most auto spares outlets

It also works very well on wasps nests!! But that's another story!
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Old 29th April 2021, 04:16 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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John, so this is the kind of brake and clutch cleaner that the likes of Halfords will sell you. In other words any kind of such cleaner, labelled for brake and clutch cleaning? There isn't a special make of any kind?

When using household washing-up liquid is this simply a squirt of it in say 500ml of water and say bottle-brushed around the slot followed by a thorough rinse to clear all the soap out of the slot?
Did I understand you to say that the tubes for the slots can be cleaned of tar deposits just with water and a plug of muslin cloth - nothing else is required i.e. no requirement to spray the inside of the tube?

Does this have to be done after a single session or is the muslin plug still effective if nothing is done for several sessions?

Presumably if you submerge the tubes in bleach when filling the slots with bleach this works as well?

Thanks

Mike
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  #10  
Old 29th April 2021, 04:47 PM
John King John King is offline
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Mike,

Yes it is sold by Halfords but they tend to be a bit expensive, try Eurocarparts instead.

It usually comes in 500cc spray cans, although you an buy 5 ltr plastic cannisters (A lot cheaper in the long run) for use with a pump action sprayer. It is not mixable with water.

The tubes are usually left in a convenient bucket when I am working so they will have a little water inside.

As the tar is tough old stuff it may take 4 or 5 attempts to clear it all out if the deposits are heavy, but once it has been cleared/cleaned only when finishing for the day do you need to do it.

The plugs can be made from any old cloth and used about twice then chucked out. I use muslin because it is a little rougher and does the job better and I have even used kitchen roll pushed though the tube with a metal rod I keep for that purpose but it must be tight and fed in from the end which is chamfered away.

It probably will work with the bleach but will still need the clean out afterwards

Bear in mind whatever you do use to clean out the tanks Tarbuster, Bleach or B&C cleaner spray you will never get them pristine white again.

Thinking about it you would probably get the same cleaning action with Methylated Spirits or Isopropyl Alcohol, although the latter is a bit on the pricy side. I have never tried them though.

Last edited by John King; 29th April 2021 at 04:51 PM.
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