To alcohol or not to alcohol?

[Konicoz]

Good morning everyone.

In our small group of technicians a question has been raised that has left us divided and undecided. I need your experience and wisdom to settle this question
'Is using alcohol to clean rubber feed rollers on printers / copiers good long term?' we are talking normal use paper dust cleaning.......only one rule --not production machines.....

answers like -if you don't have anything else or if they have some kind of stuff on them doesn't count, we are talking everyday use..

Thanks guys and gals

[Copier Addict]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

I used 99% isopropyl alcohol for 10 years without any long term issues. I recently started using Sel-Sol because it seems to be better at cleaning and rejuvenating the rubber.

[SwisSeV]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

-For isopropyl alcohol-

My general rule of thumb is No. General ammonia and alcohol free solvents are safer and just as effective in most cases.

But the super hard plastics are usually resistant. The soft plastics like synthetic rubber are absolutely soluble and will degrade with extended use.

[Iowatech]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Well, if you'll take a suggestion from the likes of me, I'd say alcohol is to be avoided if possible. It tends to cause the rubber to dry out and crack if used too much.
Soapy water or just plain water is the best I've found, but I carry WD40 specifically to clean feed and transport rollers because it doesn't freeze during the winter here in the tropics of Iowa.

[SwisSeV]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Well, if you'll take a suggestion from the likes of me, I'd say alcohol is to be avoided if possible. It tends to cause the rubber to dry out and crack if used too much.
Soapy water or just plain water is the best I've found, but I carry WD40 specifically to clean feed and transport rollers because it doesn't freeze during the winter here in the tropics of Iowa.

I use WD-40 for a cleaner in my weekend mechanic job and it works like a dream. It even leaves a nice residue that repels junk.

Never thought about using it for feed tires... interesting! I bet it takes the dirt off real quick.

[ZOOTECH]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Good morning everyone.

In our small group of technicians a question has been raised that has left us divided and undecided. I need your experience and wisdom to settle this question
'Is using alcohol to clean rubber feed rollers on printers / copiers good long term?' we are talking normal use paper dust cleaning.......only one rule --not production machines.....

answers like -if you don't have anything else or if they have some kind of stuff on them doesn't count, we are talking everyday use..

Thanks guys and gals

I've used alcohol to temporarily clean some feed rollers to see if the rollers were a problem; but would always clean then afterwards and then replace.
But, your thread title prompts this response - a little alcohol after work is grand, but now that I'm retired, I start a little earlier.

[ZOOTECH]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

I use WD-40 for a cleaner in my weekend mechanic job and it works like a dream. It even leaves a nice residue that repels junk.

Never thought about using it for feed tires... interesting! I bet it takes the dirt off real quick.

WD-40 works great on feed or resist rollers (Sharp's), but as BC said not on neoprene rollers.

[subaro]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Alcohol as a general purpose cleaner is good for degreasing ect. But for cleaning rubber, absolutely not. It does not clean those stubborn dirt easily and leaves the rollers with a white residue look. Plus it dries out the oil in your skin. There are many non-toxic green cleaners that is effective. You will have to look in your local stores for them and do your own trial and error. simple green is a good cleaner, but i don't like the smell of it.
Sel sol is one of the best cleaners for rubber, but don't like the toxic nature of the chemical. Also if it gets between rubber and metal roller it can cause you major headache as it will make that rubber roller turn on the hub or shaft. sel-sol does not harm plastic and removes toner easily.

[subaro]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Just to add to my previous reply to this thread. I sometimes use permatex fast orange hand cleaner, without pumice. Well if its good for your hands that"s fine for me, and it cleans very well. I have tried many things and has my own secret formulars as i call them, that i will not share, sorry guys. you have to do your own research on this. This is very important tool in my arsenal of tools as if it does the job easily and effectively, then i save elbow grease.
Also, whatever you use to clean, always finish up with a damp cloth, water of course.

[allan]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Spay lubricant works well. Paraffin does wonders on rubber but no good on some plastics.
Some types of rubber cleans better and quicker with soap and water.
Dish-was liquid leaves a nice sticky residue to get you out of trouble until you can find new tires.
Never used alcohol before.

Alcohol should be real good on glass. Then there is acetone...

[Konicoz]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Spay lubricant works well. Paraffin does wonders on rubber but no good on some plastics.
Some types of rubber cleans better and quicker with soap and water.
Dish-was liquid leaves a nice sticky residue to get you out of trouble until you can find new tires.
Never used alcohol before.

Alcohol should be real good on glass. Then there is acetone...

Thanks for the post - used acetone once and never again - dangerous stuff

[subaro]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Spay lubricant works well. Paraffin does wonders on rubber but no good on some plastics.
Some types of rubber cleans better and quicker with soap and water.
Dish-was liquid leaves a nice sticky residue to get you out of trouble until you can find new tires.
Never used alcohol before.

Alcohol should be real good on glass. Then there is acetone...

Acetone should not be around the copy/print environment. It evaporates faster than alcohol, eats plastic and will cause nightmares. Plain soap and water would do for general cleaning, but rubber rollers accumulates dirt that does not comes of that easy and need a bit more penetrant of some sort. some use wd40, but you would or must finish of cleaning with a detergent and water as wd40 i believe contains minerals which may not be good for rubber. You have to find the right cleaning solution and method, as feed tires can be replaced easily, but the transport rollers are for the most part a deep repair

[copiertec]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

The last time I used alcohol on a copier was for corona wires about 10 years ago. I use a combination of soap and water on a green scrub pad, making sure it is dry enough as to not drip water in the copier, then WD-40. It works great on feed rollers and resist/registration rollers, and doc. feed rollers (all rubber rollers).

[Copier Addict]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

Alcohol as a general purpose cleaner is good for degreasing ect. But for cleaning rubber, absolutely not. It does not clean those stubborn dirt easily and leaves the rollers with a white residue look. Plus it dries out the oil in your skin. There are many non-toxic green cleaners that is effective. You will have to look in your local stores for them and do your own trial and error. simple green is a good cleaner, but i don't like the smell of it.
Sel sol is one of the best cleaners for rubber, but don't like the toxic nature of the chemical. Also if it gets between rubber and metal roller it can cause you major headache as it will make that rubber roller turn on the hub or shaft. sel-sol does not harm plastic and removes toner easily.

While I wouldn't want to drink Sel-Sol, it is pretty benign. The MSDS sheet lists mild skin irritation if used excessively, but no special measures are needed while using. And it does a great job at cleaning and preserving both rubber and neoprene rollers.

[Iowatech]

Re: To alcohol or not to alcohol?

The last time I used alcohol on a copier was for corona wires about 10 years ago. I use a combination of soap and water on a green scrub pad, making sure it is dry enough as to not drip water in the copier, then WD-40. It works great on feed rollers and resist/registration rollers, and doc. feed rollers (all rubber rollers).

You know, I've been using WD40 on feed rollers for quite a while, but I never thought of using it on corona wires. I'll have to try that out.
Thanks!
If you have a steady hand and a gentle touch, you can substitute an eraser for the green pad/soapy water initial combo. At least that's the way I do it. They're kind of hard to come by any more, but I've found that pen or typing erasers work best.