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Re: De-ionized water (was Re: [Digital BW] What did I do to my 3800?)

2014-04-18 by Paul Roark

A chemist once recommended we use only "double distilled" water for our ink mixes. I'm not even sure where one buys that -- not at the local supermarket, I'm guessing.

Paul


On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 6:45 PM, Dana Myers <dana.myers@...m> wrote:

On 4/17/2014 6:13 PM, donsbryant@... wrote:

Arthur Entlich has a manual for cleaning clogged
printer ink problems. He used to send out a lengthy document by e-mail. His e-mail used to be e-printerhelp(@)mvps(.)org


FWIW, I don't think distilled water is healthy for your print head.


More on this topic: not all "purified" water is created equal. I've seen steam-distilled
water and de-ionized water for sale as "purified" water, as well as purified drinking
water (usually de-ionized, with minerals added for flavor). You have to look on the
label to find out what you're getting.

Be careful with DI water; it is quite corrosive to many metals. Back in my youth,
I spent a summer working at an electronic assembly shop where PCB assemblies
were water-washed after wave-soldering to remove the (water-soluble) flux, and
finished with literally a dip in a DI water bath. One day, 10 or 15 boards were left
soaking in the DI water by accident during lunch; an hour later, the tin-plating
on the copper traces had been substantially removed by the DI water, leaving
most of the copper exposed.

Distilled water may not be healthy for a print head; DI water is certainly harmful.

Cheers,
Dana




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