Suggestions Sprocket cleaning plotter FX edge 1&2

[Jeff grossman]

How do you all clean the gum buildup on the sprockets of your plotter and edge or FX - dentil tool , alcohol and brush .... (book says toothbrush and alcohol but it doesn’t do well and takes forever )
I’m finding more and more build up these days - I’m not using crappy vinyl but it seems to build up a lot quicker these days .....
Any helpful hints out there ?

 

[Fred Weiss]

I usually use Cue Tips soaked in either alcohol or naphtha. Clean in a circular scrubbing motion around each pin. Takes 5 or 6 to clean both sprockets. Once clean, do a quick second scrub with fresh solvent and Cue Tip to remove any remaining adhesive residue to slow down the next build up of adhesive. You may slow the next adhesive build up by wiping on a very thin coat of 3 in 1 oil. I've also heard of doing the job using a ballpoint pen barrel with an opening large enough to fit over the sprocket pins.

 

[Jburns]

I like to use tweezers- gets big chunks quickly.

 

[Billct2]

I use the Bic pen barrel trick to work it loose then wipe with an alcohol swab.

 

[Ziklag]

I usually use Cue Tips soaked in either alcohol or naphtha. Clean in a circular scrubbing motion around each pin. Takes 5 or 6 to clean both sprockets. Once clean, do a quick second scrub with fresh solvent and Cue Tip to remove any remaining adhesive residue to slow down the next build up of adhesive. You may slow the next adhesive build up by wiping on a very thin coat of 3 in 1 oil. I've also heard of doing the job using a ballpoint pen barrel with an opening large enough to fit over the sprocket pins.

Use Rapid-Tac Adhesive remover comes in a spray bottle. I try to spray sparingly aiming just on the sprocket in small sections at a time then allow a few minutes for liquid to break down adhesive. There will always be some liquid sipping below but not much to be a problem because below the sprocket is just empty area. After applying Rapid-Tac Remover use a old toothbrush to gently scrub in a circular motion then follow up with hand towels. I do this for an old Gerber 4B plotter (still in use) but not sure on other modals. Rapid-Tac remover is specifically designed for adhesive accumulation. It's commonly used for pro-removal (after removal) of old vinyl graphics/letters to cleanly remove remaining adhesive and its tiny particles. We then follow up with alcohol to wipe down, having a spotless surface for the next vinyl application on that area. Hope that helps