Fujimoto CP51- dirty prints

HI APUG,

I help to maintain a Fujimoto CP51 roller transport processor at the Bushwick Communtiy Darkroom in Brooklyn, NY. We have had persistent issues with roller marks on prints even after repeated scrubbing of all easily accessible surfaces and using cleaners designed for rubber rollers.

I think it might be time to look into having the rollers professionally refinished, or ideally to find new racks and rollers. Does anyone know if this is a possibility, where to look, and what we should expect to pay?

Also, on the off chance that anyone in the NYC area is an expert in these machines and would be interested in volunteering some time to help us make ours work better, I would very much appreciate it if you could get in touch.

Thanks!

B&W or colour process? The cleaning methods are quite different.

Since the interiors of typical roller-transport racks are not very accessible, the best cleaning methods are chemical rather than mechanical.

You can fully disassemble the racks to remove the rollers and all parts, I would do that for cleaning if not done already. Did you clean the drying unit also? Refinishing the rollers sounds questionable, I would just replace them if possible. New old stock parts crop up from time to time, and omega satter or whomever handles this line now might have spare parts available. I would guess they won't be cheap. Could be easier to buy a whole spare cp51 on ebay or elsewhere and build the best one you can from the two of them. I have a cp51 but haven't gotten it up and running yet.

Ed's suggestion of a full disassembly is a good one, especially if your pincher rollers are really gummy. If you go this route, you may want to try some photo-finish (the light blue paste that comes in a tub) and some scotch bright pads. This can get very time consuming but considering that new rollers cost $200-$300 last time I checked (are they even still available?), it may be your last ditch effort. If when cleaning pincher rollers by this method you see tiny particles of rubber rolling off then it's too late, better to replace if you can find a clean machine (good luck). If you have silver sulfite build-up on the hard plastic rollers, you'll need to use chemistry to remove.