Should a Corona Wire Be Cleaned, Repaired or Replaced?

[@1982mako224]

Many years as a copier technician. Worked on Konica, Sharp and Ricoh. First off, get yourself a spring hook for getting the springs off. Back in the 90s we always made our own corona wires on the spot. It wasn't until the late 90s that the manufacturers started sending pre-made wires for us to install. It is important to have the correct wire as there are different coatings and different diameters depending on the make and model of the machine. It is also very important that you have the right amount of tension on the wire.......too much and it will break and not enough it will actually start to swing like a jump rope and ultimately will arc to the grid. Beware of any tag ends as those will short to the corona blocks or frame and cause image problems or service codes. Regarding cleaning them, an eraser will work and the forked end of a spring hook will work even better as the residue is basically baked on there like a crust. Ultimately cleaning the wires is a short-cut when you really should just replace them. Lastly, one of the biggest reasons corona wires get fouled up that is often overlooked is that technicians often neglect cleaning and changing the Ozone filters in the machine. With most machines you can cheat the interlocks, turn out the lights and turn the corona wires on in service mode and then you will be able to see the corona wires glowing blue. When they are lit up you will actually see if there are hot spots or dead spots in the wire and you will be able to see if the wire is swinging.

[@PatrickDKing]

I might have to try that sometime. That would be cool to see the wires lit up.

[@justaprinter]

Oh man, I want to see the wires glow blue. Cool! Thanks for all this great info. Awesome!

[@kmm-2024]

Nice details. Thanks for the info.

[@mgm5457]

I've been a printer tech for 40 years, Konica trained, love your videos ... a real good method to scrub clean wires, is to to remove grid, cut a 1/2 x 1/2 inch piece of green scotchbrite, fold it in half and place that in the tip of the jaws of a fine pair of Needle nose pliers, place over wire, clamp down and go back a forth a few times ... the first pass will be rough, then a bit easier on the next few passes. You may want to use a new piece ever couple of wires cleaned ... this removes the oxidation from the corona wires ... don't even have to remove from the corona shells !! Remember to brush off wire after, you can clean the walls of the corona shell with a rag moistened in Windex. Most corona wires are oxidized, material like paper dust and oils combined with ozone contaminate the wires and a Scotchbrite clean and rejuvenate the wire. You can also fold a piece of paper in half, place the Grid sheet in it and spray it wit windex and drag it through once or twice, do the same with Alcohol afterwards and re-assemble ... 90% of the time this works !! I re-wired my coronas from a spool of Wire meant from the purpose ... got really adaept with a spring hook and tiny springs !!

[@justaprinter]

Scotchbrite! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for this info!

[@SaucyMakes]

I am absolutely loving these videos! They are informative and also very relaxing to watch especially when watching the time lapses.

[@justaprinter]

Good to hear!

[@carlel7363]

Getting a new c6100 after seeing your videos! You've inspired me to work hard thanks a lot!

[@justaprinter]

Nice, that should be a fun machine!

[@rajpsurve1]

Daniel you have grown well this channel kudos to you

[@justaprinter]

Thank you sir!

[@fonsen754]

I just really love your channel, i'm currently in college studying Graphic Design in Portugal and I love all about printing! Your channel is a blessing, keep it up!!

[@justaprinter]

Thank you! Never stop learning my friend!

[@AdventuresOutdoors]

Thanks Dan, nice work... I’ll try the eraser for sure. Seems like a quick and simple way to extend the life of the wires. Probably won’t mess with replacing the wire but it’s cool that it can be done.

[@justaprinter]

Agreed, I wanted to try it just to see. But I'll still be buying oem coronas.

[@chrisbarton1517]

As always, good stuff Dan! I didn't know about the eraser trick. Good to know!

[@justaprinter]

You bet, I typically don't bother with it, but in a pinch it is handy!

[@kmm-2024]

Hello, Dan. Classic red rubber pencil erasers are great for polishing metal and removing oxidation and dirt, but they are abrasive (which is the reason they are so effective!). A less aggressive solution, in terms of abrasiveness, but which might be equally effective at removing oxidation and dirt would be plastic erasers, such as a Pentel Click-eraser. In drafting (old style, with drafting board, parallels, triangles, and compasses), plastic erasers rule! They do not grow hard like red rubber erasers, and they do not leave residue or smears, unlike red erasers. They do, however, leave rolled plastic eraser "dust," which must be swept away from the drawing or, in this case, the wire and the working surface on which the corona wire assembly lies while the wire is being cleaned.

[@justaprinter]

I didn't know that, I'll look into that, thanks!

[@turbostream7925]

The coroner was a daily clean item on the HP indigo. The grid was often the culprit for banding issues. The wire and grids were included in the click items that could be ordered. There was a test page called a grey 20 which showed up banding issues. The thin wire was always snapping as it was advanced by a motor on a spool. Interesting to see how it works on the Konica's. Thanks for the video.

[@justaprinter]

You're welcome. Would be interesting to find videos on the indigo.

[@ctecrwp]

Dan, at first, looking at the title I thought you are talking about cleaning CORONA VIRUS...😁 YOU ARE KICKING OUT THE TECHS.. If you can find pre cut corona wires...look for it... As for corona wires go for best available I'll suggest Katun gold plated..... Excellent job done.

[@justaprinter]

Thanks! I'll look up Katun Gold plated.

[@nathankent9048]

Thank you! I get through a lot of drums because of this banding (Using C284e for high coverage prints), usually get through around 10,000 prints before I change the drums. I will give it a shot tomorrow to clean the wire, you might have saved me thousands a year! :D

[@justaprinter]

I hope so!

[@StreekyHippo]

Replace one set, and re-string the old ones you take off, and save them for next time you need to change. That's what I'm doing with my cars window wipers, same concept, saves you money and reduces waste! 👍🏻

[@justaprinter]

Good tip! I think I might try that.

[@elncalls]

I have a spare set of wire units that I keep restrung and switch and restring as I go. Works pretty good. Ozone plays a big roll in wire health. Keep your filters maintained and watch your temperature in the shop. I run a air cleaner behind my machines to help with particulates.

[@justaprinter]

I need to get an air cleaner. Would probably help me out.

[@karakkaya76]

Nice job Dan. You can wash the grid and dry well it helps..

[@justaprinter]

Will do!

[@kcfraser]

I'm an old letterpress/litho printer and I really enjoy your channel. The only thing that could improve the videos would be to smear some ink on your cloths. Keep up the good work.

[@justaprinter]

Haha! I do think about getting a letterpress or small offset just for fun. I miss the ink. Thanks for watching!

[@khalidmurii]

Thanks for sharing Wishing you the BEST

[@justaprinter]

Thank you! You too!

[@philanderson1200]

I never thought about using an eraser to clean the wires. Maybe I’m too lazy to try different ways. I usually clean the wires with a lint free cloth and alcohol. This might give me a little more life out of them. When that doesn’t get me the results I need I’ll replace with new ones. Thanks for sharing Dan

[@justaprinter]

Yes, new ones are quick and pretty much guaranteed to work. I mostly wanted to see if it was possible. :)

[@domzcollesso9070]

I usually just wash it with alcohol and that works wonders 😅

[@mgm5457]

When re-stringing coronas, remove wire, clean the shell and the grid, use a piece of folded over paper and windex to clean the grid and then one with alcohol ... a Spring hook or an allen wrench as you used is good to make the first end, the second can be made with the actual tension spring, takes a bit of practice ! but the wire should be cleaned with alcohol afterwards ( just as you did )

[@justaprinter]

It was a fun experiment. I'll have to try the folded paper and windex. Thanks!

[@PatrickDKing]

Back in the day coronas didn't have corona grids (mesh grids), they just used the single wire. It was either xerox or Sharp, I'm thinking Sharp that first innovated using a wire mesh grid. It was supposed to provide a more even and reliable charge compared to just the wire. This was back in the analog days. We'd restring coronas because some charge units were hella expensive. You do have to look at what thickness and there are different materials and coated wires too. My guess without the grid is it would work but maybe quality would go down?? I'm not really sure. Even if you clean coronas, the coating or surface area of the wire might degrade.

[@justaprinter]

Interesting. Yes, I figured that the wires eventually are not able to be cleaned any longer. Thanks for the history lesson!

[@luisballas]

Goooood Dan, don't you mind if you share where do you buy those OEM... wires and charging grips?

[@justaprinter]

There are multiple suppliers online. I just google the part number.

[@tonerduckpin]

Back in the old days I strung my own wires. The diameter of the wire and the type of coating on the wire can change the amount of charge on the drum. If you run mostly text and solids you may hardly ever change wires. Halftones are always difficult on copiers.

[@justaprinter]

That they are!

[@spcofficeproducts6104]

Thanks for making these videos! Do you have trouble with NCR paper eating up your transfer belt.? I get a lot of build up from the chemicals in the paper and it gets expensive. Do you keep one machine designated for NCR?

[@justaprinter]

I run NCR on all machines. No issues that I know of.

[@useruser-jv3vm]

Or 3rd option, instead of wasting the old wires, store them and re-wire them for later use.

[@justaprinter]

Good point!

[@bedmunds3]

You have be real careful cleaning the wire with a grit. The wires are coated with different materials some are gold others are tungsten. When you say the wire was shinny that may be a bad thing as you may have rubbed all the coating off the wire. It may sound weird but the best thing to clean the wires with is a q-tip with a bit of saliva. What I always do is take a clean q-tip wet it in my mouth and then wipe down the wires. Never run your machine without the grid it is what controls the amount of voltage on the drum it is possible to damage your drums without the grid.

[@justaprinter]

Good to know. I'll have to try that. And I'm glad I didn't try running without the gird now!

[@jacobrodgers7743]

@@justaprinter Yeah, you freaked me out there and I had to dive into the comments to make sure someone told you not to do that! As said the grid is what stabilises and evens the voltage out across the length of the wire. The usual way is for the wire to run higher voltage than strictly necessary and have the grid absorb the excess so that the drum is exposed to a consistent voltage.

[@ajiththomas009]

Hi, Love all your videos. Can you shows us how quotes and invoices are prepared and send to customers, basically activities you do at press apart from printing. Thanks

[@justaprinter]

Sure thing! That would make a great video.

[@ajiththomas009]

@@justaprinter looking forward to it

[@andriusl1762]

Hello there. Next time please clean and corona unit's inside walls. They have a lot of baked on toner residues as well. Simple brush sometimes works to take off easy residues. Grid question. If cells are broken and bigger than in factory was done - you won't have result . It's need to be replaced. Conclusion - oem unit for 30€/36$ (1pcs) will save time and efforts. Just replace it.

[@justaprinter]

Thanks! I have only replaced with new oem units. So much faster.

[@SlavicOliyar]

I use ~1000 sandpaper to clean the wire-it should shine in the light, but be careful not to tear it

[@justaprinter]

Good to know. I'll have to consider trying that.

[@morthim]

first a beer, then a virus, and now printer equipment. someone is having a laugh.

[@justaprinter]

Yes, there are several coronas!

[@fikoozill4843]

I have the same problem and I did clean them and I did clean the drum unit do you think I should change them for solve the problem?

[@dnwheeler]

If you cut a slot in the eraser, you can slide it along with wire easier.

[@justaprinter]

I like the way you think!

[@gerardogomez5537]

en mi experiencia personal los cambio, me refiero a los hilos, limpio todo muy bien, incluso en ocasiones lavo con jabón para manos la parrilla, porque en ocasiones acumula pelusas que producen esas molestas rayas en la impresión... y si tienes duda de una corona, intercámbiala a otro color y descarta!

[@justaprinter]

Sí, creo que lo mejor es reemplazarlo por uno nuevo.

[@bobinvegas]

What is the brand and model of your laminator. It’s a fantastic machine

[@justaprinter]

D and K Autokote PRO

[@bobinvegas]

@@justaprinter thank you!!!

[@nyitraigabor7531]

Hi, It was a very usefull video, thanks!

[@justaprinter]

Good to hear!

[@BigSlanko]

You can really easily clean the grid with a fibreglass brush. I do that all the time.

[@justaprinter]

Hmm, I never heard of a fiberglass brush. I'll have to learn more about those. Thanks!

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

Probably not recomended, but I clean the wires with a cloth and 409. I get around and extra 20k as long as the mesh grid is intact

[@justaprinter]

Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind.

[@hasankadkhodaei3205]

👍👍👍👍

[@tariqamolessey9863]

I started with HP deskjet Am doing with Konica Minolta bizhub c464 now It's the best

[@justaprinter]

Great! Keep it up!

[@bartdenayer9968]

Hi, I have a printshop with a 3070 and a 3080. Dirth in the inox body give also lighter lines in the light eara s of the print. The wire, the grid, and also the housing must be clean. Succes Bart Denayer

[@justaprinter]

Thanks Bart. Sounds like you have a similar setup to me!

[@ureshnilanga598]

thanks for a technic

[@justaprinter]

You bet!

[@deingewissen_official]

Dat damn Corona Wires

[@justaprinter]

LOL

[@nejc1324]

Do you use paper for digital printing or offset paper?

[@raycreveling1583]

Not Dan but, we use both in our shop. We buy gut sheet digital for our coated papers. Most of out uncoated we buy in parent sizes and cut as needed.

[@justaprinter]

Both digital and offset.

[@myronwright886]

you need to get a captive spring hook

[@justaprinter]

Awesome! I never heard of that tool. Now I need it!

[@lucianomendes5982]

Hello, how are you? congratulations on your work, I am in the South of Brazil and I follow your work, among the machines that you worked which one could indicate me to be able to buy here, within my financial conditions: Konica 7000, 6501, 6500 or 6000.

[@justaprinter]

They are all essentially the same machine. Buy whichever one you can but make sure you can buy parts too.

[@huyuc5213]

So how to test like 2:46 ?

[@shagovdima]

спасибо! супер.

[@cagrimatbaa3092]

Old out, new in 😀 I dont cleaning as you

[@justaprinter]

That is the fastest and typically what I do too. I typically don't have the time necessary for cleaning.

[@mightymouse5930]

Crona

[@justaprinter]

Yup

[@alicanbond7376]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX-TXmCvnrqtntU 9:00 dakikadan sonraki gibi corono yı temizlerseniz düzelir

[@justaprinter]

Harika! Bunun için teşekkürler, deneyeceğim.