# How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?



## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

I just took two motors out of a dead Canon printer, to discover that both are stepper motors. One is a unipolar (4 wires) the other has 5 wires which would make it not-uni. After a brief surf of the web I want to know if these type motors have any apps in model RRing. I'd thought they might power trackside stuff, but if they advance in a halting fashion, (~3.6 deg/step) I think they'd be worthless to me. Also, it appears one needs a driver circuit of Picaxe complexity to even make them turn. Is this correct?

And yeah, how do I get the dead ink off my fingers? Acetone, alcohol, and EasyOff don't cut it.

Les


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

I can think of all kinds of neat ideas for stepper motors to animate... The "halting fashion" can be masked by gearing them way down... then the steps can be more in the range of tenths or hundredths of a degree... of course that also slows them imensely. And, yes, you need some sort of device to pulse them.

As for getting ink off your fingers... that's EASY as pie... 

Wait 3 weeks!


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Soaking your fingers in clorox may work since the inks are soy based. 

-Brian


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Working in a grinding test lab, we frequently had nasty fine material that would take some serious scrubbing to remove. With really nasty stuff like iron ore, coal, and coke, I have used things like those non-abrasive pads you use to scrub pots and pans. But you are taking off layers of skin, so take it easy. We also used some kind of orange/citrus industrial hand cleaner that has sand in it. They might carry stuff like that at an automotive parts place. 

Mark


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Try Lava soap, most printer inks aren't waterproof and a small stiff scrub brush. 
If it's water proof there's always sand paper! lol 

John


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Sorry Les....

Unless you have a stepper motor driver circuit then -yes -motors are worthless... Rather than use a PICAXE you could use Basic Stamp chip set which you could then program from a PC. You could then use it for other effects.


regards

ralph


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

For the past fifteen years I was a dealer for inkjet printer refills. The basic make-up of inkjet inks is: de-ionized water as the solvent, isopropyl alcohol or glycol as the drying agent, and dye base to provide the color. Depending on the page speed, print head design and color capabilities, the actual proportion of the ingredients will vary. That's why you don't want generic inks. 

Dye-based inks, such as the magenta, yellow and cyan currently used in MOST printers, are very difficult to remove from your fingers. Time is the only remedy. 

The pigmented BLACK ink used in almost all printers in recent years can be removed if you immediately run your fingers under water while rubbing briskly. I don't know whether that would apply to pigmented colors as found in the more expensive inks used by all recent Epson and some recent H-P printers. 

jack


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Semper wrote: " As for getting ink off your fingers... that's EASY as pie... 

Wait 3 weeks!"


Thanks a bunch there, Semp ol pal.







I managed to figure that out all by myself.









Vulp


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Brian, Mark & John,

Thanks for the suggestions. I hadn't thought of Chlorox, and I'm out of grit soap.

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Ralph,

Thanks for technical assessment. I'm just not willing to invest mental energy required to make one of these work, since I have dozens of 'normal' motors out of RC cars and whatnot. I really wouldn't mind learning the (or a) basic programming at some point down the line. I have too much on my plate as it is with learning basic MRRing. And with my daughter moving back home until she can restart her life, my trainboard is history, except I'm going to build a shelf unit just to get going. I figure I can build models and the neat stuff, and when she goes, I'll be ready to put a layout up.

I also have servo motors from RC vehicles, the steering unit, and I'm under the impression those are relatively powerful for their size. So I have lots to play with, you see.

Thanks again for your technical advice.

Might I press just a bit and get another opinion? I wanted to include an S ga tramway on the original board, but it strikes me that with a shelf, a small-gauge setup might be more rewarding. Is there any gauge smaller than S ga that would allow for 1.20.3 scale rollling stock? I don't like Gn15 because of bad experiences with HO. I intend to handlay all my track and build switches anyway (strap rail) so that's no problem. All rolling stock is going to be handbuilt or 'bashed, too. I am just not experienced with the different gauges modelled, and the size ratios required to make everything 'fit', mathematically speaking. My initial idea is to build the 45mm ga engine house, power house, and whatnot with the tram as a service connection. Alternately, a mine layout seems as attractive. I must stay at 1:20 scale, because it's easy to see and make pieces for, and will fit into the larger scheme of things at some future time.

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Jack,

Thanks for the background on the inks. As happened, I thought the ink would wash off, so it had a goodly amount of time to dry. Looks like I'll have to wear it off.

Les


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Les, 
When space was at a minimum for me I made diaramas that later became part of the railroad. A plus was working out problems as they occured, made it easier to connect them before the layout included them! You won't know what's needed for clearances until you've built some rolling stock and track... and fleshed it out.... curves will be where you learn the most. 

John


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

John,

Right on. I was thinking along those very lines, an for most of those very reasons. 

Les


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

A smaller gauge than S would be Sn3, I'm pretty sure they make track for it, I've seen ads for it in the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. P-B-L is one manufacturer; www.p-b-l.com 

John


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

I don't know of any commercial track with a gauge between HO/OO and S. The only thing that I could recommend is that you have another look at Sir Percival Heywoods' system and then run it on "S" gauge track.

regards

ralph


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

S track in 1/24 s would be 2 foot gauge
S track in 7/8 s it would be almost 1 foot gauge



#1 and G is 1.75 or 45 mm
O& 1n3 is 1.25 or 32 mm
S is .884 or 22.4 mm
HO & OO is .649 or 16.5 mm
Sn3 is .562 or 14.3 mm
TT & OOn3 is .470 or 12mm
HOn3 is .413 or 10.5 mm


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

I guess I missed a size 


On3 or 19.03 mm


used for 2 foot 


see http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/29n2/


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

S scale; 3/16" = 1' Sn3 ga = 9/16ths 
O scale; 1/4" = 1'. On3 ga = 3/4" 

I can visualize inches; fractions and thousands....


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Many inks are oil base and will dissolve in WD40. Then you can just wash off the WD40. Doesn't work for water base inks.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Ralph & all who posted on gauge/scale issues,

Thank you all for your inputs. Heywood's system is the only one I'm even vaguely familiar with, and when I first posed this question a year or so ago, the concensus was S ga track and 1:20 scale. And since I've gotten a piece of 'S' track and an S ga car, that's what I'll stick with. If memory serves, that is Fn18, and that's what I'll go with. 

I'll concentrate on the S ga tram @ 1:20.3 with a nod to the 45mm 1:20.3 on the shelf and see what happens. As John has pointed out, dioramas are a way to go until (or if) I get a room for a trainboard.

Now what is percolating in the dark of my mind is, I'm getting older 'n tired-er. So maybe it's time to let my metalworking equipment go, clean out the garage shop and put the thing in there. It's a single car garage, but even at that I'd have an awesome size compared to the 3' x 20' I was initially going to settle for. I hate to part with those tools, though. I did w/o to get 'em in the sixties and they've served me well. Kinda like shooting your old dog, y'know?

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Posted By Torby on 09 Nov 2009 07:01 AM 
Many inks are oil base and will dissolve in WD40. Then you can just wash off the WD40. Doesn't work for water base inks. 



Torby,

Despite ol' Semper's cheering suggestion I wait 3 weeks to wear the ink off,







I've found that just normal washing of hands has gotten rid of 90% of it. That stuff gets no prizes for durability.

Les


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: How do I get printer ink off my Fingers? & Motors from printers (stepper motors) of any use?*

Hey Les, I always thought dirty hands was a sign of a clean soul. Just leave them be.


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