Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good over
the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems like
to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've removed as
much as you can without using a screwdriver and found nothing suspicious
yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

On 20/06/2020 17:21, Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good over
the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems like
to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've removed as
much as you can without using a screwdriver and found nothing suspicious
yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

Is this helpful?

https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqe...aq00002256_016


--
"Nature does not give up the winter because people dislike the cold."

ۥ Confucius

Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good over the
last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations every
6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

On 20/06/2020 18:24, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 17:21, Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems
like to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've
removed as much as you can without using a screwdriver and found
nothing suspicious yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

Is this helpful?

https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqe...aq00002256_016

Thanks. I'd not found that page yet. Sadly, I don't think that's where
the problem lies.
There's no problem with the printing as such, just the little indentations.

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size (yet).

Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good over
the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems like
to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've removed as
much as you can without using a screwdriver and found nothing suspicious
yet.

Print blank pages, and turn off the printer halfway through. If you do this
a number of times you'll catch the paper in different stages of the print
path, and can see what's causing the problem.

Theo

On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size (yet).

Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.
--
Dave W

On 20/06/2020 19:44, Grumps wrote:
On 20/06/2020 18:24, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 17:21, Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left
edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems
like to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've
removed as much as you can without using a screwdriver and found
nothing suspicious yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

Is this helpful?

https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqe...aq00002256_016


Thanks. I'd not found that page yet. Sadly, I don't think that's where
the problem lies.
There's no problem with the printing as such, just the little indentations.
But that will print dots identifyinhg WHICH roller is 'near the dot' and
so telling you which one to remove and clean


--
Its easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.
Mark Twain

On 21/06/2020 06:20, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 19:44, Grumps wrote:
On 20/06/2020 18:24, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 17:21, Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the
left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems
like to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've
removed as much as you can without using a screwdriver and found
nothing suspicious yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

Is this helpful?

https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqe...aq00002256_016



Thanks. I'd not found that page yet. Sadly, I don't think that's where
the problem lies.
There's no problem with the printing as such, just the little
indentations.
But that will print dots identifyinhg WHICH roller is 'near the dot' and
so telling you which one to remove and clean

'Tis a good plan. But the colour rollers are the easiest to examine and
they're all OK.

On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size (yet).

Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.

I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only roller
unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing - I'll
have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.

On 21/06/2020 07:04, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 06:20, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 19:44, Grumps wrote:
On 20/06/2020 18:24, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/06/2020 17:21, Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the
left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems
like to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've
removed as much as you can without using a screwdriver and found
nothing suspicious yet.
Any clues? I don't have a service manual.
TIA.

Is this helpful?

https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqe...aq00002256_016




Thanks. I'd not found that page yet. Sadly, I don't think that's
where the problem lies.
There's no problem with the printing as such, just the little
indentations.
But that will print dots identifyinhg WHICH roller is 'near the dot'
and so telling you which one to remove and clean

'Tis a good plan. But the colour rollers are the easiest to examine and
they're all OK.
ah. bugger :-)

pickup roller then ?


--
"First, find out who are the people you can not criticise. They are your
oppressors."
- George Orwell

Yes, that is where that dead fly went then, syndrome.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Theo" wrote in message
...
Grumps wrote:
Hello
Sorry, this is not a CV-19, BLM, or BREXIT question.

I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good over
the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
I know it must be dirt/debris on a roller, or that's what it seems like
to me, but I don't know which is the likely candidate. I've removed as
much as you can without using a screwdriver and found nothing suspicious
yet.

Print blank pages, and turn off the printer halfway through. If you do
this
a number of times you'll catch the paper in different stages of the print
path, and can see what's causing the problem.

Theo

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size
(yet).

Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.

I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only roller
unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing - I'll
have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.

An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem is.
There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can get
some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

On 21/06/2020 09:39, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a
circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that
size (yet).

Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.

I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only roller
unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing - I'll
have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.

An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem is.
There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can get
some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

Good result. I have a couple of Brothers and they are both pretty good.
IME all the printer manufacturers have both user and service manuals
online. Ignore third party web sites that claim "we have all the
manuals", they are invariably crap.

On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:39:44 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size
(yet).

Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.

I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only roller
unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing - I'll
have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.

An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem is.
There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can get
some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

A blister? On a metal roller? The roller must be very thin metal -
perhaps the blister can be hammered or squeezed flat? Or is the
blister on the surface of the metal, like a solder blob, that could be
filed away?
--
Dave W

Dave W wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:39:44 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm) indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm
There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size
(yet).
Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.
I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only roller
unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing - I'll
have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.
An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem is.
There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can get
some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

A blister? On a metal roller? The roller must be very thin metal -
perhaps the blister can be hammered or squeezed flat? Or is the
blister on the surface of the metal, like a solder blob, that could be
filed away?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7N7gmUJnk

The fuser unit has a thermal switch on it, and apparently
toner can pile up on the surface of that part. Perhaps
the fuser unit strayed outside it's intended temperature
range.

Paul

On 22/06/2020 02:10, Paul wrote:
Dave W wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:39:44 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a
circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm
There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that
size (yet).
Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.
I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks very
similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only
roller unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require undoing
- I'll have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.
An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem
is. There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can
get some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

A blister? On a metal roller? The roller must be very thin metal -
perhaps the blister can be hammered or squeezed flat? Or is the
blister on the surface of the metal, like a solder blob, that could be
filed away?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7N7gmUJnk

The fuser unit has a thermal switch on it, and apparently
toner can pile up on the surface of that part. Perhaps
the fuser unit strayed outside it's intended temperature
range.

That's the video I found too.

The heated roller seems to have a squishy(ish) black sleeve over the
metal part. I've tried to push the blister down, but it won't go flat.

This image shows a far more serious failu
https://www.picclickimg.com/d/w1600/...-Wrinkling.jpg

When I get my replacement rollers, I'll completely strip the old one
down to see what went wrong.

Grumps wrote:
On 22/06/2020 02:10, Paul wrote:
Dave W wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:39:44 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a
circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm
There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that
size (yet).
Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.
I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks
very similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only
roller unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require
undoing - I'll have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.
An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem
is. There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can
get some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

A blister? On a metal roller? The roller must be very thin metal -
perhaps the blister can be hammered or squeezed flat? Or is the
blister on the surface of the metal, like a solder blob, that could be
filed away?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7N7gmUJnk

The fuser unit has a thermal switch on it, and apparently
toner can pile up on the surface of that part. Perhaps
the fuser unit strayed outside it's intended temperature
range.

That's the video I found too.

The heated roller seems to have a squishy(ish) black sleeve over the
metal part. I've tried to push the blister down, but it won't go flat.

This image shows a far more serious failu
https://www.picclickimg.com/d/w1600/...-Wrinkling.jpg


When I get my replacement rollers, I'll completely strip the old one
down to see what went wrong.

The fuser should not need to get nearly as hot,
as in the black & white Xerox machine days.

Modern color toners use some sort of organics, with
stuff added to it. The toner particles melt and fuse
at a lower temperature point. This allows using
materials in the paper path, that only have to
take that lower temperature.

https://www.wired.com/2015/03/whats-...printer-toner/

Whatever that sleeve material is, maybe it cannot
handle too much of a temperature excursion. There
are some plastics that work at up to 200C (if the
sleeve was plastic).

Paul

On 20/06/2020 19:45, Grumps wrote:
On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left
edge.

The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a circumference
to exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm

There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that size
(yet).

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grace-hoppers-bug

On 22/06/2020 11:43, Grumps wrote:
On 22/06/2020 02:10, Paul wrote:
Dave W wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:39:44 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 21/06/2020 07:06, Grumps wrote:
On 21/06/2020 00:02, Dave W wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:45:33 +0100, Grumps wrote:

On 20/06/2020 19:31, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Grumps wrote :
I have an HL3140CL colour laser printer which has been really good
over the last few years.
Sadly, today, it has started to produce small (about 5mm)
indentations
every 6.5cm (approx) 1/4 of the page width from the left edge.
The answer is easy - Which roller in the printer has a
circumference to
exactly match the 6.5cm? 65/3.142 = 20.69mm
There must be a roller hidden somewhere. I've not found one that
size (yet).
Unfortunately the manual does not show a chart with distances between
marks and their possible culprits like my HP does. It might be a lump
of hardened toner on one of the rollers in the fusing unit.
I got the service manual of another Brother printer which looks
very similar. The fusing unit is my guess now, but this is the only
roller unit that does not just pull out. Some screws require
undoing - I'll have a go when we get more daylight.
Ta.
An update. A Youtube video described the process (thank goodness for
fast forward) of removing the fuser unit. That is where the problem
is. There appears to be a blister (deffo not dirt) on the heat roller.

It works, and I don't print much, so it'll have to do unless I can
get some reasonably priced spares. It'd be an easy job to fix.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

A blister? On a metal roller? The roller must be very thin metal -
perhaps the blister can be hammered or squeezed flat? Or is the
blister on the surface of the metal, like a solder blob, that could be
filed away?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7N7gmUJnk

The fuser unit has a thermal switch on it, and apparently
toner can pile up on the surface of that part. Perhaps
the fuser unit strayed outside it's intended temperature
range.

That's the video I found too.

The heated roller seems to have a squishy(ish) black sleeve over the
metal part. I've tried to push the blister down, but it won't go flat.

This image shows a far more serious failu
https://www.picclickimg.com/d/w1600/...-Wrinkling.jpg


When I get my replacement rollers, I'll completely strip the old one
down to see what went wrong.

It's an old thread now, but just in case anyone is watching it...

I got a pair of replacement rollers (Chinese, so probably won't last
that long) for £15.
Quite simple to replace, and the printer's now working fine.

I took the outer skin off the old heated roller and underneath is some
softer rubber. In one area this had gone hard and began to flake. The
flaky bits moved to form lumps in the roller.
Why did it go hard? Maybe a localised heat spot, but the lamp (which is
all the heater is) looked fine.