I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Thanks
Theo

On 25/10/2020 22:09, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Acetone? Petrol? Or spray paint the cable?

Bill

On 25/10/2020 22:09:32, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

I doubt you will. I'm sure the ink solvent will soften and mix with the PVC.

There are PVC paints/stains you can get suitable for colouring cables
that may covert he black. Of course normally non-white.

Be careful with acetone, it might melt the cable. test it on a spare bit.
Paint might work, depending on how hot the area is going to get I suppose.
Some of the liquid paper that typists used to use can work, but beware as it
contains acetone.
Brian

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"williamwright" wrote in message
...
On 25/10/2020 22:09, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Acetone? Petrol? Or spray paint the cable?

Bill

Yes I think many were acrylic based. Back in the old days of wiring looms
the company I worked for bought white cable and had a machine with spirally
striped it with up to three colours.
Brian

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"Fredxx" wrote in message
...
On 25/10/2020 22:09:32, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

I doubt you will. I'm sure the ink solvent will soften and mix with the
PVC.

There are PVC paints/stains you can get suitable for colouring cables that
may covert he black. Of course normally non-white.

On 25/10/2020 22:39, Fredxx wrote:
On 25/10/2020 22:09:32, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length.Â* This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail.Â* I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

I doubt you will. I'm sure the ink solvent will soften and mix with the
PVC.

Methylated spirits will usually get it off. Anything too aggressive will
also short the lifetime of the cable insulation. Not such a problem
these days as the heat embrittlement that occurs with hot filament bulbs.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

In article , Brian Gaff \(Sofa\)
wrote:
Be careful with acetone, it might melt the cable. test it on a spare bit.
Paint might work, depending on how hot the area is going to get I
suppose. Some of the liquid paper that typists used to use can work, but
beware as it contains acetone. Brian

White sleeving?

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On 25/10/2020 22:09, Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Thanks
Theo


A gentler abraisive? Cif/Jif or whatever its called? Brasso or Silvo?
Toothpaste?

Dave

On Sun, 25 Oct 2020 22:09:32 +0000, Theo wrote:

I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot
matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Thanks Theo

Write off the purchase and buy some more.
If possible, just go to a local shed like B&Q where you can see the flex
and cut off a length.

Or go to an electrical wholesaler, or Screwfix, or Toolsatan.

Cheers



Dave R



--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

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Theo wrote:
I ordered some white PVC flex to replace a pendant lampholder.
Unfortunately when it came it turned out to have conspicuous 'dot matrix'
style black printing along the length. This makes it unsightly for
something that's going to be on display, and there's no part without
printing long enough for what I need.

I tried rubbiing the ink with water and then IPA, to no avail. I could
sand it, but the rough surface would then be a dust magnet.

Any ideas what kind of solvent might clean it off?

Thanks
Theo

"The basic make-up of UV-curable inks consists of four components:

monomers, oligomers, pigments, and photoinitiators.

The monomers provide a building block of the ink, and can contribute
certain properties such as softness/hardness of the ink when cured.
Monomers also help control ink viscosity, which is essential to
jetting reliability.

The oligomers in the ink formulation consist of reactive resins and
uniquely formulated adhesive components for printing on a wide range
of different substrates.

The pigments provide the color.

When the photoinitiators are exposed to UV light, the oligomers and monomers
cross-link or polymerize. So unlike aqueous or water-based inks, no heat
or air drying is required for curing. But even the photoinitiators need
to be tuned to a specific wavelength of UV light.
"

Just a guess. That's the Timex of inks - shockproof and waterproof.

I have a cable sample here, of a different kind of cable than the OP,
but the inkjet print style is the same. And that ink is just as robust as the
cable insulation, and it's not going anywhere.

If you find a solvent for the ink,
the cable insulation will likely dissolve too.

Paul

Fredxx wrote:
I doubt you will. I'm sure the ink solvent will soften and mix with the PVC.

Thanks, I think you might be right... after some surface cleaning it looks
like it's soaked in.

This was ordered from Farnell BTW - never expected that white cable would
have indelible printing along almost every inch

Theo

On 31 Oct 2020 at 22:15:35 GMT, "Theo"
wrote:

Fredxx wrote:
I doubt you will. I'm sure the ink solvent will soften and mix with the PVC.

Thanks, I think you might be right... after some surface cleaning it looks
like it's soaked in.

This was ordered from Farnell BTW - never expected that white cable would
have indelible printing along almost every inch

Theo

That's unfortunate. I suppose if you want domestic flex it is best to order
it from an electrical wholesaler or DIY shop. Such as
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/

If you only want a few metres send me your address by email and I'll post you
some 0.75mm^2. I've also got some 1.5mm^2s offcuts, but that's a bit heavy
for most things. For reasons I've got much more than I'll ever use of the
0.75, can't remember if it's heat resistant but I don't think it matters for
lighting, though I am prepared to be contradicted.


--
Roger Hayter