Qualities of a Good Tack Rag

A tack rag or cloth is a specially treated wiping material meant for eliminating dust particles, lint, dirt, and additional items capable of contaminating a surface when finishing processes are required. Industries or individuals who must remove contaminants from a surface to paint, laminate, coat, or perform additional forms of finishing use a tack rag to pick up items without leaving residue such as cloth fibers on the substrate. A good example of use involves the application of a tack rag to eliminate sanding dust from the body of a car prior to painting. They have been a common finishing aid in various industries for over one-hundred years.

The design of a tack rag and its quality vary greatly between manufacturers and it is important to know what makes a good product. Tack is a resinous material designed to be solvent, water, or hot-melt based as a cloth can be used to serve multiple purposes. Treatment materials along with formation methods supply advantages and disadvantages to buyers. Certain chemicals interfere with the coating application or cause liabilities regarding hazardous air pollutants. Tack rag performance should be based on precise qualities such as adhesion. Base materials used to create these products are typically a cotton gauze textile or cheesecloth; however, buyers easily run into different materials of varying grades.

The Advantages of Using Tack Cloth

Tack rags remove contaminants from a surface before stains, finishes, sealers, or paints are applied. The stickiness provided by the tack material makes it easier to create a clean surface as many common cloths leave lint or resin. A tack rag should not be used for water-based products unless specifically stated by the manufacturer because it will leave residue that prevents the necessary adhesion required by the finishing product. Also, these rags are truly meant for one time use and reuse could result in contaminants remaining on the substrate. Excessive pressure is not recommended as it is capable of harming the surface and a light dusting provides enough pressure to capture undesired particles. Tack rags provide several benefits over using an air compressor or vacuum to accomplish the same task and leave the surface clean of debris for preventing imperfections.

Tack rags supply a less bulky, simple to use, and portable solution for substrate preparation. The product is inexpensive to purchase; therefore, throwing them away does not significantly affect company overhead. It is important to spend time evaluating the qualities needed for a specific project since these rags are made of multiple materials. Water-dissolvable tack treatments are applicable for some projects because they make it easier to wash chemicals from hands, tools, and the substrate and reduce the chance of resin transfer. Different qualities will determine the effectiveness of a chosen cloth such as the type of substrate or applied finish. You should be aware of each quality before choosing a tack rag to make certain it will perform as desired.

Tack rags are highly effective as a cleaning aid when surface preparation is necessary. For more information about tack rags or our other products, please call (800) 886-8240 or email info@ecolink.com.

What is a Tack Cloth?

A variety of tools and items are used in industries where a substrate must be primed for finishing processes. Tack rags or cloths make it easy to remove contaminants such as dust from the surface before applying a coating. The cloth prevents resin or contaminants from creating imperfections in the applied coating. Tack cloths are treated with materials to create a unique wiping aid designed to easily remove loose particles from the surface of a part, car body, or wood-based item. They are an indispensable aid in industries where a substrate must be prepared for painting, coating, or lamination. A regular cotton rag is often applied by individuals or companies who are not aware of the benefits provided by tack cloths.

Cotton based rags not containing the tack material frequently leave lint or resin on the substrate. These particles decrease the overall quality of the finish by generating blemishes or other imperfections. A tack cloth ensures all particles are removed easily and creates a polished finish unlike any other. The product consists of cheesecloth saturated with materials such as beeswax or varnish to provide an exceptionally clean surface. They are designed for one time application as rinsing for reuse would cause particles or resin to be left over after wiping has been completed. Manufacturers make these items extremely affordable since they cannot be reused and tag cloths are essential for cleaning in certain industries.

The Multiple Applications and Benefits of Tack Rags

Several industries, hobbyists, and individuals use tack cloths to improve the quality of their products or crafts. They are most suitable for smaller surfaces or parts where dust or contaminants can be wiped off in a small amount of time. Certain designs provide better results in woodworking areas such as furniture or cabinetry making. Alternative tack cloth products may be used to prepare automotive pieces or entire car bodies for painting. Make sure you have chosen the right design to prevent harm to the base area or imperfections after the finish has been applied. Tack cloths supply specific advantages over choosing traditional cotton rags including:

  • A Clean Surface
  • Lint Free Results
  • Simple To Use
  • Portable
  • Convenient
  • Inexpensive

The cloths carry a rather low price tag and provide a simple solution for quickly wiping down a surface prior to finishing. They do not have to be washed for reuse and an individual can be certain all contaminants are removed without having to perform additional tasks such as picking out lint. Tack cloths continue to advance as new materials are discovered and used to create unique wiping qualities. It is important to properly evaluate the substrate to be cleaned, applied finish, and additional qualities before selecting a rag for dust or particle removal to ensure it will not harm the surface or the final products appearance. By taking time to understand how a particular tack rag will affect the surface, you will be able to take advantage of the many benefits offered by this handy preparation aid.

Tack cloths are an essential aid during surface preparation and finishing processes. For more information about our tack cloth products, please call (800) 886-8240 or email info@ecolink.com.

Meet Ecolink’s 2013 Spring Interns!

Monday, March 11, 2013 kicked off the beginning of Ecolink’s second annual social media internship to promote three green(er) industrial chemical product lines. With their social bannerCOO Brandon Pelissero’s board membership with the Atlanta American Marketing Association (AMA Atlanta) and DECA, Ecolink recruited 3 highly talented AMA collegiate members on March 1st at the Biltmore Conference Center during the AMA Collegiate Conference and 1 spectacular DECA high school student.

Over the next six to seven weeks, each intern will manage their own industry, whether it is a specific product or a suite of products, utilizing at least 8 different social media tools and networks, design their own t-shirt and other apparel item (last year we did belt buckles, this year we’re letting their inner designers shine). Our first year of mentioning chemicals and social media worked out so well that we’re doing it again! We are unleashing an army of David’s in an industry dominated by Goliath sized market leaders.

Ecolink is excited to introduce our spectacular collegiate interns–Cameron Huppertz, Christen Davis, Harsh Goyal and our high school intern, Jimmy Hand. Each intern will promote a product/product suite specifically targeted towards an industry of Military/Aerospace, Mining, or Power Generation. Each intern will have digital profiles and 2 merchandise items to design, implement, and integrate. The intern who accumulates a combine score of most page views, on page social sharing and return on investment (leads generated, quotes, samples, sales, etc.) will earn an extra $1,000 + donate $100 to their favorite charity.

 


cameron

Cameron Huppertz is a Florida State University alumni with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, Cameron spent a year in Washington DC as Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s Literary Assistant. Through his experiences in theatre he developed a passion for storytelling, and finding new ways to share stories through new technologies. Cameron is excited to bring this passion to his work with social media at Ecolink.

Please visit Cameron’s product pages and Like, Tweet, Digg, Google +, etc. [especially if you are family, friend, FSU alumni, professor, fellow student] and help Cameron make the most of his internship at Ecolink and also earn an extra $1,000 + $100 for charity:

https://ecolink.com/info/military-specified-industrial-chemicals/

 


 

christenChristen Davis is a senior at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Her major study is Business Administration and Economics with a concentration in Management. She is excited to work with Ecolink in Social Media Marketing to help our market growth. In past Social Media jobs, she has made Facebook pages, Twitter pages, and Pinterest pages to gain more followers. Since she launched her own company in 2012, she have been exploring Social Media and what all power it has for a company.

Please visit Christen’s product pages and Like, Tweet, Digg, Google +, etc. [especially if you are family, friend, Presbyterian College  alumni, professor, fellow student] and help Christen make the most of her internship at Ecolink and also earn an extra $1,000 + $100 for charity:

https://ecolink.com/info/power-gen-osha-compliant/

 


harsh2

Harsh Goyal is a second year student at Georgia State University. He is a double major in Business Management, and Accounting, with a concentration in Marketing.  He is on the schools Paintball team and we are second in the nation. I am also the Vice President of Finance the American Marketing Association at GSU. He also serves as a campus brand representative for Sony at GSU.

Please visit Harsh’s product pages and Like, Tweet, Digg, Google +, etc. [especially if you are family, friend, Mercer alumni, professor, fellow student] and help Harsh make the most of his internship at Ecolink and also earn an extra $1,000 + $100 for charity:

https://ecolink.com/info/industrial-mineral-management/

 


jimmy

Jimmy Hand is a senior at Cedartown High school. He is going to attend Northeastern University on a baseball scholarship in the fall. He enjoys watching baseball, taking AP classes. He is a LSU tigers fan and an active DECA member at his high school.

Please visit Jimmy’s product pages and Like, Tweet, Digg, Google +, etc. [especially if you are family, friend, Cedartown High (or Northeastern University) alumni, professor, fellow student] and help Jimmy make the most of his internship at Ecolink and also earn an extra $1,000 + $100 for charity:

https://ecolink.com/info/cleaning-power-for-gas-turbines/

 

 

 

Cleaning Power for Gas Turbines

Ecolink provides two products for powerful gas turbine cleaning. Both Zok mx® and Zok 27® are fantastic tools for cleaning turbines.

Powerful on-line and off line compressor cleaning fluid for gas turbines in aviation, industrial, offshore, and power generation applications.

The regular washing of gas turbines compressors is know to provide the most effective method of preventing long term compressor fouling. It ensures maximum available power output, improved fuel efficiency and reduced wear and tear on components, such as bearings and blades.

Online washing (hot washing) can significantly extend the period between necessary shutdowns for off-line washing, thus reducing costly downtime and lost production.

Zok mx® is an concentrated water-based, non-flammable environmentally friendly biodegradable fluid. Specifically developed for heavy-duty cleaning of gas turbine engine compressors. It’s a special blend of non-ionic surfactants, organic solvents, and demineralized water.

The shelf life for Zok mx® is 5 years and the pH value ranges from 8.0-8.5. The application for this product is spray ring or lance in either motor-over (off-line) or fired (on-line) wash as directed by the engine manufacturers in the quantities recommended by them.

zok products

This non-flammable product comes packaged in both bulk and small quantities! Want to learn more? Call Jimmy at 800 563-1305 x 104 or email Jimmy to buy or request a FREE quote!

Zok 27® is a concentrated neutral water-based detergent cleaning fluid for cleaning and corrosion inhibition of gas turbine engines compressors. It’s a blend of non-ionic surfactants, corrosion inhibitors, organic solvents and demineralized water.

To apply this product, spray ring or lance in either motor-over (off-line) or fired (on-line) wash as directed by the engine manufacturers in the quantities recommended by them. It is essential during hot wash that the cleaner should leave as little ash residue as possible to avoid blocking turbine cooling bald holes.

The unique corrosion inhibitor allows engines to be left ready for instant restart, even in salty offshore conditions.

Interested in learning how to make your job easier? Call Jimmy at 800 563-1305 x 104 or email Jimmy for more information or buy or request a FREE quote!

Military-Specified Industrial Chemicals

Ecolink is a Department of Defense Supplier with over fifteen years experience serving the U.S. Military. Ecolink’s solvent replacement strategies, toxic reduction programs and implementation support have helped the Department of Defense meet its strategic goals for environmental compliance while saving multiple millions of taxpayers dollars during sourcing, use and disposal of regulated and non-regulated industrial chemicals.

Aerospace-Military critical cleaning products by application:

  • Everyday low prices on over100 hundred NSN, military-specified industrial chemicals including PD 680 Types 1 and II and PRF 680 Types 1, II, IV and V now available on GSA (GSA Library)
    LOW VOC parts washing solvent qualified to MIL-PRF-32295A Type II, Navsolve US military’s only approved low VOC cleaners, safe to use on ferrous and nonferrous metals, designed to replace Safety Kleen® QSOL 300
    Naval Oxygen Cleaner (NOC) also known as OCC for naval sea systems oxygen cleaning, used in accordance with MIL-STD-1330D as an alternative to Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP)
    There are six steps to naval oxygen cleaning and no short cuts.

1. Dismantle equipment completely
2. Inspect and gross clean
3. Pre clean and rinse
4. Clean, rinse and dry
5. Inspect and test for clean
6. Reassemble, package and label

cameron

* for small parts, an ultrasonic cleaner is the way to go.

Interested in any of these products? You can order in small or large quantities! Call Cameron at 800 563-1305 x 101 or email Cameron to buy or request a FREE quote!

  • Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Magnaflux® Products
  • Aerospace and Mil Spec Aqueous Cleaners, Daraclean® heavy duty aqueous alkaline, all-purpose cleaner with high and neutral including: Daraclean® 121, 212, 200, 232A, 235, 236, 238, 257, 259, 282, 282GF, 283, 615 (additive), LC5, and MagnaVu® Dip and MagnaVu® Spray
  • Alkalinity, titration (AL-TA) kits for Daraclean® and all other aerospace approved alkaline cleaners
  • Magnaflux Dye Penetrants and Magnetic Particle Inspection Kits for Crack Detection, NDI/NDT including Magnaglo® Fluorescent Particle Inspection Products, Spotcheck® cleaners, removers, penetrants (SK, SKC-S, SKD-S2, SKL-SP2, SKL-WP2,14AM) and Zyglo® (ZL-2C, ZL-27A, ZL-37, ZL-15B, ZL-19, ZL-60D, ZL-67, ZL-56, ZL-4C, ZE-4B, ZR-10B, ZP-4B, ZP-5B, ZP-9F, ZP-14A, ZA-70R)
  • Magnaflux equipment and accessories: Black Lights, Light Meters, LPI Equipment, MPI Equipment & Accessories, and Magnetic Yokes
  • Plastic-safe, non-flammable Avionics contact cleaner, Ecolink 3005 Aerosol
  • Fluid reprocessing technologies, including oil and solvent recycling equipment
  • Solvent-based parts washers and weapons cleaning systems
  • Oil analysis equipment support with FTIR, TAN/TBN, Viscosity, Titration Particle Counts, ICP and filter stations U.S. Navy approved solvent for cleaning all organic and inorganic soils such as cosmoline, rosin flux, pitch and wire rope, Vortex
  • Cleaning and maintenance of rotating electrical equipment, hydraulic components, ball bearings, mating surfaces of outboard cable, connector assemblies on submarines, aircraft cannon plugs, thermal spray pre-clean and spectrometer burn chamber cleaning, Electron
  • Aerospace parts cleaner, Brulin 815GD alternatives for ultrasonic and immersion detergents to clean practically all metals including steels, aluminum & titanium
  • Hand Wipe Cleaning prior to painting & bonding, Purity formerly known as Ultra Prep or Prepsolv, 6850-01-394-0162 (4×1 gal box), 6850-01-394-0160 (5-gal can), 6850-01-394-0158 (55-gal drum) – Peacekeeper Stage IV AVE & GSE Listed Items, low vapor pressure, Type 1 Class A that meets BAC5750; Specification HP9-25; AEMS 5005; P-W-2891; Rockwell Aerospace; Textron Aero structures; McDonnell Douglas
  • Aerospace-grade dry and pre-saturated wipers for Aerospace surface preparation including Sontara, Microdenier Polishing Cloth, LWTB0006, TJ-1717, tack cloth and rags, norwex towels and cloth
  • nPB acid acceptance test kits for Hypersolve and other stabilized, aerospace-military grade, spec-approved nPB blends
  • Gas path cleaning for Siemens gas turbines, GE gas turbines, Rolls-Royce gas turbines, including Rolls Royce Trent 60 and Allison 250 series gas turbine cleaners resulting in better gas turbine performance and gas turbine efficiency, that meet or comply to MIL-PRF-85704C type I (solvent-based, available in both VOC and VOC-FREE formulations) type II (water-based) 7930-01-340-2176 NSN, 6850-01-370-5245 (RTU) including ZOK27 and ZOK MX and alternatives to JAD Chemical and Rochem Fyrewash®

 

Call Cameron at 800 563-1305 x 101 or email Cameron to buy or request a FREE quote!