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New Equipment Ordered – SP020

Ryonet had an awesome sale during the last 2 weeks of December called the “12 Days of Christmas Sale.” With savings from 10-50% I definitely had to take advantage of some of their deals and saved over $300. I picked up a few key pieces of equipment that I’ve been wanting for a while. Here’s some of the items I purchased:

  • 25″ x 36″ SE Digital Screen Exposure Unit: exposes up to a 23″ x 31″ frame using 8 unfiltered high UV 30 Watt spectrum blacklight lamps for 240 Watts of Power. The SE version also came with over $300 in upgrades including an upgrade to a digital timer, an Exposure Calculator, a Pre Registration Template Board and 25″ x 36″ Sheet of Amba UV Film. I used the sheet of Amba UV film and taped it to the bottom of the registration board and use it with my light box

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  • KDL Table Top Washout Booth: a washout booth that can be easily used on most bathroom counters, bathtubs, or even a garbage can in the garage
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  • Tag Platen: used to print 2 tags at one time on the inside of shirt (purchased on ebay)
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  • Yellow Sleeve Covers: these sleeves slide over your fluorescent lights and are designed to block UV rays in your screen printing dark room

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I needed some replenishment on supplies:

I picked up some ink too:

I’ve also updated the Equipment – SP002 blog post to include the new equipment and supplies.

PVC Screen Rack – SP019

I have been looking for a good way to dry/store my screens after cleaning them or after they have been coated with emulsion. After looking all over and finding that the cheapest one would run at least $300, I decided that I could build one for a lot less.

I searched the Internet for some plans I could use to construct a screen rack and only found pictures of screen racks that other people have built. There were several different designs and they used materials such as wood, aluminum and PVC. I needed something cheap, lightweight and portable, so I decided to go with PVC.

I won’t bore you with all the details on how I got all the measurements, but if you’d like to know just post a comment or send me an email. Here’s the materials I used to create a PVC Screen Rack that will hold (4) 20″ x 24″ screens:

screen_rack

It took me about 4 hours to complete this project and only cost $60, so for me it was a huge success. Most of my time was spent cutting the PVC pipe sections because I only had a hacksaw, so if you have a power saw it will cut the build time dramatically.

I placed the PVC pipe in a vise and measured out the pieces I would need to cut:

  • (15) 20” PVC pipe
  • (20) 9 7/8” PVC pipe
  • (16) 2” PVC pipe

Make sure to remove all the shavings after cutting the PVC pipe, otherwise the PVC pipe will jam when you place it in the PVC fitting. After all my pieces were cut, I laid out the pieces on the floor and made sure everything lined up before assembling. I also didn’t use any primer or glue on the fittings because I wanted the convenience of being able to assemble/dissemble when I need to. This set up allows me to purchase more materials and easily add more storage as my needs grow. It also will be easy to move and reconfigure, if needed, after I move sometime later this year. Here’s some pic’s of the finished product.

Exposure Calculator – SP018

I finally had a chance to test out my new exposure calculator to figure out the correct time to expose the screens.  I read the instructions that came with it and also watched a video on it as well and still had no idea on how to use it lol.  The directions say to place the Saati 21-Step Sensitivity Guide on the screen, I’m assuming after the emulsion has dried on it.  The next couple steps is where I get more confused, it says to optimize your exposure so that when washing out the image, you are left with 7 solid steps.  If you see only 5 steps, you run the risk of pinholes or premature breakdown, and you should double the exposure time.  If you see 9 steps, you will have lost finer detail in the image, and you should halve the exposure time.

After reading the directions, I decided to give it a try and see if I could figure it out.  I place the exposure calculator on the screen in between two different images and plug in the halogen light on the screen exposure stand.  I set the timer to see how long it takes till there is 7 solid steps left; in the past, I’ve left the screen expose for 12 minutes 30 seconds.  I notice right away that the exposure calculator isn’t changing color at all and after 15 minutes I stop exposing the screen.  That’s when I notice it actually burned the image of the step calculator into the screen.

According to the exposure calculator, I need to dial down my exposure time by 5 minutes next time.  Here’s what the image area on the screen looks like after I washed them out and I’ll post an update on the next screen.

Emulsion Issues – SP017

So I wanted to share some issues I’ve been having that I am pretty sure is linked to my emulsion.  A couple weeks back I was coating a screen and I noticed that my emulsion looked like it turned a darker pink, almost red.  I checked the date and and it was almost 6 weeks since I first opened it and thought that it probably was starting to go bad.  I decided to just use the rest of the emulsion to test out a couple different prints and order another quart.

After coating the screens with the remaining emulsion and burning the images on them, I noticed that it took a lot longer to wash out the image even with the power washer.  Because it took a lot longer to wash the image out, there was more water was on the emulsion and I ended up blowing out about 4 of the 7 images.

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Another reason the image being blown out could be that I did not expose the screen for the correct amount of time.  To help me determine that I am correctly burning the screen, I purchased an exposure calculator.  The exposure calculator is basically a small, narrow strip of film that is placed on the screen when burning it.  It measures only 1/2″ x 3 3/4″ and it will fit on your production screen without interfering with other graphics.  There are 10-step’s that tells you how to adjust your exposure time for complete stencil curing. If after using the new emulsion with the exposure calculator and I am still blowing out the image, I may have to make sure the image on the transparencies are dark enough.

New Supplies Ordered – SP016

Last week I noticed we were running low on emulsion, so I decided to make a purchase at SilkScreeningSupplies for some new supplies.  Whenever I place an order with them, I always try to order at least $100 worth of supplies to take advantage of their free shipping on all orders over $100. SilkScreeningSupplies also sends out a monthly newsletter with their promos, which I took advantage of when I placed my order.  I received a Qt of Ryonet White Plastisol ink for free for spending over $99, which I was planning to do to get the free shipping anyways.

Here’s what I ordered:

I’ve also updated the Equipment – SP002 blog post to include the new equipment and supplies.

Cleanup – SP015

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

12. Cleanup

Now that we’ve finished printing our shirts, it’s time to clean up. For me, this is the most important part because if you take the time to clean your equipment properly, you’ll achieve better results while printing and your equipment will last a lot longer. Cleanup is going to depend on if we are saving the screen for future use, doing a color change or reclaiming the screen.

We’ll start by putting on a pair of disposable gloves and clean out the ink from the screens. We’ll need to remove all the ink from the image area but we won’t have to worry about completely removing all the ink from the screen because we’re going to be saving this screen for future use. As long as the screen is stored in a dark, cool & dry place, the ink won’t cure or dry because it is an oil-based plastisol. I use a disposable ink card to remove the ink from the screen and put back into the ink container. Use that same ink card and remove all the ink off the squeegee as well. What’s really nice about these ink cards are they are flexible which allow you to pick up most of your ink with ease and then when your done, just toss them away (at just $0.07 each, it’s cheaper then using cleaning chemicals which cost about $0.10 – $-0.15 cents each time).

After all the ink is out of the screen we’ll do an on press clean (dry wash) using Screen Wash 147, which is great for removing and cleaning plastisol inks. Lay a junk t-shirt over the pallet (this is done to protect the pallet) and place the screen in the print position. Spray some Screen Wash 147 on the screen and onto a rag, paper towel or junk t-shirt and rub into a small area of the screen. If there is still some residue left on the screen, rub using a clean portion of the rag and then use the dry portion to wipe away. Continue doing this on the entire screen and frame. If you are reclaiming the screen, you don’t have to be as thorough as if you were doing a color change. If we were doing a color change, we would untape the registration marks, spray some screen opener on the screen and scrub all the ink residue off both sides with a dry rag. Next, we’ll wipe down our press with a clean rag sprayed with Screen Wash 147 to remove any ink or adhesive residue. Lastly, we remove the old pallet tape and replace with a new sheet.

If we were reclaiming the screen, we would do a screen wash (wet wash) instead of doing an on press clean. We would still remove all the ink from the screen using a disposable ink card, and then we would take it to our washout booth. Leave the tape on the screen and get the screen wet. Spray some Screen Wash 147 generously onto the screen and scrub brush, then start scrubbing the screen, which will start degrading the ink. Make sure to clean the sides of the frame as well. Spray from top to bottom with a hose to clean off the screen wash. Now take off the tape, turn the screen around and repeat the process, but use the power washer to clean out the registration marks. Wash out the scrub pads with water and wash down the wash out sink as well before removing the emulsion.

To remove the emulsion from the screen, start by getting the screen wet on both sides with water. Spray some ER/80 on both sides of the screen and onto a scrub brush. The ER/80 is a concentrated formulation designed to penetrate and break down all types of emulsion. I mixed about 1/3 of the concentrated ER/80 into a 32oz spray bottle and filled the rest with water. Scrub both sides of the screen and let the screen sit for 2 minutes. Never let the emulsion remover dry on the screen, as this will chemically lock the emulsion in the screen and most likely render the screen useless. Using a power washer, spray the screen from the inside to remove all the emulsion. You may need to scrub the areas where there are thicker areas of emulsion to be able to spray the emulsion out.

After removing the emulsion from the screen, I like to dehaze the screen to remove any ghost images from the screen and to degrease the screen. I spray some Liquid Renu-It onto the wet screen and scrub brush. Work in on both sides of the image area, then the rest of the screen and let sit for 5 minutes. Wash out with a hose, then a power washer and again with the hose to remove any oils left from the power washer. Place the screen in front of a fan to dry and wash out the scrub brush and wash out sink.

Tips:

  • Be sure to use a different scrub brush for each chemical, so they don’t counteract each other. I like to label them with a permanent marker so they don’t get mixed up.
  • Be very careful not to get the plastisol ink on anything that you value because the likely hood of it coming out is not very good.
  • Do not wash rags in the washer machine or tub.
  • Do not attempt to wash out ink from screen with soap and water as it will not work and you will risk rinsing out your emulsion.
  • We suggest using plenty of paper towels to clean up.

Curing – SP014

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

11. Curing

The ink now needs to be heat cured to 325°F degrees.  I suggest taking the shirt off the pallet before curing the shirt to protect the pallet.  I am flash curing using Ryonet’s Econo Flash Dryer and have it set 5” from the shirt.  White inks will take longer to cure than color inks because white ink reflects light/heat away and color inks absorb light/heat.  Always use a temperature gun to check that the ink reaches the proper temperature to cure.  It takes approximately 45 seconds to reach 325°F degrees and with white ink I usually leave it there for another 5 seconds to allow the heat to travel from the top of the ink to the bottom of the ink.

Before doing a production run with plastisol white ink, I always check my cure times by doing a stretch test.  Only do a stretch test on thicker coats of plastisol ink because the plastisol allows it to stretch after it’s been properly cured.  If the ink cracks or breaks, then you will need to extend your curing time and try again.

When doing a lot of flashing, you’ll want to keep your pallet from getting very hot.  When the wood pallet gets hot, the pallet absorbs the heat and over time will begin to warp.  The spray adhesive will also no longer work when the pallet reaches a certain temperature and will turn into goo and no longer hold the shirt.  To help prevent this, wait 30 seconds and let the ink cool down before moving onto the next print.  This helps the pallet stay cooler and helps prevent the ink curing on the screen from the 325°F heat from the pallet .

Printing – SP013

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

10. Printing
Now that the screen is registered and clamped into the screen press, I check to see how my off contact is because I am printing white on a black garment. The screen should rest about a 1/8th of an inch off the shirt. I tape two stacked pennies to my screen where it makes contact with my platen to insure my off contact stays consistent

After my off contact is set up, I spray my pallet with adhesive to keep the shirt from moving. CCI Mist Adhesive works great and it even holds up to flashing. Because this is the first time printing this design, I will do a couple prints on test squares. Test squares are used to apply a test print before a printing production begins. They’re handy for trouble shooting a screen to find pinholes and set up accurate registration before actual printing begins.

Now that the test square is on the platen, I can begin a test print. I load up my screen with Ryonet’s white ink, which is very creamy and has great opacity, using an ink scoop. Now I fill the design with ink and lower the screen down towards the test square. Using my squeegee at about an 75 degree angle, I push down and pull till I clear all the ink from the screen and place my screen back in the up position to check my print. If you see any pinholes, just use some tape to block it out and now it’s time to print on a shirt.

Open the shirt, slide it over the platen and align the shirt to the print. Load up the design with ink with your squeegee, lower the screen down and clear all the ink from the screen with the squeegee. After the first pass, I flash the print using the flash dryer for 15 seconds. Because the first pass doesn’t come out very opaque, you’ll need to flash it so another layer can be put on top giving you that nice opaque white. Check the print with your finger to make sure it’s dry. Now it only takes one more pass with the squeegee and ink to get the right opaqueness.

Now, the ink needs to be cured…

Taping A Screen – SP012

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

09. Taping a Screen:
When taping your screen, make sure to use tape designed for screen printing. Screen printing tape uses low adhesive and is also solvent resistant. The screen printing tape acts as a barrier between the ink and the frame. I like using the 2” tape to tape my screens and I start at the top of the screen and then tape each side going clockwise. I do this so it is easier to remove when cleaning up, all I have to do is pull from one side and it will all come off.

Cut a piece of tape the length of the inside of the screen and place it into the inside corner between the frame and mesh. Make sure the tape seam is flush against the corner seam because you don’t want it to rip during printing. Press the seam to make sure it doesn’t rip. Do the same thing to the side clockwise from the top that has been taped already. Repeat till all sides are taped. I also like to cover most of the frame with tape to make cleaning the frame much easier.

Check the outside of the screen, the shirt side, to see if there are any exposed areas besides the registration marks that need to be taped. When using the screen exposure stand with the glass, sometimes the edges around the glass will expose as well.

Take the screen to the press and register it using the registration marks. After the screen has been registered, tape off the registration marks and get ready to print.

Washing Out A Screen – SP011

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

08. Washing out your screen:
* Be sure that you are doing all parts in a light safe environment with a yellow light safe bulb and NO outside or bright light what so ever. This includes mixing your emulsion, coating your screens, drying your screens, exposing your screen, and washing out your screen.

After the screen has been exposed, I take the screen to the washout sink to wash the design out. I make sure not to expose the screen to bright light after it has been exposed until the design has been washed out.  With a garden hose spray nozzle, I use cold water to spray the area where the design is and get both sides wet.  As soon as you start to get the screen wet, you will see the design start to wash out. I let the water soak into the emulsion for about one minute before using the power washer to wash out the rest.

With the power washer, I continue washing out the design with a fan spray until all the emulsion on the inside of the design is completely washed out of the screen. You will want to wash out the design using the least amount of water because the rest of the emulsion will begin to wash out as well.  That is why I like using a power washer, it takes less time, less water and you are able to wash out those fine details.  Once the design is washed out, I place the screen back under the fan to dry the emulsion.

Exposing A Screen – SP010

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

07. Exposing your screen:
* Be sure that you are doing all parts in a light safe environment with a yellow light safe bulb and NO outside or bright light what so ever. This includes mixing your emulsion, coating your screens, drying your screens, exposing your screen, and washing out your screen.

Once your screen is registered, your screen is now ready to be exposed. Depending on the type of light source you are using to exposure your emulsion, the exposure time and instructions will vary. I am going to explain how to expose using CCI DXP Diazo-Photopolymer Dual Cure Direct Emulsion using a 500-Watt Halogen Light and Screen Exposure Stand.

Place the flat side of the screen or the t-shirt side of the screen facing up on the PVC legs of the screen exposure stand. Then place a piece of unfiltered flat glass over your film on the screen and plug the light in for exactly 12 minutes and 30 seconds. Insure that there is positive contact between your screen mesh, your positive film and the piece of glass. If the film is not pressed completely against your mesh then you will get light reflection between your positive screen film and your screen, which will result in a blurry and not clear image.

Never leave the area unattended while exposing your screen.  The light on the Halogen Light gets very hot and will melt plastic or burn your hand.  Also make sure to keep track of time because there is no on/off switch and will not turn off until it’s unplugged.

Screen Registration – SP009

Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Registration Of A Screen
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup

06. Registration of your screen:
* Be sure that you are doing all parts in a light safe environment with a yellow light safe bulb and NO outside or bright light what so ever. This includes mixing your emulsion, coating your screens, drying your screens, exposing your screen, and washing out your screen.

The goal of registration is to align all your transparencies in the same exact spot on the screens, so when you get to the press, setting up will be much easier.  On single color prints, I usually register my transparency on the press because I don’t have to align multiple screens like during a multi color job.

The first thing I do is I tape my platen with pallet tape because I will make centerlines to help with accurate alignment. Pallet tape is great because it helps protect your platen from adhesive & ink. I measure the center of the platen and take a t-square and draw a centerline with a permanent marker.  Grab the screen that has finished drying and center it into the screen press arm and tighten. Then I tape the four corners on the bottom of my transparency and place it on my platen with the sticky part of the tape facing up.  Once I check that my design is level with my t-square, I pull my screen down towards my platen and press down till the transparency is taped to the screen.   Take the screen off of your press and make sure that the transparency is securely taped to the screen before exposing the screen.