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Originally Posted by MotoskinGraphix |  | | | | | | | | | How hot does a halogen lamp actually get? I saw a curing table somewhere with four lamps.
I dont think unbolting the platen with shirt on board and sticking it in the oven is an option. | |  | |  | |
Ha! You are right...that is why my rack system is designed so the platen can be easily lifted for using ones oven for flashing. I figured out a way to do it easily and it saves people with electric ovens from having to buy a $400 plus flash cure unit. Since you are stuck with a platen you cannot move to suit both print and flash phases, then you certainly can use the halogen work light. If you take the glass off the front of it and hold it about an inch above your tee and move it slowly across it will flash faster than a heat gun. both ways are 'caveman' but the halogen is LESS 'caveman' than the heat gun...if you need to do some sort of pre-cure and do not have a flash cure or the option my equipment has.
I am guessing you just want to put a quick flash on things so your print time won't be slowed by the 'forever' it takes to do final curing with a flash cure later. If you are not able to incorporate thje oven for flashing then at least try it for full cures as it will save you much time there.
You most likey can convert your press to a bayonet type mount so that it is stable for printing and yet removable for oven flashing. but most don't think of it or try. If you do much printing it is worth rigging that way.
My rack press has a bilevel platen that sits exactly where it needs to for the print and moves easily to the oven for the few seconds flash; comes back to print position. It amazes me that even one color presses made by others and selling for what they do, do not incorporate some such feature to make it easier and faster for all buying and using! Oh wait a minute...its because they hope you will buy a flash cure too! I guess I think with a printers mind far more than a sellers mind. I look for the logic that so many ignore.
I do not know how hot exactly a 500 watt halogen gets. It gets PLENTY hot enough(and more evenly than a heat gun). I cure left crest designs fully and baby shirt prints fully in 12 to 16 seconds. Been doing that for years on my little prints. You will need to move it around a bit obviously for bigger prints/precures(which I built larger halogen flash to use when I am doing full prints; using my rotary, which I also built...I use the same microtuning -of my design- on all my equipment). You just have to get the spacing and time right. Which you have to do with any sort of flash cure.
I built my own flash cure (because I can!)and because it works great and is easy to self repair if something goes wrong. I get 500 watt halo bulbs in groups so I save money on them and they work really well and last a long time. My flash cure cost me about $50 to make and it is every bit as good if not better than the BB1600(a nice flash too)that cost nearly $400 JUST for the element/head! the stand is over $200 more. No thanks. I have e friend who uses one of those tall dual quartz heaters(those things get HOT!)but because they are skinny, again you have to pass it slowly over the print. And you have to be electrically savvy enough to disable the gravity or 'tip' cut-off switch(which i am NOT recomending you do) Still anything is better than those heat guns. I hate those things. Because I have seen too many people duped into using them.