Discuss the different plastisol, discharge and water based screen printing inks on the market. Share tips on getting the best results with the different ink manufacturers.
Was just wondering if anyone could help out with this. EVERYWHERE i've ever read, said that you CAN cure water based inks with a home iron. Well, i tried last night 3 times, and it smeared everytime! The shirts came out 100% awesome, very cool, (black on white) and they eventually did dry by air, but i tried to cure with an iron, and it smeared when the ink was still wet and fresh, and it smeared when the ink was 100% dry to the touch. WTF!?!? ...now what?...
The ink i'm using is the Speedball Acrylic -black. Everyone says i should change to that plastisol?...I don't have a flash dryer yet...well, what's best to dry what i have?
-John
I tried both (reg and steam mode) on wet and dry inked shirt. Still smeared. Ofcourse the smear was worse with the freshly inked shirt, than the dry, but the dry still smeared.
I haven't tried to iron water based but perhaps you would have to cure by sections? EG: Leave the iron sitting on a section of the image for a while pick it directly up and put it back down on another section? I would assume the smearing comes from you moving the iron around and possibly you have thick sections of ink that squirt out and smear?
There are two types of speedball inks... ones for textiles and ones for everything else (paper, wood, glass, plastic, etc...). Acrylic is for everything else so maybe that's why you're having problems. So try the speedball ink for t-shirts. It should be available at the same place where you got your acrylic ink. Also you should always use a piece of cloth (scrap t-shirt, printing pellon...) between your iron and the t-shirt you're trying to cure. Also make sure your iron is on the highest setting possible. The ink needs to reach 320 degrees in order to cure.
Thank You so much to all of you for the help! Here's one for ya'...I just tried to silkscreen a shirt with this quart of Ryonet white that i had. The guy from the company was wicked cool, and said i could cure it without a flash dryer, or anyother type of fancy drying machinery by just throwing it in an oven @325 for like 30 seconds. I thought that's cool, why not give it a try.
First of all, as i'm sure you all know, that stuff is a mess!!! Not only thicker than the thickest house paint i've ever seen, but as sticky as glue! I was completely unaware that you are supposed to mix the ink with another ingredient to make it thinner! I've never seen that anywhere, so i didn't know. After the very first squegee stroke, i couldn't even see the screen. It was just completely caked. So for the hell of it, i did a few more strokes. Lifted the arm to see the shirt, and it was bad. Looks faded. Obviously ink way to thick to come through my 110 mesh properly. DAMN! oh well. Guess i'll stick with that speedball water based ink.
All the mesh i have is 110. and that ryonet white is some nasty thick sticky stuff! Won't wash out of anything! Took me hours to get it off my hands alone! Read up on some good helpful things to try to use that crap, and watched all the videos they have about it on their site but we'll see. lol
I'm still waiting for my water based fabric inks to come in. And you guys are right about the speedball acrylic, it does work on fabric, but after 1st wash it fades like it's 10 years old. not good. I'm very anxious to try the other stuff! The actual fabric inks.
I read somewhere else on here, that the water based fabric inks will come out looking like the Ed Hardy, Christian Audigier & Affliction style shirts. ("Soft-Hand"?) is that really true?...if so, that's very cool with me! I actually hate that raised rubbery feel of the other crap.
Yea... Most waterbased inks i've used have nearly no hand at all... in other words you can't feel the ink on the shirt once it's been cured and washed. It's the best way to have a completely invisibly soft hand.
if your using plastisols you'll really want to stir it well (most colours) till it thins out, try a drill with a paint mixer attatchment and stir till its soft and creamy..white is a thick one that needs to be stirred well..especially with an additive.
Thanks guys for all the help! I truly appreciate it! I tried the Speedball fabric ink last night. Much thinner in texture compared to the speedball acrylic. Very cool though! I will definitley get the bigger sizes of the Enviroline inks from silkscreeningsupplies!
It's funny when i tried to iron the fabric ink on the shirt yesterday, it smeared just like the acrylic did. lol
I'll get that heat gun thing i guess. Try that. I'm open to try anything at this point.
I actually thought about stirring the hell out of that Ryonet white before i used it. I never will again, but i actually thought about it, just didn't do it. My mistake. I asked the guy from the company, and he said i could also use an additive to thin it, but most people don't. so...i'll stick w/ the water based inks. They seem wicked easy, and very cool to work with!
Thank you guys again for being so incredibly helpful!
I will definitley get the bigger sizes of the Enviroline inks from silkscreeningsupplies!
You can't/shouldn't use an iron on the enviroline inks. Heat gun, at a minimum, is required.
Quote:
It's funny when i tried to iron the fabric ink on the shirt yesterday, it smeared just like the acrylic did. lol
I'll get that heat gun thing i guess. Try that. I'm open to try anything at this point.
With the Speedball fabric ink, let the ink completely air dry first. Then iron, after covering the print with a sheet of paper or foil. There should be no smearing at that point.
Iron won't cure my waterbased ink...WTF? 
