Can someone please help me?: heat from the tee shirt makes ink to dry in the screen
Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone else has gone through this before and if there is a way to prevent it and fix it when it happens...
Ok, here is the situation...I burned the screen, everything looked great, made about 9 tee shirts. Then, I would try pulling the screen up from the shirt after applying the ink and it would stick to the shirt. Pleanty of adheasive on the board too. Then, the screen gets clogged with ink. I can no longer use the screen i was using because it won't wash out. What I am thinking is, because im printing yellow ink on black shirts and i had to use the flash dryer in between coats. The heat from the tee shirt is causing the ink to dry in the screen? Does that sound like something that happens often? Anyways, does someone have a solution to this or do i have to let the tee shirt cool in between coats? thanks, Nick
Yes let the shirt cool a bit , pluss you dont have to flash the shirt too long, as to get the platten so hot it takes a long time to cool. Just long enough to cure the top layer/or surface of the ink allready printed. then you can let it cool then put other layers on top of the print . if the platten starts to get too hot slow down production. Also you may be able to use a screen cleaner- opener that comes in an aerosol can to disolve and blow out the ink in the screen.
hope that helps.
Bauds sounds right. Rig a fan between your flash and your print head. Also, make sure you aren't getting your spray adhesive on the backside of your screen while spraying. If the mist gets in your ink it starts to congeal, or harden.
Either way the aerosol on-screen cleaner will get it out of the pores. It's basically pure solvent so don't breath it or you'll be feeling funky in 5 minutes.
Nick...are you useing water-based or Plastisol? Both posts above are right for Plastisol. The heat will dry it, but water-based will do the same, only faster. You can use a spray bottle to deal with that and keep your screen wet.
If that don't work...take a hammer a beat the Crap outta' it! Won't help solve the problem...but you'll fell alot better.
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you know i have no idea what kind of ink it is now that you mention it. I bought a kit from Silkscreeningsupplies.com and this is the ink that came with the package i purchased. It doesn't say on the container either. All is says on the lable is International Coatings. Royal Blue 766 LF, Lot #3610024. That is what it says on my blue ink container. Don't know if that would help determin the type of ink it is...Anyways. I burned a new screen because the other is just all messed up and I kept it away from the heat and cured the shirts for less time then previsouly and it worked out great! it was only a 21 shirt order, but it was my biggest order so far. All and all im pretty happy about it. Especally since he paid $13 per shirt, $16 for XXL's, $18 for long sleeve and $21 for XXL long sleeve. Not a bad order and it paid for pretty much 1/4 of all the equipment i have bought so far...im still in the learning curve period so i thank you all for the help...Nick
Silly question, but how did you cure it if you don't know what kind of ink it is? :|
I just put the ink on and then put the flash dryer on it...It makes a difference how you cure it based on what kind of ink it is? If so please explain..thanks, Nick
You should only gel an ink when you flash it. 180 degrees. If you cure the underbase, the top color will not stick to it.
My usual question: How are you measuring?
If you answer that you aren't, you have the problem.
To measure temperature you need a contact thermometer for the best accuracy or an infra-red thermometer for pretty good accuracy.
Here is a good variety of thermocouple thermometers from Cooper Instruments with prices from one of their distributors. Look for the Screen Printers ThermoProbe kit. This used to be called the Atkins ThermoProbe until Cooper bought Atkins.
Re: Can someone please help me?: heat from the tee shirt makes ink to dry in the screen
They are all right my friend! I remember these days. If you are printing on a manuel you can place a fan directing down on the shirt right after the flash and even put another one down the way as well. Another thing to do as well is make sure you degrease your screens after you reclaim them, before you re-coat.
Re: Can someone please help me?: heat from the tee shirt makes ink to dry in the screen
Yes, I still have lots to learn. I am running out of space in my house too. My parents gave me a room in the basement and i have expanded into tee shirts from decals and graphics. I think this is part of my problem as well. My sister use to groom dogs and had a dog tub just sitting at her house, I just bought it off her and set it up in my room so now i have my own little dark room with a tub and pressure washer. I decided to move the decal end of my business out to the garage. Hopefully things will get better but im liking my new setup thanks for all the help guys.
Re: Can someone please help me?: heat from the tee shirt makes ink to dry in the screen
yea, i ruined a white shirt the other day because the ink was watery. I put it on the screen and pulled the squeege and the print came out but there was all black ink seeping around the print...needless to say it was a new $1.51 shop towel...haha
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Can someone please help me?: heat from the tee shirt makes ink to dry in the screen 
Not a bad order and it paid for pretty much 1/4 of all the equipment i have bought so far...im still in the learning curve period so i thank you all for the help...Nick
