Ok, i have a question and i am having a hard time with the wording, lol.
I'll do the best i can.
After i have exposed my screen, i wash it out with luke warm water, low pressure,
i have noticed that when i go to wipe it down with a dry paper towel, alot of the emulsion comes off on the towel.
Is this from being underexposed
or
is this normal?
Also, as soon as i put water on the screen the color of the emulsion turns back to a pinkish purple.
it sounds like it might be underexposed,,I never wipe mine i just shake it and put it in frunt of a fan, and I use cold watter to wash out. plus it could be your emulsion, what are you using? is it one of the kinds you have to mix? if so I say find one thats mixed and ready to go. I had a proublm with the mix kind,,I got some ulano QTX it go's on good, drys fast,and expos fast. I think you might have better luck with it.
What I do after a burn, is to lightly spray cold water all over the design, and let it sit for a minute. Then I use a wash out hose designed for this task and spray cold water with stronger force and the image washes out fine. If you are getting the screen to clear out well then you are probably exposing at an amount close to the right time. Next time don't wipe it off with a towel, either put a fan on it and see if that keeps it solid, or one thing I've done is burn, washout, and burn more to really set the emulsion in. It makes it a bit more difficult to reclaim, but I think it's worth it if it makes the stencil more durable.
oh and the design showing up in the emulsion is normal after a burn. My emulsion changes from green to blue when burned properly, then the design, the bit behind the black of the film positive, turns greenish again, and washes out just fine.
Yesterday i double coated a screen because its going to be a run of 72 shirts and i burned at 5 more minutes than my regular burn time and the emulsion came right off. I did degrease the screen before i coated it so i had to give up for the day yesterday as i was ready to burst, lol.
I am using Autosol 2000 that i have to mix, i think i will try the pre-mixed stuff next time i order.
GREAT,,sounds like your workin it out. Yeah, I dont like the mix stuff eather. look for that "ulano QTX" If a pinhead like me can get it to work right all the time every time,,you will kill with it I bet...a buddy of mine that been printing for YEARS turned me on to it.
aust-
If you want to get a good grasp on proper exposure time, they do make exposure calculators that are like a film you burn with to figure out exact burn times. And I've never double coated a screen before a burn, even with my largest runs, around 200 shirts. Double coating is more for laying down thicker amounts of ink and may not really help you.
Double coating it is going to cause a greater burn time. A yellow mesh will have a different burn time than a white mesh. Many variables, but it definitely looks like it could be under exposing.
What is your light source? I would also look for the QTX or even the QX-1.
Double coating it is going to cause a greater burn time. A yellow mesh will have a different burn time than a white mesh. Many variables, but it definitely looks like it could be under exposing.
What is your light source? I would also look for the QTX or even the QX-1.
Im with you on the QTX it's hard to go wrong with that stuff I feel.
I am still perfecting the light source, right at the moment i am using 100 watt
plant bulb from home depot along with a spiral 250 watt tube light. Believe it or not the mix seems to be working the best so far.
I've discovered a handy trick!
If you put a dime in a spot on your screen that will have tape over it eventually, after say 12 minutes, slide the dime over and let your eyes adjust(you'll see, lol) if you can clearly see the difference in color very obviously, your screen is burnt. If not, put the dime back inthe spot and give it 5 more minutes. Be careful to not let this take to long, i actually put my hand over the dime before i moved it.
At least its working for me, lol, hopefully this tip will help any of my fellow noobs!
That test will work. pretty much like what Richard Greaves has mentioned. Keep nots and document your times for various mesh counts. Once you nail the times all you have to do is look at your burn chart for the correct burn time. No more dime method. Its all about R&D.
u should pickup a 500w halogen light,,mount it about 13" over your screen and plug it in. I been using one for a year now and it works great for me,,I give it 9 to 11 mins depnding on the screen count and all that suff. It took me 2 or 3 trys, and not messed up a screen yet,,after that 2 or 3,,well more like 5,,,haha,,but i got it!
Washing out after a burn 
Its all about R&D.
