I just got a power washer and feel like I could write my name on the concrete . I just reclaimed about 6 screens using it for the 1st time and it was great. No more scrubbing! So for those of you that use a power washer, what is your reclaiming process? Here's what I did, but I wonder if there's something better.
1) Spray both side of the emulsion with emulsion remover, and let it sit for a minute.
2) Power spray it all out from the squeegee side of the screen.
3) If there is some visible ink stains, I spray some ink degradent and scrub it in a little, and then power spray it out again.
This seems to get them pretty clean. When I was using my water hose, I'd use the ink degradent 1st and scrub as much ink out as I could, then use the emulsion remover, and then go for the ink again.
I just got a power washer and feel like I could write my name on the concrete . I just reclaimed about 6 screens using it for the 1st time and it was great. No more scrubbing! So for those of you that use a power washer, what is your reclaiming process? Here's what I did, but I wonder if there's something better.
1) Spray both side of the emulsion with emulsion remover, and let it sit for a minute.
2) Power spray it all out from the squeegee side of the screen.
3) If there is some visible ink stains, I spray some ink degradent and scrub it in a little, and then power spray it out again.
This seems to get them pretty clean. When I was using my water hose, I'd use the ink degradent 1st and scrub as much ink out as I could, then use the emulsion remover, and then go for the ink again.
I always scrub even with a pressure washer.
I spray both sides with water and emulsion remover. Let sit for a minute. Scrub. Rinse.
I spray both sides with ghost/stain remover. Scrub and let sit for 1 minute or a little more for stubborn spots. Rinse.
Spray degreaser and scrub, rinse.
I don't see you mentioning degreasing, you need to degrease your screen as the last step, or you'll have to degrease before you use that screen later.
I spray both sides with water and emulsion remover. Let sit for a minute. Scrub. Rinse.
I spray both sides with ghost/stain remover. Scrub and let sit for 1 minute or a little more for stubborn spots. Rinse.
Spray degreaser and scrub, rinse.
I don't see you mentioning degreasing, you need to degrease your screen as the last step, or you'll have to degrease before you use that screen later.
I didn't seem to need any scrubbing of the emulsion. It came out like hot butter. But I use capillary film, so that might be easier than the liquid.
Since I use capillary film, I always degrease just seconds before I apply the film (it's applied to a wet screen). This way, there's little chance of any airborne particles contaminating the screen.
Since I use capillary film, I always degrease just seconds before I apply the film (it's applied to a wet screen). This way, there's little chance of any airborne particles contaminating the screen.
Exactly - unless you have an exceptionally clean storage area, or coat all screens right after stripping them, you'll need to degrease again if you degrease too far in advance. It also shouldn't be necessary to degrease if you've just stripped a screen (dust particles won't survive stencil remover and a power washer - anything that does is unlikely to be swayed by mere degreaser).
You should degrease each screen after removing the inks and stripping the emulsion. Degreasing will remove all chemicals left behind from the previous 2 steps.
#2 spray both sides 3-4 squirts with spray bottle - ink degradent
lightly scrub both sides to distribute the degradent and degrade all ink
present
Rinse with pressure washer, both sides
#3 spray both sides with emulsion stripper - 2-4 squirts both sides
scrub both sides to distribute stripper on all areas with emulsion. If the
chemical is good the emulsion should start to degrade almost immediately
Rinse with pressure washer - both sides
#4 spray both sides with degreaser/dehazer
scrub both sides
rinse with pressure washer
#5 If there is major haze leftover we use a caustic haze. scrub both sides
elbow grease and immediately rinse with pressure washer We may only
use this step one or twice a month on a screen or two at the most.
Cleaning your screens daily will help to fend off hazing and staining. If you let screen s pile up for a couple of days your more than likely going to have stains, haze and a tough time reclaiming.
I believe our pressure washer is 1500-2500 psi.
We have an office we turned into a darkroom to store all frames, coated & uncoated. This room is air conditioned (only one slat open). We have a shop fan and dehumidifier running. We can dry a coated and wet screen in minutes
following the same routine with your reclaim process will ultimately result in good screen care and longer lasting mesh. better emulsion adhesion and quality burns.
Mine's a 2500 psi. I actually tried reclaiming a screen with NO chemicals and just the power washer, and it worked. I blew off all the emulsion, but it took a lot longer than when I used the emulsion remover. I had 2 screens that I had put away in the re-mesh stack because I couldn't get them clean before. But the power washer cleaned them out in no time, so I guess right there it saved me the money I'd have spent having them re-meshed.
If I were to use the ink degradent before the emulsion remover, it would blow off the emulsion too. That's why I decided to do the emulsion first and then the ink degradent on any spots that still have some ink stains. The stains came out very easily.
I believe that capillary film is easier to reclaim than liquid emulsion because it basically sits on one side of the screen rather than being applied to both sides. So it's pretty easy to blow it off from the back side. Maybe that's why it seems easier to me that what some have described.
We reclaim our screens the same way as Fluid. All of those steps have a purpose and that results in better adhesions of the emulsion and ultimately longer screen life.
We reclaim our screens the same way as Fluid. All of those steps have a purpose and that results in better adhesions of the emulsion and ultimately longer screen life.
Bill M
I did all of the same steps Fluid listed except for the degreasing, which is done just before applying the capillary film. The only difference I had was in the order. I remove the emulsion first and the ink second. Is there a purpose in removing the ink first?
I remove all the ink I can from the screen while it's still on the press and return it to it's original container, if it has any additives and there is an excessive amount left I will save it in a separate container. I then remove the screen from the press and place it on my cleanup table with several layers of newspaper under it. I spray the screen with Bean-e-doo or some other soybean solvent that is biodegradable and let it set for a couple of minutes, after that you can wipe most of the ink off. I then remove the tape and spray a little more solvent if it needs it and finishing cleaning all the ink from the screen. From here it goes to my wash out area and we reclaim and degrease it
The reason I do this is twofold, by getting all the ink off it helps prevent ghost images and we have very strict regulations in California on disposal of certain chemicals. Since it is 100% biodegradable and non-toxic, I don't have any disposal problems to worry about.
That's the Readers Digest version and at this time of night it's about all I can muster.
You should degrade the ink first. This will break it down and make it safer to wash down the drain. If you do not you will ultimately have issues with your drain later down the road.
I probably wasn't very clear in my question. When I said "remove the ink" I was referring to spraying the ink degradent on the screen in the reclaiming process. I do clean the ink out of the screen as much as possible while it's still on the press using the press wash. Then I use the ink degradent later in the reclaiming process to remove any visible signs of ink after removing the emulsion.
I don't have a washout booth yet, so I do my reclaiming outside on our patio. So fortunately the ink doesn't go down the drain.
ohhh thats not good. Get yourself a booth as you'll save lots of money on chemicals and the environment (your yard)
Get a prefab shower from your local home improvement store. Build a stand out of 2X4's and add a drain. Works like a charm. I have seen a couple local shops use these and they seem to work well.
2X4 stand to hold the prefab shower at a height that is comfortable to clean screen in. Drain you'll need to pipe/tye into a sink or main (washer) drain. Anything other than that I cannot ethically recommend
What's Your Reclaiming Process? 
. I just reclaimed about 6 screens using it for the 1st time and it was great. No more scrubbing! So for those of you that use a power washer, what is your reclaiming process? Here's what I did, but I wonder if there's something better.
