[smsqsms]

hi everyone , i have a Question about curing plastizol inks ,
is it better to final cure it under flash curer , or under Press ?

the quality is the main variable here , which will give me best results ?

 

[splathead]

It's very difficult to cure plastisol under a press. You'll need to have a hover feature on it so your top platen does not come in contact with the wet ink. Most presses don't have this feature. I would use a flash.

 

[Zenergy]

It's very difficult to cure plastisol under a press. You'll need to have a hover feature on it so your top platen does not come in contact with the wet ink. Most presses don't have this feature. I would use a flash.

Can you get it partially cured with a flash, then press it with a teflon sheet?

 

[ScreenFoo]

I'm pretty sure Joe's joking. Although a hovering press would make cleaning a lot easier.


Either heat press or flash, or both, as Zenergy mentioned, would work, done properly.

 

[mustangFWL]

I bought a pint of ink to play around with, and I only have a clam shell press here at work, I let the press hover over the shirt for about 30 seconds at 376 degrees, then pressed it down with the Teflon sheet for 15 seconds and it cured just fine

 

[splathead]

I'm pretty sure Joe's joking.

About which part?

 

[splathead]

Can you get it partially cured with a flash, then press it with a teflon sheet?

You can, but what's the point? You'll have an extra step and your resulting print with be flattened & shiny.

 

[PhilR]

Curing with a heat press is easy. Just flash to touch dry, use a sheet of nonstick baking paper on the print, press at low pressure for 15-20 seconds at 320F and let it cool a bit before removing. Much faster, a lot more even and far less likely to scorch than a flash plus you're not cooking your platens to the point of warping. The paper is cheap, available just about everywhere and doesn't leave a glossy sheen on the ink.

 

[Zenergy]

Curing with a heat press is easy. Just flash to touch dry, use a sheet of nonstick baking paper on the print, press at low pressure for 15-20 seconds at 320F and let it cool a bit before removing. Much faster, a lot more even and far less likely to scorch than a flash plus you're not cooking your platens to the point of warping. The paper is cheap, available just about everywhere and doesn't leave a glossy sheen on the ink.

So is baking paper better than teflon then?

 

[splathead]

So is baking paper better than teflon then?

For this method, yes. Use a sheet once, then throw it away. If you use teflon, you might get ink residue ghosting transferred from shirt to shirt.

 

[PhilR]

Heck, I don't even replace the sheets every time. So long as the ink layer isn't mega thick it doesn't tend to stick. Your mileage may vary.

 

[splathead]

hi everyone , i have a Question about curing plastizol inks ,
is it better to final cure it under flash curer , or under Press ?

the quality is the main variable here , which will give me best results ?

Something that just occurred to me; we don't know if you are shopping for a heat source, or deciding which one of the two you already have that you want to use.

If you're deciding which one of the two to buy, get a heat press. (Preferably one with the hover option). You'll be able to use it for more things (vinyl, plastisol transfers, inkjet transfers, sublimation, etc.) than a flash dryer.

If you already have both, I like curing with my flash rather than my heat press.

 

[smsqsms]

Something that just occurred to me; we don't know if you are shopping for a heat source, or deciding which one of the two you already have that you want to use.

If you're deciding which one of the two to buy, get a heat press. (Preferably one with the hover option). You'll be able to use it for more things (vinyl, plastisol transfers, inkjet transfers, sublimation, etc.) than a flash dryer.

If you already have both, I like curing with my flash rather than my heat press.

yes i have both , the problem i faced is that when doing several copies , it takes long time to pre-cure the ink under flash curer then press it . can i just use my flash cure for the same quality resulted from the press ?

if yes , what is the temp. and time required when using flash curer ? i am using 4 halogen lamp 1.2Kw each falsh curer .

 

[splathead]

yes i have both , the problem i faced is that when doing several copies , it takes long time to pre-cure the ink under flash curer then press it . can i just use my flash cure for the same quality resulted from the press ?

if yes , what is the temp. and time required when using flash curer ? i am using 4 halogen lamp 1.2Kw each falsh curer .

Yes, to me just using just the flash is so much better, and quicker. You eliminate the flat, sometimes shiny, look a press will give you.

If you don't have one, get a temperature gun. The ink needs to reach at least 320 degrees F under your flash. However long that takes is the time you should be using. For me it's about 30 seconds.

 

[smsqsms]

Yes, to me just using just the flash is so much better, and quicker. You eliminate the flat, sometimes shiny, look a press will give you.

If you don't have one, get a temperature gun. The ink needs to reach at least 320 degrees F under your flash. However long that takes is the time you should be using. For me it's about 30 seconds.

thanks a lot for your important notice , i will get the tem. gun . thanks man