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Flash Dryer - The Purpose

1516 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  tpitman, 
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Hi All
I am totally new to screen printing and i concentrate on plastisol printing only (atleast for now) also so far i have been printing one color prints on tshirts, haven`t still moved onto doing two color.

my question is if i am using plastisol to print t-shirts...
- is it a must to have a flash dryer?
- if so what is the purpose of a flash dryer?
- what is the next best/cheap alternative?

This may sound silly but I am seriously clueless on why a flash dryer is used and i am starting off with a very low budget and i don`t want to invest on something that will not serve its purpose or highly important at my current stage. do appreciate your feedback.
TIA :)
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pukingdeserthobo
a flash dryer is used when doing more then on color prints,
u can use a heat gun but takes to much time and time is money
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWlDRoXc1Q[/media]
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B
Yeah I pretty much had the same questions. Thanks for the great video. Was extremely helpful.

-Andrew
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T
A flash is also used to "flash" an underbase print. OR maybe even to cook a frozen pizza!! :D
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This may sound kinda stupid but, how long does it take to apply a second color without a flash dryer, is it not durable?
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prem52k said:
This may sound kinda stupid but, how long does it take to apply a second color without a flash dryer, is it not durable?
Click to expand...
You can print wet on wet if the multiple colors don't touch. If the colors do touch, you will want to flash each color so that the ink does not bleed.

You do not need a flash if you plan to print wet on wet.
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pukingdeserthobo
prem52k said:
This may sound kinda stupid but, how long does it take to apply a second color without a flash dryer, is it not durable?
Click to expand...
you wont be able to print a second color if the to are touching, unless the pints are not touching each other. like i said u can use a heat gun but i would just go with a flash. do u have a conveyor dryer? how do u or how do u plan on curing the ink on the shirts?
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Thanks for the input guys, i think i got it now, please correct me if i am wrong.

Initially i am having two stencils one for the fill and the other for the outline and both these colors do not touch one another, so in that case i can use the wet on wet method - right? because neither of the stencil ink touch the other even while the ink is wet.

if i am applying two coats (i will have two of the same stencils for two different colors) for the same artwork then it is feasible only i flash dry them so that the base ink is dry enough (but not completely dried) for the second color application - yeah?

I hope i am right..

I am still in the infant stages of screen printing and investing on a flash dryer is way beyond my budget. that is the reason i want to find the next best alternative on this. but if things work out well i will get a flash dryer my self.

one more question for the people who use flash dryers? how is the power consumption when you are using the flash dryer, does it take out a lot? do flash dryers come only electricity powered or do they have fuel / gas based flash dryers? if they do which is more cost friendly?
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pukingdeserthobo
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF4F0RpACCg[/media]
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tpitman
In addition to colors that touch, if you plan on doing any dark garments, you'll need the flash to set the ink used for the underbase.

If you don't have a conveyor dryer, a flash dryer can be used to cure the ink. For people starting out on a shoestring, a flash dryer is almost a necessity, and one you'll need in the future. It's never money wasted. The only real variable is to get the biggest one you can afford. Look around for a used one. My first one was a used 16x16 piece of sh!t on a homemade stand, but I printed and cured over 1100 shirts on my first order. Paid for that sucker and the press to boot.

I know people will try to get by with a heat gun, but to get any kind of reliable cure with one is next to impossible, and will take forever.
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