[tennisdesigner]

And how long does a screen with coated WBP Hybrid emulsion take to dry? Some say a few hours, and some say up to 10 hours. Which is it?
I have fans going, they are horizontal and it's about 70 degrees in that room.
And how would you know it is dry, should I scrape it with my finger nail to test it?

Do I need to refrigerate my mixed WBP Hybrid emulsion to get max shelf life?
Or just in a garage is good enough…but, my garage can get very warm though. Would the WBP emulsion have a longer shelf life in the refrigerator?

Thank you,
Gary

 

[amdivoff]

I've used them within 2 hours with no issues

 

[tennisdesigner]

Wow, just two hours!?
That's music to my ears.
I put on a medium coat, not real heavy, so that should help.

It's all experimental…that is what makes it so difficult.
I know, b/c there are so many variables.

Thanks for your quick reply!
Gary

 

[amdivoff]

Medium coat? Did you use the thin or thick side of the scoop coater? And how many passes?

 

[tennisdesigner]

I used the thicker rounded edge on the scooper.
One coat/pass on each side only.
Is that considered "medium" or …?

 

[amdivoff]

I did one pass thick side with a fan on three screens for a rush order last night. Dried and exposed inside of 3 hrs

 

[iSukGolf]

I guess I cheat and use a hair dryer effect ... I can dry a couple in about 30-45 minutes ... I have never tried to let them air dry. I do coating and exposing in my bathroom ... I just don't have the facilities for a long process. I need to put on my emulsion, dry, expose, and washout in an evening ... I do let the screen air dry over night before I print though.

Also remember I do small jobs, 2-4 screens is all I can do in a evening ...

If you got your emulsion from ryonet they recommend the cooler the better.

 

[tennisdesigner]

One pass ONLY?
I thought it's best to coat both sides of the screen for a more even coverage?
I did both sides, so will my screens take closer to 5-6 hours to dry?
How did you know it was totally dried?
By touch and the emulsion should not be shiny right?

 

[amdivoff]

I have done the dryer too and it worked. One pass on each side tennisdesigner is a must.

 

[StarDesigns]

I use the WBP from Ryonet. Yes, keeping it cool will extend its life after you add the diazo to it. I like to let my screens dry for 24 hours however, I usually end up coating in the evening and then using them the next morning. The humidity is the biggest factor that will effect your emulsion. It used to take what seemed like forever for newly coated screens to dry (when I was printing out of a basement) however, since moving to my new storefront I have a dedicated dark room. I keep the humidity at 30% or lower and use a small box fan to keep the air moving across the screens. The fan is attached to my drying rack. If I'm in a bind I can coat a screen, place it on the rack, and it will be useable in 1 1/2 to 2 hours.


Mitchell - Star Designs
Sent from my iPhone using TShirtForums app

 

[Naptime]

no one can say for sure how long YOUR screens will take to "dry" because it's atmosphere dependant.

when people talk about a screen being dry, the correct term would be dehydrated. a "dry" screen, is one in which all the water has evaporated from the emulsion. the more the better.

a correct way of drying screens, is in a dehumidified cabinet.

that can be a room or cabinet, with a dehumidifier. my screens "dry" in 30 minutes. my cabinet holds 30 screens.

it's nothing fancy. it's a large kitchen pantry i picked up at habitat for humanity for 20 bucks. and a dehumidifier i picked up for 15 bucks. a few 1x2's and some brads, and I had my 30 screen cabinet.

before that, I used a large cardboard box, with a small space heater.

be careful with the space heater. SOME emulsions CAN expose with too much heat.

if you are in humid weather, it'll take longer. dryer air, screens will dry out faster.

heater, even faster.

dehumidifer, even faster.



storage.. i learned a long time ago from someone else to store my emulsion in the fridge.

i mix it, and stick it in the fridge. when I'm coating, I pull it from the fridge, pour into my scoop coater, and back into the fridge.

I've heard of some pulling it out and letting it sit to get to room temp first. i don't believe that's necessary. I haven't done it in three years.

We flip about 30 screens a day, so my emulsion doesnt last a long time anyway. however, for my first year, sometimes a gallon would last me 3-4 months. always stored in the fridge, and we've never had an exposure problem.