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how long does a screen coated with WBP Hybrid emulsion take to dry completely?

9K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Naptime 
#1 ·
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
 
#7 ·
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.
 
#10 ·
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
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#11 ·
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.
 
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