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How to Make your own Plastisol Transfers

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#61 ·
Hi,
just a few tips, instead of printing onto platen, as in first post, tape a piece of acetate or clear film onto platen along top edge so it is hinged by the tape. Pull a Print onto this film, and slide your transfer paper under film and into position. Use taped on tabs of card for register guides. This allows accurate register on multicolour jobs to be accomplished and is more forgiving of irregularities on the edge of transfer paper, I frequently produce four colour process decals in this way. Remove acetate once position is ascertained. Repeat for subsequent colours with a clean acetate(film), pull a print onto acetate and sliding previously printed transfer sheet under film manouever it into position. This is made easier if a rule is taped to transfer sheet to manouever it into position under the film without having to lift the film. This method is common practice for setup on a screen printing hand table and allows setup with minimal waste. Also when Using plastisol, the film is easily cleaned of with white spirit (MINERAL SPIRIT)for re use.
A cheaper alternative to a tunnel dryer is a thermography machine, frequently seen on ebay not attracting much interest, which is effectively a small flash dryer over a metal wire conveyor. I use an old adana version for precisely this purpose and it works very well. This provides a much more uniform heat than a heat gun and reduces risk of scorching sheet.
Printed transfers can be stored, or shipped, interleaved with kitchen grease proof paper, or waxed paper.
Finally a cheap vacuum base can be made by affixing a melamine board onto an old aluminium screen frame front and back, with mastic. Place a piece of graph paper onto top board for drilling template and drill through with .3mm or .5mm drill. Use an old cylinder vacuum cleaner as vacuum pump, with a simple slide valve arrangement underneath, to allow vacuum to be released between prints. I can post pictures or plans of this home made arrangement, (my decal table), if anyone is interested.
Hope this helps.
 
#62 ·
Hi does anyone use a temp gun to cure plastisols? Just curious because say if you cure to 350 then maybe it would stand to reason that for transfers you would let it hit 175 or something for this? Also only union ultra softs? Nothing else works right????
And do you put the powder on the paper then print or on the print to go between it and the fabric? I was thinking aboiut doing this for hats and maybe brand size labels, so would it be a good idea to print 10 or 20 at a time? I know this is a really old thread but I need to revive it...need info!

Thanks in advance!
 
#65 ·
I am having trouble with this. I am doing some test prints to try and figure this out. I have a screen with 156 mesh, international coatings plastisol. I printed on hot peel transfer paper. Flashed it for a few seconds, then added adhesive powder, then pressed at 350 for 10 seconds. The ink is sticking to the paper too much. I tried it at 15 seconds and still the same thing. I pull up on the heat press and try to pull it right away. Some of the plastisol goes on the shirt and some sticks on the paper. Any ideas???
 
#66 ·
Got it working. I was using the inkjet transfer paper we had and not the plastisol premium stuff.

One question

I tried it without flashing before pressing and it worked fine. Is there a need to do the quick flash if you are going to be pressing immediately? Reason we are doing it instead of directly on the garment is we are adding some text to a shirt that we already printed. So we want to line them all up so there is no variation.
 
#67 ·
Read through this thread but did not see anything about separating colors for plastisol transfers? With screen printing, obviously each color requires its own screen. Does plastisol transfers work in the same manner or can all colors be printed onto one transfer from a single screen?
 
#68 ·
puzzleswithout said:
Read through this thread but did not see anything about separating colors for plastisol transfers? With screen printing, obviously each color requires its own screen. Does plastisol transfers work in the same manner or can all colors be printed onto one transfer from a single screen?
Click to expand...
All other normal screen printing rules apply. You need a separate screen for each color.
 
#69 ·
naqa23 said:
I was wondering if you could use a heat press to cure plastisol transfers. I have a Geo Knight Swing press and it would be the same distance as a flash dryer. Thanks
Click to expand...
I've wondered about this also. I remember reading an article (maybe by Scott Fresener?) talking about possibly using a heat press to gel the transfer. I'd like to give it a try, but I haven't had the time yet. Anyone else try this?

Also, what does the adhesive powder do? I use Union Ultra Soft plastisol ink. I also purchased some of the transfer paper that Valley Litho sells. Would I still need the adhesive powder?
 
#70 ·
aplusbowling said:
I've wondered about this also. I remember reading an article (maybe by Scott Fresener?) talking about possibly using a heat press to gel the transfer. I'd like to give it a try, but I haven't had the time yet. Anyone else try this?

Also, what does the adhesive powder do? I use Union Ultra Soft plastisol ink. I also purchased some of the transfer paper that Valley Litho sells. Would I still need the adhesive powder?
Click to expand...

Yes Adhesive powder is needed.
 
#72 ·
I have also had luck without adhesive powder. I have gotten a lot of random information on adhesive powder - use if for this ink but not that, with this paper but not that one, only for cold peel...but at the end of the day, it cannot HURT your transfers as far as I can tell and I always prefer to err on the side of caution, so I use it for all of them now and have had great results. It's relatively inexpensive and lasts a long time, so why not?
 
#73 ·
Yes, but it is also nice to know why. In general, erring on the side of caution is prudent. But if we understand the main reason and under what circumstances the adhesive can be done without then that would be nice. Like some people using dye inks on JPSS transfers but not others. And one screen less would be better for productivity first and cost maybe only second. No matter how small it is a penny saved is a penny earned. That is if we can really do without the adhesive and not just being reckless about it.

I do understand that the adhesive is to help the ink adhere to the fabric better. I do understand it much better for waterbased transfers. I am still pretty much playing around with plastisol transfers and if I go commercial right now, I would also like to err on the side of caution. But I am itching to know if it is something that can be done without with plastisol.
 
#75 ·
pbj said:
Okay, one thing I haven't seen and no one I've asked has answered, what is the step-by-step, cook book recipe method for printing multicolor transfers. Even in this article Printing Plastisol Transfers, there's not a print the first color, flash, print the second color, etc...
Click to expand...
You do need to semi-cure (flash in your case) each color separately. You also want to flash heat the paper prior to printing the first color. Paper shrinks when heated and if you don't do this your colors won't line up.
 
#76 ·
splathead said:
You do need to semi-cure (flash in your case) each color separately. You also want to flash heat the paper prior to printing the first color. Paper shrinks when heated and if you don't do this your colors won't line up.
Click to expand...
:)
So basically, I would print, flash, print, sprinkle cure for a two color transfer?

Preheat my paper to maintain a semblance of registration.

Anything else?
 
#77 ·
Could someone please help me with these answers...


1) At what temperature and pressure do you gel-cure the transfer on a heat press and for about how long...?

2) With a heat press- do you want the upper platen to touch the transfer when gel-curing or do you want to have a distance from the upper platen and the transfer sheet.

3) How many passes with the emulsion do I do and what side of the coater do I use... SHARP or Round, 1 and 1 or 2 and 2 passes.


When I am doing this, not all of the ink is leaving the transfer sheet. I have a 1 pass/1pass 156 mesh with Union ultrasoft ink. I gel-cure with adhesion powder at 220 F for 8 seconds (it peels off in one piece if I try to pull it off the paper). Then I press onto garment at 355 for 10 seconds.

This should be simple...what am I doing wrong..

Please email me at jonathanwaldmann@gmail.com if you think you can help me because I really need some help.
 
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