[michy]

Tonight I was doing a small order of t's. the screen i was using is a bit old, maybe 3-4 yrs. i have used it many times before.
i was removing some ink from the screen using the same small plastic tool i always use, and the screen ripped.
of course when i tried to wash off the ink, it ripped more.
now, i'm just wondering, is this something that happens with the age of the screens?

 

[Solmu]

Basically, yes. I've used 10+ year old screens without a problem, and seen new screens ripped by carelessness (not my own fortunately ). I've ripped a couple of screens myself; usually by catching a small tear or hole with the pressure washer.

It happens.

There are factors - age, care, emulsion buildup, how tightly stretched the screen is, etc. The older a screen is the more likely it is to reach the end of its useful life, but there's no guaranteed limit to shelf-life. It will depend on both the screen and what you want to use it for.

But tears happen. If you've got a reasonable amount of use from it, don't sweat it. Just chuck it in the pile for re-meshing and move on to the next one.

 

[LFI Grafix]

I agree with the first responder about the use of the screen affecting the life of the mesh. Just wanted to share my experience - the first time I used haze remover on a screen I left it on too long and that weakened the mesh, causing it to tear.