[HyruleMaster89]

Need help with Emulsion Issues.

I'm at my wits end with this issue i am having with my current emulsion
after recently upgrading to a x factor vacuum form exposure unit from Ryonet i haven't been able to get to a good exposure time due my emulsion acting up.

I reclaimed & de-greased (3) 110 white mesh count screens & coated them with a new batch of RXP Dual cure emulsion with the diazo from ryonet this past Wednesday.
Each time i went to expose each of the newly coated screens with the calculator that ryonet provided me with plus a old piece of artwork,
the emulsion on the shirt side of the screen was slightly sticky to the touch after three days of drying.
Even more the emulsion would rip or tear the ink off the waterproof film after exposure and during the washout process the emulsion would washout like peeling paper.

ive never had this issue before in my experience as a printer

i've been trouble shooting this for 2 days now and my only 2 conclusions i can come to are

1# the emulsion is bad and i just need to order a new and different type
2# my darkroom needs some tweaking i.e humidity is to high

**Note** i have a dehumidifier running with good air flow through out my darkroom.


any help is appreciated

 

[hawaiianphatboy]

It sounds like your problem is that the emulsion is not drying. If you can fix the humidity, or and a little bit of heat to your drying cabinet, that would probably solve the problem. I dont usually use a dual cure emulsion, but are you sure it was mixed well? My understanding is that if the diazo is not added and mixed properly you would basically get a sticky goo covering your screens, and not one that will expose properly at all. Again, this is coming from someone that does not use a dual cure emulsion, so take that for what it is worth. I would never use a screen that was not completely dry before exposing it, one, because the emulsion will always stick to the positive, and two, because you need it dry before you can expose it to the UV. Good luck and Aloha.

 

[HyruleMaster89]

thanks for the reply turns out that you were right i called the company and i bought a new batch of emulsion that does not require the diazo to mix in