[ChadAGG]

I was wondering if any of you are having luck with multiple colors, plastisol ink, and foil.

I have been attempting this with unpredictable results. If you are doing this with success I have a few questions:

-What foil resist are you using?
-What is temperature is your heat press set at?
-How much pressure are you using?
-Are you having success with keeping foil off of white ink?
-How much resist are you mixing in your ink?
-How long are you heating the foil?
-Are you using a foil adhesive or just a normal color for the foil?

I am sure I am forgetting something, but hopefully this will be enough to get me going down the right road. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Fauxfax]

Chad, I've been doing a bit of experimenting with foil plus multi colour printing recently. I even went so far as to build a free standing heat press on wheels to use with the carousel. I think the answer might just be in correct mixing of the foil resist with the plastisol.
Try this experiment - take a sample of your ink and mix in 15% of the foil resist. Now mix it until your wrist has a repetetive strain injury. Print it onto a sample and heat press it. The ones I've done so far don't stick. I'm still playing with it. Hope that helps. Bruce.

 

[ChadAGG]

Bruce, what temperature and time are you pressing yours at? Have you had good success with white inks? Thanks for the reply!

 

[Fauxfax]

Chad, I've been doing lots of tests - but I'm fast running out of time. The temperature of the press varied from 120degC to 160degC and it didn't make any difference. When I left the post I had just mixed a fresh sample of Wilflex MX blue plastisol with 15% resist. The foil didn't look near it. It was absolutely clear. I was so delighted that I left the post to you. Since then my experiments have not been so successful. I'm wondering though if the samples of inks I've been using are too thick, the one I did that didn't stick, I screenprinted; the rest I have just scraped on with a spatula. I have time to do one more screenprinted sample tomorrow then I have to go to work and I'll be unable to get near it for a couple of weeks.
I'm hoping that vigorous mixing of 15% along with a screenprinted sample will replicate the original success. They have mostly (95%) worked but the fails have a few bits of foil sticking. They are all currently in the washing machine. I must have used 50 samples today. I also use a control smear of plastisol which has 100% foil-stick in every case. Bruce.

 

[Fauxfax]

Chad, I had time to do one more experiment. I used Wilflex 10080FRA EC Foil Resist Additive at 15% and mixed well with Wilflex 11888MX White. On two out of three of the samples the foil was visible in one or two places but rubbed off with a bit of cloth. On the third I let it cool before peeling and no foil attached. The heat press was at 160degC for 18 seconds.
From the experiments last night: Lower temperatures and the foil will not permanently attach to any plastisol - even without foil resist in it. In the wash it all came out. On the samples with 15% foil resist where the foil had attached - it also all came off in the wash.
The foil stuck less when the ink was thinner (printed as opposed to smeared on). I think the foil is not sticking, it is sort of lying on top of the plastisol.
I'm personally only interested in the not-sticking part as I use a foil adhesive where I want the foil to stay put. The foil binds very well with that and the only time I've seen it come off is when we added 'Oxy' to the wash where the foil then disintegrated.
I can't do any more practical for a while as I have to got to work for a couple of weeks but I'll be at my PC so if you come up with any revelations (or if anyone else does) please post it. I'll maybe contact Wilflex and ask them their opinion. Bruce.

 

[ChadAGG]

So far my best prints have came with 300F at 20 seconds. This is nowhere near perfect though. I also believe that I am using a lot more foil resist than 15 percent. My only issue with this is that there seems to be a certain point where the ink/resist will not cure out properly. I do plan on doing some printing with it tomorrow. I didn't think about washing it. If I could wash it out that might not be to bad. If I come up with anything tomorrow I will let you know.

 

[Fauxfax]

Chad, I'm now away at work but I'll follow this thread and see if you come up with anything. Did you note what I said about letting it go cold before you peel? That seemed to help a lot. The problem with adding too much foil resist is that the ink might wash out the shirt.
I emailed my ink supplier yesterday but they haven't got back to me yet. If they could even give the direct contact details of the ink manufacturer I could speak to them directly. My ink supplier (UK) are very good so they might be some help.
I also did some prints with silver glitter ink which looked very good and I have some silver ink but haven't tried it out yet.

 

[ErinAllen]

Hi Guys!!

I have a couple suggestions for use with Wilflex Foil Resist Additive. 1st off, I have attached the PIB, which gives print parameters, tips and recommendations.

The Foil Resist additive should be mixed into standard inks like MX, GNS, and colors made from mixing systems at 10% by weight. We do not recommend adding any more then 10% by weight as it starts to effect wash fastness. we also do not recommend use with White as the White has a lot of fillers and really likes to adhere foil. It is actually a great Foil Adhesive.

Foil Resist additive is definitely effected by heat. So it is best if you can print the inks that you are adding the FRA to last. Print your Foil adhesive, flash, then print your colors and cure. Make sure that you are not over curing as the FRA additive will "gas" (may not be true tirm, but way I think about it) out of the ink before the time of foil application. I think of FRA gassing out and becoming a barrier to the foil when it sees heat.

At the time of foil application make sure that you are using a combination close to 5 seconds, 40 lbs or medium pressure and 375 F in the heat press.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions on Wilflex inks.

Erin