[Frienzy]

Hi all!
I would like to hear any reviews on Magna ULF discharge. I recently bought it and after some testing was very disappointed - results were not even close to those I get using formaldehyde versions of discharge. Discharging black T with clear base gives dark Warmgrey color and then we do the same print with same screen on same T with formaldehyde discharge clear base and result is almost clear light cotton color (a little of white). Is it just me or somebody else having this? I heard Themountain guys might be using Magna ULF but I just don't get it how would you come up with something on dark warmgrey underbase...

 

[NoXid]

I have not used that one, but have tried Virus discharge. It came out close to the same as ZFS, not quite as light, but close. One had a hint of tan, the other a hint of gray ... can't remember at this point which was which, as I don't use discharge anymore.

Anyway, I determined that ZFS worked best. AND that no matter the exact chemistry, none of the poop was good for you. There is NOTHING that can strip the dye out of fabric this safe to bathe in or breathe!

I own a few shirts from The Mountain, and it looks like they "bleach" areas of the shirt to suite the image that will be printed on it.

 

[Frienzy]

Themountain dye completely White shirts... apart from all major blank brands dye natural cotton (in best case scenario) so there is a difference in whiteness... so yeah material is one big factor - but here is something else with this Magna ULF discharge as results are compleatly different on same T-shirt.

 

[NoXid]

Themountain dye completely White shirts... apart from all major blank brands dye natural cotton (in best case scenario) so there is a difference in whiteness... so yeah material is one big factor - but here is something else with this Magna ULF discharge as results are compleatly different on same T-shirt.

Yeah, The Mountain goes all out to get the look they want

My real point was, why are you bothering with this non-ZFS discharge? What are you trying to achieve with it that ZFS is not doing for you already?

I tried Virus because the chemistry was different (so looking for "safer" less stinky ink) and because it was supposed to remain useable for a longer period of time after being mixed (else discharge wasn't going to be very practical to me).

There are a number of chemistries that have been used industrially for discharge processes. The reactions involved are similar, with stinky bi-products of an unhealthful nature once heat is applied--so no escaping that aspect. In terms of results, ZFS seems to work best, which I imagine is why it is the norm for screen printers.

 

[Frienzy]

Thing with ZFS discharge is that you have to wash the garment before wear - otherwise it will irritate the skin and smell bad on there - so for example if you are printing 500 t-shirts a day it means you have to own a little laundry in your shop The Magna ULF is formulated so it isn't necessary to wash the garments before wear because there is no formaldehyde in it... sounds very good right? Yeah that's what I thought so I tried it - but ran into issue mentioned above...

 

[NoXid]

Thing with ZFS discharge is that you have to wash the garment before wear - otherwise it will irritate the skin and smell bad on there - so for example if you are printing 500 t-shirts a day it means you have to own a little laundry in your shop The Magna ULF is formulated so it isn't necessary to wash the garments before wear because there is no formaldehyde in it... sounds very good right? Yeah that's what I thought so I tried it - but ran into issue mentioned above...

First of all, no one should wear a shirt, printed or not, without washing it first--ever. They all have a residue from the regular dyeing and manufacturing process, and a subtle chemical odor.

Second, there is no chemistry capable of striping dye from fabric that is safe to breathe or touch. None.

Some of the chemistries smell less strongly than ZFS, but that doesn't make them safer. Mostly it just means they contain less sulfur, which is responsible for the most offensive aspect of the ZFS odor (Zinc Formaldehyde Sulfoxylate ).

Note also, that some of the chemistries that do not contain Formaldehyde produce it during the curing process as part of the reaction. Being the simplest aldehyde, it is hard to avoid its production when doing reactions of this sort.

In any case, the stink is mostly sulfur, not Formaldehyde. The Zinc is probably the most toxic ingredient--there is an old thread on here where someone got heavy metal poisoning from it.

I looked into all the industrially used discharge chemistries some years ago. At root, they are similar and should be handled with the same precautions. Unfortunately there is no magical unicorn juice that discharges shirts and leaves your breath minty fresh