Hi I am using speed ball diazo photo emulsion I let the screen dry for about 12 hours the I use a light with a bba #1 flood bulb at a foot distance I've exposed it for ten and five minutes with the same result image does not fully come off if at all after washing for over half an hour please help.
Photo emulsion is not coming off after exposing
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Hey there. So a couple of questions. 1st) Are you mixing the Diazo emulsion with Diazo Sensitizer? I looked up your product and if it's the same as what I found, you need two (2) 1/2 oz bottles of sensitizer in order to get the emulsion to work. The sensitizer is what makes the emulsion light sensitive. If you are mixing the sensitizer in, my second question is, are you mixing the sensitizer in a UV light safe room? If you are mixing this stuff in your kitchen, you've exposed the emulsion/sensitizer as soon as you opened the bottle and it won't work. You need to do the mixing in a room protected from the light. I always prep my screens under yellow lights to protect the emulsion from being exposed and then rendered useless. Now, if you are mixing the emulsion/sensitizer in a light safe room, then my next question would be, what are you using to create your image on the screen. You may be overexposing your screen. One thing is for sure. You have exposed the emulsion to too much light and it's curing on the screen and that's why it's not washing out. The only problem is finding out where the exposure is taking place.
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Where are you letting your coated screens dry?
If the coated screens stay warm for a long time they won't expose correctly.
If there is any light in the room where the coated screens are drying, they won't expose correctly. You can have the lights on while your coating the screens, but they need to be in the dark while they are drying. Even a tiny bit of light for the 12 hours you are letting them dry is still 12 hours of light on the screen.
If your art is not a real good solid black, you are going to have a hard time getting your exposure correct. Too little exposure and your art won't hold in the screen, too much exposure and a weak original will over expose and you won't be able to wash out. Try printing two transparencies and taping them together to get a darker original.
The Speedball is very 'durable' meaning you don't have to be hyper-vigilant about casual light exposure to your emulsion or coated screens. Keep the emulsion in a cool dark place for storage. Keep your coated screens in the dark while they are drying. Don't take anything outside in direct sunlight. Minimize all other sources of light to the emulsion as much as possible. If you can, get a yellow bug-light from your local hardware and use that in whatever room you are working in for your dark room.
And to give you at least a bit of a target.... for speedball emulsion I use a 250 watt photoflood in a reflector at about 15 inches for about 8 minutes. I use a black cloth underneath my screen and a piece of regular window pane glass (no uv coating) to keep the art against the screen. After exposure, wet the screen on both sides, let it sit for a minute or three, start with a light pressure from your hose until you see the art opening, then step up to a medium pressure working in circles until your entire image is open.
Let us know what you figure out.
If the coated screens stay warm for a long time they won't expose correctly.
If there is any light in the room where the coated screens are drying, they won't expose correctly. You can have the lights on while your coating the screens, but they need to be in the dark while they are drying. Even a tiny bit of light for the 12 hours you are letting them dry is still 12 hours of light on the screen.
If your art is not a real good solid black, you are going to have a hard time getting your exposure correct. Too little exposure and your art won't hold in the screen, too much exposure and a weak original will over expose and you won't be able to wash out. Try printing two transparencies and taping them together to get a darker original.
The Speedball is very 'durable' meaning you don't have to be hyper-vigilant about casual light exposure to your emulsion or coated screens. Keep the emulsion in a cool dark place for storage. Keep your coated screens in the dark while they are drying. Don't take anything outside in direct sunlight. Minimize all other sources of light to the emulsion as much as possible. If you can, get a yellow bug-light from your local hardware and use that in whatever room you are working in for your dark room.
And to give you at least a bit of a target.... for speedball emulsion I use a 250 watt photoflood in a reflector at about 15 inches for about 8 minutes. I use a black cloth underneath my screen and a piece of regular window pane glass (no uv coating) to keep the art against the screen. After exposure, wet the screen on both sides, let it sit for a minute or three, start with a light pressure from your hose until you see the art opening, then step up to a medium pressure working in circles until your entire image is open.
Let us know what you figure out.
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The harder it is to blast emulsion out after exposing, the more over exposed it is. If emulsion comes out too easily, it's under-exposed
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I am also having issues with washout. Is it ok or not ok to put in dryer after emulsion is put on? My first attempt all my fine detailed washed out. 2nd attempt with higher exposure time nothing is washing out.
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to cut threw all the headache go out and buy a exposure unit that the company can tell you exposure times. All the guessing will either make u quit or waste money trying to get the exposure times .. Trust me I been there used a whole gallon trying to get times. Got them then months later at it again .. Went and brought a metal halide unit and very happy .
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