[scrible1980]

Hello,
I had my first go with water based inks today and i am really happy with the results - the print looks and feels great! I have encountered the inks drying in the screen, which is proving very difficult to remove. Can anyone recommend a method of removing the dry ink from my screen without having to fully reclaim it as i would like to use the screen again? Many thanks in advance.

 

[splathead]

There are screen openers/cleaners for waterbased inks Water Based Screen Opener and Cleaner For WB Inks.

 

[corradomatt]

You can usually use a standard screen opener to unclog a dried screen. There are also water based ink screen openers on the market too.

 

[scrible1980]

Thanks for the advice,
I am having problems with the stencil breaking down after i have removed inks from my screens. Do you know how i could prevent this from happening, i have read that you can stick screens in exposure unit after you have exposed image and washed emulsion off - does this make the stencil stronger?

 

[maneverfix]

yes, that makes screens harder and difficult to reclaim afterwards, for dried inks, first thing with waterbased inks is never let them dry in screens, clean them as soon as work is done, if you can't clean them at all, you can try removing it with them help of cycloheaxanone( not enviorenment friendly)

 

[splathead]

Are you using water resistant emulsion? waterbased ink takes a different emulsion than plastisol.

 

[scrible1980]

good thought, i'm using Folex DC240 and i'm sure that water based inks can be used on with it. To be honest, i've been having the same problem with plastisols. I spoke to my supplier yesterday and explained the situation to them. I am only putting one coat of emulsion on each side, perhaps this is the problem (although it shouldn't be). My next thought was that i may not be exposing my images for long enough, but the stencil does not break down after i have exposed and washed excess emulsion off, it only breaks down after i have printed and when i am removing ink.
ohhhh i don't know??????

 

[Timofei]

Thanks for the advice,
I am having problems with the stencil breaking down after i have removed inks from my screens. Do you know how i could prevent this from happening, i have read that you can stick screens in exposure unit after you have exposed image and washed emulsion off - does this make the stencil stronger?

Did you try a hardening agent?

 

[Unik Ink]

I re expose my screens after washout as well as use a hardening spray for long runs with wb ink. I also use a water based emulsion. I still wouldn't try to use them for reorders though. I find that after 4-5 hours of exposure to water based ink, the screen starts to deteriorate.

 

[kandied91z]

I re expose my screens after washout as well as use a hardening spray for long runs with wb ink. I also use a water based emulsion. I still wouldn't try to use them for reorders though. I find that after 4-5 hours of exposure to water based ink, the screen starts to deteriorate.

wow i feel blessed i have a few test screens that i use before sending out a design just using some standard color triangle ink and i've had the same ink on the screen for almost a year and the prints look and work the same as my outsourced material.

i've been trying to find out the advantages to the different inks so i'd like to also know an answer to your problem.

 

[Unik Ink]

wow i feel blessed i have a few test screens that i use before sending out a design just using some standard color triangle ink and i've had the same ink on the screen for almost a year and the prints look and work the same as my outsourced material.

i've been trying to find out the advantages to the different inks so i'd like to also know an answer to your problem.

Are you talking about plastisol or water based inks? Plastisol can sit on a screen without messing it up, wasterbased ink breaks down the emulsion. Some emulsions are more resistant than others, but they all break down with water.

 

[adawg2252]

Like was said above, you need a water-resistant emulsion. Most have SOME resistancy, but there are ones specially made for water-based inks. Ulano TZ and Ulano 925WR are made for water based inks.

I got really confused by your explanations so I'm just going off what I think you're saying.

If you underexpose the screen, and then print ink into it...you've just meshed ink with emulsion and it's probably not going to come out easily, if at all. When the emulsion is over exposed, it can just be too "locked in" and require much harsher chemicals (haze removers) to remove them.

Waterbased ink evaporates when it sits in the screen for too long. It's best to keep a spray bottle of water nearby and a can of waterbased screen opener close at hand to keep the screen from clogging up. Once you are done printing for a certain amount of time (I clean up after 10 minutes) scrape all the excess ink off the screen and put it back into the container, cap the container and then spray the screen with the screen opener. If you're only going to be gone for a minute or two, spray a few sprays of water into the ink to keep it moist.

Usually when waterbased inks completely dry inside the screen, it hardens to the emulsion which makes it extremely difficult to remove. The haze removers I mentioned above might not even be able to break it down, and are hazmat products that should only be used in the proper washout sinks with recirculating tanks as to not put it down the drain.

You should check with the manufacturer of emulsion you use to see if they have a more water resistant emulsion than what you're using. I know Ulano has a few standard emulsions that you can add a Diazo to that will increase water resistancy. You can also use a Hardener as mentioned already or re-expose the screen too.

I also recommend finding proper exposure times based on the emulsion you are using and the exposure unit you have. The best emulsion in the world won't work if it isn't exposed right.

Good luck!