[seyah4567]

Hi there ...

This is my first time posting, although I have found quite a lot of helpful information on this forum.

I have an ANCIENT Screenprinting system (anybody remember Universal?) with just a flash unit. Anyway, I don't do a huge amount of screening ... I mainly print stuff up for my daughter and her dance studio.

Everything usually runs pretty smoothly, but I run into problems with ink not curing totally and washing out. I've seen some of the discussions about Laser Thermometers, but then I searched online and found a supplier that also carries (and seems to prefer) a Digital Pyrometer & Surface Probe. It sounds like the Probe is more suitable for a Heat Press, but I thought I would ask for an opinion on here before I purchase either one. (I've also had great success using the Thermo-Tel Heat Sensitive Strips, but I'd like to find something that I can buy once, as opposed to the strips that can't be re-used.)

Thank you, so much, for any help you can provide.

 

[splathead]

While a probe is great for testing the temperature of a heat press, it is not feasible to use for silkscreening.

To get a reading with a probe, you have to make physical contact with the surface you are testing:

#1, you don"t want to make a habit of sticking your hand underneath a flash dryer.

And #2, you don't want to stick an expensive probe on plastisol ink that may not be cured yet. It's not good for the probe or the garment.

Stick with the laser thermometer. It quicker, and won't scorch your hands.

 

[DAGuide]

Joe is dead on! Laser gun for screen printing. Temperature strips or surface probes for heat press.