My initial reaction is, not enough even pressure across the squeegee.

Things I would do:

1. Reduce the screen size to the 145 - 160 range
2. Make sure my squeegee is angled about 15˚. Too much and you lose control.
3. Spread your hands out evenly and think about an even pressure when you are stroking the squeegee.
4. Make sure the squeegee isn't cracked on either end. If it's new, it wouldn't be, if it's several years old, it could be.


UPDATE:

Sorry, I misread, you said after one wash, I was thinking it was in the print. Then it's in the cure. I would check to see if you are getting even heat on your flash. If you do not have a temperature gun, oftentimes, when the ink starts to smoke it's cured. But it does look like uneven heat. If at all possible, I would invest in a conveyer dryer or a separate flash away from your press for curing. The heat in the flash warms up the platens and will cause your ink to gel in the screens. This will cause a lot of problems. Not only that, it will warp your platens and cause registration issues.

 

Sorry, I misread, you said after one wash, I was thinking it was in the print. Then it's in the cure. I would check to see if you are getting even heat on your flash. If you do not have a temperature gun, oftentimes, when the ink starts to smoke it's cured. But it does look like uneven heat. If at all possible, I would invest in a conveyer dryer or a separate flash away from your press for curing. The heat in the flash warms up the platens and will cause your ink to gel in the screens. This will cause a lot of problems. Not only that, it will warp your platens and cause registration issues.

I agree with this response. It is definitely in the cure. It is imperative that the entire ink film reaches a full cure. Most plastisol inks need to reach 320 F.

 

I agree it's the cure. are you using a flash cure station to do the final cure? from what i read i believe so and this means you are probably not getting even temperatures over the whole print. that could be the issue

 

I'm sorry. I forgot to tell everybody that I'm printing from home. I rent a small garage and am FAR from professional.

I will say that a lot of my images are 15x15 inches and my dryer is 16x16. So I assume that I'm just not covering the area properly.

Also, there is NO way I'm buying a belt. It's WAY beyond my budget and I'm still a beginner. I'm wondering if I should purchase a bigger flash dryer.

 

i understand your situation. i have no experience curing with a flash unit. i think the issue is the edges aren't getting enough heat, maybe moving the print around under the flash unit while curing will help.

hopefully someone with experience curing using a flash unit will chime in.

if space is the reason you don't want a curing oven, you should be aware they do make small ones. Tunnel Dryers ~ Textile Conveyor Dryers ~ Drying Ovens

 

I have been lucky enough to always have a conveyor dryer, but I would advise that if you have a 15x15 image, I'd think even an 18x18 flash might be cutting it close on curing. I know when I"m warming stuff up, its always the edges that stay tacky.

Also, FYI, it may be the shirt/mill oil/sizing stinking, the plastisol could still be under-cured. If you're set on big designs you could try heating it up for 25 seconds, take it off for 5, put it back on for 10, etc etc.

 

Until you're able to get a larger flash (or dryer) a work-around is to cure the print in sections. Understand that the edges of the flash will not get as hot as the center and keep adjusting your print under your flash so all areas get centered and cured.

 

your flash dryer/ heating element may say 15x15 but when it is placed inside the unit/box it is held in by a beveled edge. around a 1/4 all around so making your 15x15 about 14.5 instead.

 

It is definitely a cure issues. Try putting some reducer in Ryonet white, that ink tend to bee a bit too thick. Also, make sure you stir the ink a lot before printing. That will help with passing through the mesh.
Also, try to keep the ink in the shirt, do not push it all the way through the shirt so you see the ink on the pallet.
Go down a ste or two on the mesh, try 156 mesh, I think that 110 leaves too much ink and it feels very heavy on the shirt.
Look for an used conveyor too.

Good luck.

 

You have,several issues you need to address.
You don't need to use a 200 mesh count,
Not for that design and not for white.
Ryonet white needs to be stired really well , until it gets creamy.
Try a 110 mesh or even a 156
Usually 110 will lay more ink , 156 will lay less ink.
If you want an opaque 1 hit white use the 110.
Coat your screens using 2 coats on 1 side and 1 coat on the other.
Dry the screen laying flat.
Put something under the edges, the screen needs to dry laying flat with the bottmside
Being the side that will touch the shirt. This will make your ink well thick and you will have a great stencil.
When you go to the press , make sure you have about 1/16in is off contact.
You can use a quarter for this if need be.
Now technique comes to play. You can t. Print white without good technique.
I push white, its easier for me and less hand stress. You don't have to push hard.
Get a good flood. You want to use the edge of the blade . Id say about a 80 degree angle.
When you flood you should here the screen give a squeal sound.
The screen should now be mostly free of ink, but your ink well will be full.
Lay the screen flat , use the push technique , place a little ink in front of the squeegee an push it a c
Cross the screen with your hand spread out and blade at and angle. Only using the edge of the blade.don't push hard.make a smooth steady sweep. The screen should be clear you will see no ink in the ink well. If not check the off contact and your technique.
1 pass even on black. There should be videos on YouTube of people printing white.
Check them out.
It looks line your stacking ink on top of ink . Makes it hard to cure with a flash.
Make sure print is under the flash completely. If you have a heat gun check the temp around the edges to make sure its cured 320degrees. But if the ink is too thick you get a reading if 300 ,but the ink on the bottom isn't cured . Do a stretch test afterwards. You'll make a lot of money printing white. So practice a lot. When you get frustrated, back away . And try. back
it later. I'm sure you'll be great in no time. Don't give up , we all have been there. The better you get , the more confidence you'll have. And,then you can charge whY you want, and people will pay for it.
I get so much business by referral, I have to walk away from a lot if jobs. You will too. Good luck

 

You don't need a conveyor, until you can afford one . I did thousands of shirts with a flash before I got a conveyor, you just need to print smaller than the f
lash or Move the prints around under the flash. Don't push sol
o hard

 

sorry to piggyback on this post, but i'm having the same a similar problem with some white ink myself, but during printing. any input on how to avoid it? im printing on 100% cotton shirts, using 125 mesh on a new screen, with a sturdy squeege, and put reducer in the ink already. i tried applying multiple coats helping to fill it in, but then the shirt starts sticking to the screen and it gets worse. same look as above, close to the edges, but not as intense as that photo up there.. planning on trying again today with a 60 mesh screen, and hopefully that will let us get away with a print/flash/print to get the solid white block we're shooting for. i'm hoping that will fix the issue, but if anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated!

here's a photo too...

 

Check your off-contact.
Maybe a bit less reducer, all you need is 3-5%, maybe 10% at the most.
Try lower duro squeegee (softer) or triple duro like 60/90/60.
Do not push too hard, and make sure that your screen does not move while printing (if your tension is low the mesh will sag and/or move under the squeegee).

 

looks like the design is as large as the flash...
if your flash is 16x16 i wouldn't make the design larger than 14x14 just to be safe.. I just upgraded to an 18x18 so now I'm starting to do designs around the 15 to 16inch mark.

 

I use a heat press i bought off e bay to cure my shirts it a cheap CHINA PIECE OF CRAP, A 16 X 24 and i have to use a heat gun to get the right temp the setting and the actual temp are 50 degrees apart but with my heat gun i get the temp about 325 and then press for 40 seconds and my shirts...SEEM TO PASS THE STREACH TEST. im a NEW printer too

hope this helps..

 

Ok, a flash unit should be that but I understand. I started the same way. But here is a solution to curing your ink. What I did when I started out was we went to garage sales and bought a regular household oven. if you do this you will want to buy one of those digital thermometers to keep track of the heat in the oven. Is it a little slow, yes. but we flash after the last color and can put them in after all are printed if needed. A couple of more months and we will get a conveyor dryer and put the oven in storage, never know might have to use it again in a pinch. Have the oven set at 450 timer at 1 min 10 sec.

 

Your shirts are not being cured.