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sirris — Screen Printing Shirts 4
Published: 2007-06-09 23:26:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 1719; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 49
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Screen Printing Shirts Tutorial Part 4 of 4This is the updated version of my older tutorial. I've changed a lot of what I do and wanted to do a new tutorial to reflect those changes. I also saw an opportunity to be more detailed than before.
I hope I pulled it off.
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Comments: 17
is the process of putting emulsion then drying it should always be continued with exposing the image..or you just can leave it for a day..
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I prefer to leave the emulsion to cure over night before using it. But, once it's cured, you can keep it a dark place for quite a bit of time before having to expose it. I'm not sure exactly how long you can leave it but I've personally left a screen with unexposed emulsion on it for about a week before exposing it. I hope that helps, if not let me know and I'll try to clarify.
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thanks alot...
does it have a exposure time?(screen graphpic exposure)
or should i just try the trial and error method?
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If you check this tutorial I put together a while back, it should help you figure out exposure times pretty easily.
LINK
Let me know if you have any problems.
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ahhh..
i got that..
what ink is best for use?
is it the water soluble one?
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I use water-based inks. For me they're good; non-toxic, easy cleanup, pretty good results, no need for an oven/UV cure.
I've generally used SpeedBall because it was available and it's worked OK for me. I've been trying out PermaSet now. It's a bit more expensive but seems pretty good. I'm not sure if it likes higher mesh counts like 195 though; I need to experiment more.
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ahh..
so how do you expose your image into the screen?
are you using a simple light bulb?
what wattage are you using/,,?
can you help me with your techniques?
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Well, I'm using a 400 watt Metal Halide bulb. It's typically used for indoor marijuana growing but these bigger bulbs have also found their way into screen printing. This kind of bulb and all the hardware you need to run it costs between $200 and $300 American. It's not the kind of thing that you really want to go with unless you are sure that you want to screen print a lot (because of the cost). This should take about 10 minutes to expose a 110 mesh screen.
There's also the UV exposure tubes. They're a kind of florescent bulb. They're also kind of pricey though. I recently asked my local shop about his and he said it cost him more than $500 to make, so I would think it's such a good idea for you. I've never used one but I've heard that they can expose a screen in 45 seconds.
Now my experience is with that bulb but I have seen other stuff. You can get a 150 watt halogen work light from a hardware store (you do need a special light socket for this... usually... ask the store). It will expose your screen; but it will take longer and be less detailed (which only really matters if you're using a 195 mesh or more screen). Some people use two of these bulbs to get better coverage for larger images. I'm not sure how long this would take but I would guess between 15 and 30 minutes.
Some people even use the sun. You have to be really fast though because the sun is really powerful compared to any light bulb.
I think that when I started I just used a plain 100 watt bulb. It takes along time to expose (maybe 45 minutes (I can't quite remember) so you have to be patient).
If I were you, I'd just try using a 100 watt normal bulb (not compact florescent) and run the exposure test and see if the results are good enough for you. This way you don't have to spend a lot of money before you know what you're doing.
I hope that helps. You can ask me if you need any more info. Cool?
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thanks bro. for the info..
i'll just try the 100 watts..
how do you mix your sentisizer to your photo emulsion?
is it a 5:1 part(5 parts PE to 1 part sentisizer)..
they said that the mixture of the two affects the the exposure time..
can you help me out of here..?
thanks..
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I don't mix my emulsion that way. With the stuff I get, you just mix it all at once and then store it in the fridge (in a light protected container). I do stir it every so often before I use it because it can separate a little bit.
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ahh ok..i see
do a 100 watt bulb works?
for how many minutes?
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A 100 watt bulb might work fine but I can't say how long it would take... maybe between 20 and 45 minutes. You're going to have to experiment.
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Wow! I can't wait to try this! I just need the money to get started though! Maybe when I have a real job...
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If you check my older tutorial it may mention the cheaper starter kits that SpeedBall offers (I can't remember and am too lazy to check, hehe). They're a good way to test things out without busting the bank.
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Yes, you did mention them in that one. I'll have to check them out! Thank you for making such a great tutorial!
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