Author Topic: screen drying time  (Read 1598 times)

Offline Screenprinter336

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screen drying time
« on: September 30, 2018, 02:18:58 PM »
New to screen printing
How do you guys dry your screens and for how long to ensure all the screens are fully dried?
I use a box fan and it usually takes about 20-30 mins

I am trying to speed the drying time up, any suggestions?

Also is the drying time different between drying your screens after washing off the degreaser verses drying emulsion after you scoop coat the screen?
Or is it pretty much the same?
Thanks


Offline Frog

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Re: screen drying time
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2018, 03:09:26 PM »
New to screen printing
How do you guys dry your screens and for how long to ensure all the screens are fully dried?
I use a box fan and it usually takes about 20-30 mins

I am trying to speed the drying time up, any suggestions?

Also is the drying time different between drying your screens after washing off the degreaser verses drying emulsion after you scoop coat the screen?
Or is it pretty much the same?

Thanks

Nope, two very different animals.
After reclaim and de-grease, you just have a little bit of water remaining, which I usually dry outside, and am often happy with the results in 20-30 minutes.
Once coated, you are now drying a much thicker coating of emulsion which is a lot like white glue, which can seem dry, but really needs to be totally dry throughout the entire layer for consistent and successful exposure and development (rinse-out)
I was first thinking that your 20-30 minutes was drying a coated screen, and was thinking that was damn good! Better than I get in a cabinet with a dehumidifier. Mine can take a good hour minimum, depending on what mesh, coating technique, and how many screens I have in there.
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: screen drying time
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2018, 03:24:49 PM »
Some people purchase or build a hot box. This holds a rack of screens and is enclosed. Some simple home built are made of wood. Some add in a heater with a dehumidifier and perhaps a small exhaust fan at bottom to draw out the heat with moisture.

The heat should probably not reach beyond 100 degrees. Too much heat can make emulsion go bad or contribute to other issues like cracking/baking.
As with coating techniques, it's not how many times you coat a side, but the desired thickness needed.
A well dried screen is similar in that it's not how long you let it dry, but how well.
The conditions in your drying area contribute to the speed. To get it to be faster, you add in a dehumidifier, a heater and contain/isolate that heat.  If you are able to dry your screens in 20-30 minutes, that's a good decent time. I don't know if you need to get any faster. Especially if you are just starting out.

As far as time goes, some shops won't use a screen in rotation for hours or next day, and others rush it and use it much sooner than they should. Too soon, causes exposure issues and if only doing solid prints for the time being, you may not see your bad habits. When customers want you to print their more sophisticated art and you get into fine halftones, you will see these issues pop up and won't know why, since everything else has been do great in the past.
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850