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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: screenxpress on September 04, 2011, 09:23:12 PM
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I'm only posting this in case there are others, like me, that had overlooked the simplest and most obvious problem causer.
I printed something last week that I was having a hard time clearing the ink on the right and/or left side. Didn't matter if I pulled or pushed. The screens were fine. I had actually used them before and still had them available.
I just took a square across the pallets. Yep, warped. About 1/16 with a 'rocking' high middle. I've made pallets before, so it's not that big a thing. Just have to check them all out and replace any that are warped. Thinking about going aluminum.
Question1: Those that have them, how thick are your aluminum pallets?
Question2: Please tell me why squared off platens are better than tapered for shirt collar.
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Question2: Please tell me why squared off platens are better than tapered for shirt collar
That's not really a question, ;D but since we aren't playing jeopardy, I'll take a stab at it.
One advantage for a board without a "neck shape" could be a lot less limitation on positioning the shirt (or something else) for odd locations.
My boards are shaped, and I have reversed them more than once for this reason.
and btw I've seen a similar issue of not clearing a screeen when a squeegee is not square as well
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You're right. #2 really wasn't a (proper) question.
It was just that when I go look at aluminum pallets, they all seem to be squared off.
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We eventually got aluminum pallets for our manual. It was the best thing we did. Actually let me know how many your looking for. I may still have them and the hopkins adaptors for them.
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I can't wait to get rid of these wood platens! All of them have that 1/16 warp and it was really messing with a thick print of glow in the dark ink last night. They don't make alum boards for my press so i have to have them cut from plate and then epoxy on a mounting bracket.
I like the square edges vs the neck hole cut out. I always load the shirt to the same place and move my art in the screen to correspond with print location so it's easier to use a single board that never moves for all my printing needs. This way as Andy said, you don't have to flip the board around for an odd location or item like a sewn bag.
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Vastex platens have something of a "handle" on the front that aids to some degree in shirt neck positioning, but what I do on all my platens is mark the platen tape with a centerline, make a mark on that 1-1/2" in from the front edge, then take a gallon emulsion pail, center it left and right with the edge on the 1-1/2" mark and draw a semi-circle that corresponds pretty closely to the neck hole when the shirt is pulled over the platen. Gives me a visual cue as to whether the neck is centered in addition to checking the sleeve-to-platen distance as the shirt is pulled into position.
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@ Screenexpress if your having so much trouble with warped platens thats telling me your flashing a hold lot on them. I have two of the platens that came with my workhorse manual 5 years ago still in great shape the other two I burn by walking off and leaving them under the flash. Those two replacements have been on for about 3 to 4 years themselves.
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There was a time when I was curing (with flash) on press. It's quite possible this had happened a while back and I'd only occasionally noticed problems when the warped platens were in play not realizing what the problem was until now.
These days, flashing is only about 8 seconds (or so) and when I do flash, I run more than one platen to rotate the heat.
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We eventually got aluminum pallets for our manual. It was the best thing we did. Actually let me know how many your looking for. I may still have them and the hopkins adaptors for them.
Sent you a PM through the boards....