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screen printing => Screen Making => Topic started by: CSPGarrett on January 04, 2015, 09:33:41 AM
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I know this is probably a "silly" question but how do you guys clean your coater as soon as you are done the most efficient way possible?
We card out the excess of course with clean up cards, but after that have always wondered do you just use a wet rag or go to the washout sink? I feel we do loose time with that part of our operation, especially since we now can coat up to 3 times per day.
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we try to coat all the screens that need coating at the same time...
cleanup is carding out the excess emulsion, then rinsing in the sink... I find if you wait too long, the emusion hardens on the edges and or inside the scoop coater and makes it a pita to get clean.
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we card out with auto body (plastic) squeegee. Coater gets wet down and cleaned with a Scotch Brite pad
we use the heavy duty type
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Heavy-Duty-Scour-Pads-3pk/13281595?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=MdSAJE3z-C9WSPR9F4Nur0&category=&client_guid=8a37168f-007d-46b3-8c56-d11fc96c1cfa&customer_id_enc=&config_id=106&parent_item_id=26384757&guid=02a57293-1320-41fb-a759-38bc8cbe6d5a&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Heavy-Duty-Scour-Pads-3pk/13281595?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=MdSAJE3z-C9WSPR9F4Nur0&category=&client_guid=8a37168f-007d-46b3-8c56-d11fc96c1cfa&customer_id_enc=&config_id=106&parent_item_id=26384757&guid=02a57293-1320-41fb-a759-38bc8cbe6d5a&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n)
but the softer no scratch version ay also work well
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Non-Scratch-Scour-Pads-3-count/26384757 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Non-Scratch-Scour-Pads-3-count/26384757)
We cut the pads down to a smaller size and just wipe out the coater.
The Scotch Brite will not scratch but it will bust the emulsion that has begun to thicken etc. and the pad washes out completely so we simply throw it in a rack and reuse it next time.
We have tried many other things but so far we like this one best.
mooseman
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I have a hose at my washout booth with hot water and a garden hose nozzle attachment at the end. After carding out the excess I just spray it down. The hot water cuts right through the emulsion. Takes about 30 seconds to wash everything then I just wipe down with a blue shop paper towel.
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I clean out with cardboard or credit cards cut to the profile of the coater, and then, yes, take the minute (or less) to rinse and wipe clean.
Not part of this question, but I also occasionally dress or burnish the edge of the coater with a block of wood with a shallow groove.
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Card out ink with ink cards (I think we still use them, they fold up to fit the bottom nicely)... then my guy puts it in the bottom of the washer, we have a spigot that is on the wall of the washer that when turned on flows into the bottom... he sets the coater under that and lets it run while he puts up everything and then comes in and finishes cleaning it off.
I've never heard him mention any desire for anything better, and he's a pretty good whiner if anything is harder than it should be. :)
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We use ultimate clean up cards, followed by a thorough wash in the booth with a scrub pad. I tell my guys the scoop coater should always look like the day we received it, but of course over time a bit of buildup will happen. Once it does, we submerge it in the dip tank for a bit, power wash it and its good as new again.
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I use the mixing stick from mixing the emulsion to scrape it. Then just hit it with the garden hose or power washer.
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If youre coating multiple times a day you need more screens and more storage space for coated screns. I had a similar problem a few months ago and just upped my stock of screens and built a screen room finally. Fixed so many headaches...
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I put in a large sink in the screen room large enough to hold the coater. Keep it all close together, neat and organized.
I took an ink scraper we have, cut it into a "V" to match the trough, then scrape out and wash the coater immediately after all the screens are coated.
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Being on the sidelines and seeing many screen rooms. It's been too common to see this cleaning of the emulsion coatt get overlooked as being not very important. I've seen more than a few shops with streaks in their mesh that causes iregular results for exposure of half tones.
Where this makes or breaks a print is when you have very fine half tones and your exposure works well in the more dense areas and not so well in the thinner areas. Some rows of dots just right and some overexposed. The down side is that this can easily get overlooked in a fast paced in and out type of shop and they proceed with production. You hope someone notices that the dots look odd in some areas before going out the door.
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Guess I never really looked that hard at it. I just use a plain old cooking spatula. Kind of molds itself to the curve, and still works on the flat parts. Just scrape it back in the bucket. Been using the same one for 6 1/2 years. I was thinking about replacing it 'cuz it just look dirty though. Auto coating, so we have four toughs to clean. Hot water and a scrub pad in the developing sink.
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I just use a plain old cooking spatula
Me too.
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If you're coating multiple times a day then why not just clean the edges really good then put the cover on the coater and it will be ready for the next coating. We've left ours over the weekend with the cover on then come back on monday and take the cover off and start coating again. If you leave it long enough with a crappy cover that lets moisture out then it will dry up inside, but we don't have that problem.
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Like cleaning out the end of a bucket of emulsion, leaving it out to dry might actually be a benefit.
My dude spends what seems like an inordinate amount of time cleaning the coater, but then I remind myself
how important it is.
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If youre coating multiple times a day you need more screens and more storage space for coated screns. I had a similar problem a few months ago and just upped my stock of screens and built a screen room finally. Fixed so many headaches...
^^^this
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If youre coating multiple times a day you need more screens and more storage space for coated screns. I had a similar problem a few months ago and just upped my stock of screens and built a screen room finally. Fixed so many headaches...
^^^this
Hey remember that batch you told me about on DigitSmith? I bought them all (225)... $5 bucks a pop!!!
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I took a plastic spatula, rounded one corner to match the inside of the coater and simply scrape the excess out. We do not waste the time cleaning the spatula just let it dry and peel off the dried part the next use. Coater goes into the spray booth and gets sprayed clean with the sprayer and no power.
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If youre coating multiple times a day you need more screens and more storage space for coated screns. I had a similar problem a few months ago and just upped my stock of screens and built a screen room finally. Fixed so many headaches...
^^^this
Hey remember that batch you told me about on DigitSmith? I bought them all (225)... $5 bucks a pop!!!
Most excellent! I might be interested in 20 of the bigger ones if you have too many.
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If youre coating multiple times a day you need more screens and more storage space for coated screns. I had a similar problem a few months ago and just upped my stock of screens and built a screen room finally. Fixed so many headaches...
^^^this
Hey remember that batch you told me about on DigitSmith? I bought them all (225)... $5 bucks a pop!!!
Most excellent! I might be interested in 20 of the bigger ones if you have too many.
It's hard to define "Extra".
I know, I'd definitely trade you for a nice FPU and Press Jig. ;)
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Hmmm, the timing is right..... how big are the bigger ones? 36 x 24 or something? might take 30, not 20 for a full on FPU and platen jig. ;)
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Driving a hard bargain. ;)
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I do have planes for further expansion at the Maryland location this year, including another 2,500 square feet to total just shy of 5,000.
Once I get the square footage I can pull the permit to build the dark room of my dreams ;). The city I am in has very strict and confusing zoning codes, so we are dancing a fine line as far as the buildout and such.
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I have a teflon spatula I cut at a bevel to match coater angle. Scrape excess back into bucket, remove & carefully clean caps with pressure washer...lay them out to dry...dirty coater goes straight into an old 7 gallon Tiger White bucket full of water...next use, hit it with the pressure washer...30 second cleanup...tried leaving caps on but they get "sticky" & grab while coating....they still do it over time, but happens MUCH quicker when I would leave them in the water..works great! I have had the same extrusion for 9 years & still looks new!
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I fought with this for years, but finally settled on this;
When coating, I have a wet paper towel at my side to take care of any drips that may happen and to wipe the edge of the coater between screens. When finished I use my good old index finger to scrape out emulsion into the bucket. I wipe my finger with the wet towel. I then go the the reclaim booth and wash my hands with warm water and spray the coater with emulsion remover. I use the same paper towel that I have rinsed out to wipe the coater...then a quick rinse of water and it is clean as new...no dried on old emulsion.
I don't coat more than once a day...usually not more than once a week. So this may not work for shops with higher demands.
Bill
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We only coat every few days so we just spatula out the scoop coater, rinse with warm water and use a 1" paintbrush to clean the corners by the caps.
I never knew it was difficult?
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I fought with this for years, but finally settled on this;
When coating, I have a wet paper towel at my side to take care of any drips that may happen and to wipe the edge of the coater between screens. When finished I use my good old index finger to scrape out emulsion into the bucket. I wipe my finger with the wet towel. I then go the the reclaim booth and wash my hands with warm water and spray the coater with emulsion remover. I use the same paper towel that I have rinsed out to wipe the coater...then a quick rinse of water and it is clean as new...no dried on old emulsion.
I don't coat more than once a day...usually not more than once a week. So this may not work for shops with higher demands.
Bill
depending on the emulsion you're using, oils from your hands/fingers isn't good for it, or at least that's what I've been told for years by different people.
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depending on the emulsion you're using, oils from your hands/fingers isn't good for it, or at least that's what I've been told for years by different people.
Yep, that is what we were told from day one...as well as not to pour the unused emulsion from the coater back into the container.
Although I am Italian...I don't seem to emit any damaging oils from my fingers. ;)
Wash your hands before you start and when you are done...have not had any emulsion issues...ever.
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How did I miss this good topic >:( I'm like Frog I use old credit card fakes we get in the mail and scrape the emulsion back in the bucket then clean it with water and I use wood on the edge every now and then. A good coater is a big part of getting a good screen ;D
darryl
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We also have some 600 grit wet/dry for a quick buff once a year if the edge is not baby-butt smooth.
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We only coat every few days so we just spatula out the scoop coater, rinse with warm water and use a 1" paintbrush to clean the corners by the caps.
This, also we card it out and spritz it with a little stencil remover. Been using the same coater for over a decade and have never had to buff the edge, but I'm also the only one who's ever driven it :-)
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I have always used my finger to empty the coater and haven't ever had any issues with the emulsion. Prop the coater up in the washout booth and pressure wash the rest out.