TSB
screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: Shawn (EIP) on September 19, 2011, 07:44:37 PM
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Still a diamond in the rough before I closed up shop for the day. I still have to add a board to the back where the jiffy clamps will go and a pully system to hold the screen up. I built it on a slant to model what flat stock printers on youtube was using as far as DIY. Hopefully I will only have to use this for a few months till I get a Cameo Semi Auto. Im glad I opted to make my own board rather than pay for one, drilling the holes only took 45 minutes tops.. saved a hundred bucks. If getting a cameo doesnt pan out maybe I'll make a bigger one for signs later down the road and better.
(http://s2.postimage.org/knfdop3hz/flatstock_press_pic.png)
The National gig poster. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ72HCW1Mqg#ws)
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For a counterweight on mine, I made a bracket with holes that slid over the jiffy clamp studs, and had a vertical arm in the center that went up and to the rear, from which I hung a gallon milk jug with just enough water in it to offset the weight of the screen. Got the idea from a photo of someone who did something similar using a six pack. The bracket was flat across the clamps with the center arm welded onto it like a "T" that bent backwards a bit up to clear the screen.
Used to have a pic but I can't find it. Found it.
What kind of ink are you using, by the way?
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I plan on using solvent inks for stickers and maybe waterbase for stickers.
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Tpitman, great thinking!
I have a pretty sweet setup the letterpress guy down the hall gave me. It's made by Cincinatti and is kind of a one arm bandit with a counterweight. I'll post it up later. It may make for a good point of reference.
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I'll admit... it is more elegant than my bungee cord setup... but hey... the bungee cords worked. They were also AMAZINGLY smooth. Just a tiny flick and they softly rose up and just a small tug and it softly floated down.
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What should my off contact be 1/4?
Also I'm having a hell of time finding a supplier for sticker material. I called up everywhere local and asked for white vinyl sheets or rolls that printers use for sticker printing and no one has a clue if what they have will work or not... I called Garston sign suppy and they said they dont have it here at the Rochester location because it's screen printing not sign supplies WTF???
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You might want to post the question over at gigposters.com and ask for name brands of stock. Could be paper houses that support offset print shops carry it. They sell all kinds of crack-n-peel stuff usually, but a brand name might help.
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Call a paper wholesaler, Aquatec and Wasau make a pressure sensitve crack and peel. You want a permanent adhesive and an outdoor bumper sticker vinyl.
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Call a paper wholesaler, Aquatec and Wasau make a pressure sensitve crack and peel. You want a permanent adhesive and an outdoor bumper sticker vinyl.
Not necessarily, back thirty years ago when I printed this stuff, the clients specified whether they wanted the permanent adhesive or not. Many didn't because of the removal mess somewhere down the road, and this was before all car bumpers were just painted plastic shells over metal frames.
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Call a paper wholesaler, Aquatec and Wasau make a pressure sensitve crack and peel. You want a permanent adhesive and an outdoor bumper sticker vinyl.
Not necessarily, back thirty years ago when I printed this stuff, the clients specified whether they wanted the permanent adhesive or not. Many didn't because of the removal mess somewhere down the road, and this was before all car bumpers were just painted plastic shells over metal frames.
Yes, it would definitely be the customers decision.
I am guessing (I could be wrong) that the bands are going to want permanent adhesive. But, Frog is right, they are available in both adhesives and the customer can make the choice of which they would prefer.
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Just going for standard here... what are skate stickers , non permanent?
Still no luck on the vinyl stock supplier... it must be top secrete info.
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Just going for standard here... what are skate stickers , non permanent?
Still no luck on the vinyl stock supplier... it must be top secrete info.
I am pretty sure skate stickers are permanent. Removable adhesive is made to come right off pretty easily. Think of an Avery label from Office Max. Or better yet go there and see if they have a broken open package. You can compare permanent and removable adhesives. I would think the standard for outdoor use is permanent, with removable adhesive being more so special request. Removable is going to be for an outing where everyone wanted to throw a sticker on their window for the day and pull it off at the end of the night. Skate stickers and band stickers that you see on street signs that have been there for a year, etc all permanent. You have to scrape them off.
Central Paper (800) 333-5770
product #A1010 (17x22 outdoor latex)
100 sheets $125.25
permanent adhesive
product #A1008 (8 1/2x11)
100 sheets $34.92
permanent adhesive
product # A0904 27X38 (4mil vinyl)
100 sheets $416.45
permanent adhesive
product #A0900 8 1/2x11 3.5mil vinyl)
100 sheets $44.85
permanent adhesive
They will ship UPS from RI.
Ask customer service to confirm any info. They will not know about screen print ability factors though.
*I work there. I do not work customer service or sales. Do not ask for me (I'm the credit manager).
** Feel free to call my cel phone after 6pm (508) 617-7498 if they do not help you or you still have questions.
Hope this points you in the right direction.
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Also, for best product info in this product and it's suggested uses, call Wausau (800) 345-8039
They can also tell you if there is a local distributor.
This link will take you to their products that would be of interest to you:
http://www.wausaucoated.com/uploads/documents/product/Carton%20Stock%20List.pdf (http://www.wausaucoated.com/uploads/documents/product/Carton%20Stock%20List.pdf)
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Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie? Is that a water bottle full of white ink too? man -you must have fun at your shop. we use cd's to shoot at. . . PULL. . .
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Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie? Is that a water bottle full of white ink too? man -you must have fun at your shop. we use cd's to shoot at. . . PULL. . .
haha I used a tape case to scrap ink the other day for a mixed color. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get through the day.
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Shane thanks for info!!
These look like the jam right here but do they come any smaller, 8x11 is too small , 27 x 38 is freakin huge and expensive.
product # A0904 27X38 (4mil vinyl)
100 sheets $416.45
permanent adhesive
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Shane thanks for info!!
These look like the jam right here but do they come any smaller, 8x11 is too small , 27 x 38 is freakin huge and expensive.
product # A0904 27X38 (4mil vinyl)
100 sheets $416.45
permanent adhesive
What is your finish size? I will ask tomorrow to see if there is other options and see what kind of details I can come up with.
Shane
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Dude, wrong stuff.
You want Ritrama or General Formulations or MacTac or the like.
100 sheets 20x27 is like a buck a sheet. Cut in 1/4s for 400 sheets of 10x13.5" which I've
found to be a useful size. $0.25 a sheet. Take the parent sheets and have them cut by an offset guy.
General Formulations is in Michigan. Gloss vinyl white permanent adhesive non-top-coated.
Midwest stocks it but most don't know it.
Off contact at 1/8" or so.
Charge enough and don't sell yourself short. The margins can actually be good as people are like
"It's $250 (or whatever) but I'm getting like a billion stickers." etc.
230 mesh for almost everything.
Thin the hell out of your ink and keep moving.
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Dude, wrong stuff.
You want Ritrama or General Formulations or MacTac or the like.
100 sheets 20x27 is like a buck a sheet. Cut in 1/4s for 400 sheets of 10x13.5" which I've
found to be a useful size. $0.25 a sheet. Take the parent sheets and have them cut by an offset guy.
General Formulations is in Michigan. Gloss vinyl white permanent adhesive non-top-coated.
Midwest stocks it but most don't know it.
Off contact at 1/8" or so.
Charge enough and don't sell yourself short. The margins can actually be good as people are like
"It's $250 (or whatever) but I'm getting like a billion stickers." etc.
230 mesh for almost everything.
Thin the hell out of your ink and keep moving.
Sweet! My local screen print supplier handed me a roll of Mactac he had in the office to try out , I found a dealer here in Rochester but they wont return my phone calls.. A buck a sheet is deff what I'm after! I'll give General Formulations a shot.
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Roll is not what you want. Mactac makes vinyl for plotters as well.
You want sheets. The rolls will be difficult to cut square, tend to curl,
and the material is really thin.
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Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie? Is that a water bottle full of white ink too? man -you must have fun at your shop. we use cd's to shoot at. . . PULL. . .
Sorry it took so long to reply... I missed the post.
LOL... well, the cd is because I hadn't thought that far and needed to find something to scoop ink out of the bucket... I'm an IT guy, I have cd's and dvd's sitting around everywhere of all sorts of things I don't need anymore (but I keep because, maybe one day right :D ).
The "foil" is metal tape for doing air conditioning ducts... I read/saw somewhere that it would help with clean up... I'm not really that convinced but I guess it might help if the handles aren't lacquered... this one isn't.
The water bottle is actually TexTac adhesive cut 1:1 with water... what do you keep yours in? :p
See, things aren't as terrible as it might seem in my shop... now I have hotel card keys in the ink. :D
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Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie?
The "foil" is metal tape for doing air conditioning ducts... I read/saw somewhere that it would help with clean up... I'm not really that convinced but I guess it might help if the handles aren't lacquered... this one isn't.
See, things aren't as terrible as it might seem in my shop... now I have hotel card keys in the ink. :D
You probably realize, but the most common taping on squeegees is to seal the joint between the blade and the handle.
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Yeah, that's not what this guy was talking about but I do recognize that issue. I also recognize that this solution doesn't address that and in fact may exacerbate that problem.
This tape is meant to be a "permanent" layer of protection. Basically you can wipe ink off and not have it getting into all the grain of the wood. It does that... but little else.
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My non coated wooden squeegee handles have developed a beautiful patina in twenty-thirty years. The wood is generally hard and close grained enough that a simple wipe removes the evidence of it's last get-together with the ink in the screen. Essentially, no problem, at least no more than you will have when your metal tape covered handle does the same thing.
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This link might be of interest to folks printing flat stock......
www.polytag.com (http://www.polytag.com)
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Trust me Frog... I had the wife wrap this ONE squeegee... haven't asked her to do any more. ;)
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Polytag is awesome stuff for what it is.
Around here it's only used for flourescent gun show signs and whatnot.
Most sign distros carry it.
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I have looked at the Polytag site many times and wondered if a niche business could be done with their products....
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I found what I needed locally , 145.00 for 100 18x24 permanent flex vinyl 3.4 weight with crack and peel slit. Economy Paper Supply located here in Rochester NY a few blocks away from the shop right under my nose, go figure!
Last flat stock newb question (maybe) what durometer squeegee blade should I use?
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70 will do most anything, important on large fills. 80 for finer details and halftone work.
You sure you got the right stuff? I've never seen pre slit vinyl before, and every
paper place I've ever been to only had, well, paper stickers.
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Picked up the paper cutter last night extremely heavy up 30 steps to my shop, 4 guys to carry and one sliced thumb (not deep) . A great way to start band practice last night lol. Figured I'd wait till band practice so I'd have people here to help me carry the beast up.
Moving up the drying rack today.
Hopefully printing stickers soon...
(http://s3.postimage.org/ijkr54n9z/image.jpg)