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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: Get Shirts on February 08, 2017, 12:06:24 PM

Title: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Get Shirts on February 08, 2017, 12:06:24 PM
I have a Gold Foil job coming up and the garments cannot be discharged, so the rest of the print will need to be plasticol.

I'm interested in my options here and hoping for someone with experience to chime in.

Option #1 - Use some kind of in-line foil and apply the foil before the rest of the print is completed

Option #2 - Discover a Gold ink that looks 99% like Gold Foil.  We have a Silver ink that does this, but cannot find the Gold version.

Help!
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: ebscreen on February 08, 2017, 12:17:50 PM
Depending on art, there is foil resist additive for plastisol. We experimented with it once but luckily client went with
dischargeable garment. Results were so/so, large areas would still have flecks stuck. As long as the ink
area is small it's an option.

I tried hand applying on press after a flash years ago, Bill Hood had a video of a woman doing so in his shop doing it in Mexico.
She must have had a magic touch.

Option 3: send it to Danny.

Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Get Shirts on February 08, 2017, 12:26:58 PM
I have yet to read a good review of the foil-resist stuff. 

We want to apply it by hand right after a flash.. that's the dream anyway.
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Screen Dan on February 08, 2017, 12:38:54 PM
We originally tried applying by hand right after the flash.  For small runs it wasn't too bad if we used X-Glu.  But we eventually experimented with the foil resist and it works pretty damn well for us.  Now we just lay down 2 hits of X-Glu with whatever white plates were are using at the moment (150/48 or 180/48) for the X-Glu, foil resist in all the other colors and then it goes down to the sublimation/heat press department (which is staffed by 1 person who can do 288-576pcs a day depending on print size and variety (sublimation, patches, foil, studs, etc...more variety is better for production).  There is typically zero problems so long as the correct amount of foil resist is used.

...it did take us a bit of experimentation with the foil resist to get the right ratio.  Unfortunately I can't tell you what that is as I don't know.  If the shop supervisor pops in here I'll be sure to ask though.

The biggest pain is keeping foil resist ink buckets around and making sure people know to not card non-foil resist into it.  Doing it on press was slow and if you weren't insanely consistent, time wise, the pallets would get cool the flasher had to get messed with and the process kinda fell apart.  Plus, on an auto, it was awkward to have someone sitting next to head 3.  I hated being that guy. 
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Get Shirts on February 08, 2017, 12:52:53 PM
Dan, thanks!  Can I call you and pick your brain for a minute?
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Screen Dan on February 08, 2017, 12:55:49 PM
Sure thing, check your PM
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: tonypep on February 08, 2017, 02:17:48 PM
FYI foil will tarnish a bit through the dryer.....not mirror finish
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: Screen Dan on February 08, 2017, 02:43:07 PM
I spoke with my print shop supervisor.  He said he doesn't know the specific brand of foil, but he gets it from "Transfer Express" and recommends staying away from Crown Royal as it's too thin and finicky and doesn't peel up easily or consistently.

He also said that the foil resist he uses recommends 8:1 ink:additive that he actually goes with 5:1, but it will affect the flash and curability of the ink so that will probably depend on your inks formulation specifically.
Title: Re: In-Line Foil - Experience?
Post by: DannyGruninger on February 08, 2017, 05:06:28 PM
FYI foil will tarnish a bit through the dryer.....not mirror finish

We have ways around this