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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: kidink on March 13, 2020, 01:23:30 PM

Title: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: kidink on March 13, 2020, 01:23:30 PM
Can anyone shed some light on what causes the spidering edges as seen on the attached image. I only seem to suffer this with red plastisol. How can it be avoided?
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: BP on March 13, 2020, 01:57:09 PM
Is this discharge? And are you printing the red after the white? What mesh?
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: kidink on March 13, 2020, 02:01:09 PM
This is plastisol on 305 mesh. The red is being printed last down.
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: 3Deep on March 13, 2020, 02:40:40 PM
Ok count me as blind I don't see what your talking about plus I don't see red ink printed, but just to toss a my two cents in, #1 could be in your screen exposure #2 could be static pulling at the ink.
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: kidink on March 13, 2020, 04:01:02 PM
This is red and white printed on a dark navy shirt.
Base
Flash
White
Flash
Red
Does the attached help highlight the areas I’m talking about.
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: 3Deep on March 13, 2020, 04:07:19 PM
I see now, I will still say it's in your screen image exposure, if it happen's in the same spot
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: RICK STEFANICK on March 13, 2020, 05:51:55 PM
add a highlight white and print it last!!
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: Lizard on March 13, 2020, 06:42:31 PM
Static will sometimes cause red ink to splatter like that.  I would print the second white last in this situation for cleaner edges.
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: kidink on March 13, 2020, 08:04:31 PM
Wasn’t aware that static could cause issues on press. Any tips to avoid it or does it only happen with red? Any of the ink specialists know why reds are notoriously problematic?
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: screenxpress on March 15, 2020, 01:07:06 PM
If Red went down last, why would I not expect to find a couple of emulsion holes letting red through on the (last and only) Red stroke?  If Red was last, how could any screen lift expose a color that was not UNDER the white?

However, it was not mentioned but is this only on a FEW shirts and in different spots?  If so, I guess y'all are saying the RED screen lift is snapping ink droplets around to land wherever they want and if that's true is the RED reallllly runny? 

Is that what is going on?  Few shirts or every shirt?

Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: BRGtshirts on March 15, 2020, 07:52:24 PM
This is plastisol on 305 mesh. The red is being printed last down.

I know this is off-topic, but you printed that solid red on a 305?!  Same for your white? Looks like you're rolling after the highlight white? Either way, that's a good looking print from here.  I vote for splatter maybe, do you have a super fast stroke?
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: Sbrem on March 16, 2020, 08:17:42 AM
This is plastisol on 305 mesh. The red is being printed last down.

I know this is off-topic, but you printed that solid red on a 305?!  Same for your white? Looks like you're rolling after the highlight white? Either way, that's a good looking print from here.  I vote for splatter maybe, do you have a super fast stroke?

I had the same thought, that's through a 305? Pretty impressive...

Steve
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: easyrider1340 on March 16, 2020, 06:47:25 PM
I’ve got a grey ink that I can watch jump off the screen when I put the squeegee back at it’s resting point.   Makes a mess!  (manual printer)
Other colors are fine. 
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: kidink on March 17, 2020, 04:56:32 AM
This is plastisol on 305 mesh. The red is being printed last down.

I know this is off-topic, but you printed that solid red on a 305?!  Same for your white? Looks like you're rolling after the highlight white? Either way, that's a good looking print from here.  I vote for splatter maybe, do you have a super fast stroke?

I had the same thought, that's through a 305? Pretty impressive...

Steve

Yeah the red is through a 305 mesh but this is using a discharge base which makes it less impressive. I wish i could get that kind of finish with all plastisol. To clarify;

Discharge Base 230
Flash
White Plastisol 305
Flash
Red Plastisol 305
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: Sbrem on March 17, 2020, 07:58:00 AM
This is plastisol on 305 mesh. The red is being printed last down.

I know this is off-topic, but you printed that solid red on a 305?!  Same for your white? Looks like you're rolling after the highlight white? Either way, that's a good looking print from here.  I vote for splatter maybe, do you have a super fast stroke?

I had the same thought, that's through a 305? Pretty impressive...

Steve

Yeah the red is through a 305 mesh but this is using a discharge base which makes it less impressive. I wish i could get that kind of finish with all plastisol. To clarify;

Discharge Base 230
Flash
White Plastisol 305
Flash
Red Plastisol 305

I thought those threads were too well defined, that explains that. I'm going with static as my first guess...

Steve
Title: Re: Plastisol spidering edges
Post by: tonypep on March 17, 2020, 11:37:26 AM
I agree with Rick. Print the white last and perhaps lower the mesh count. Check your peel and observe the squeegee side of the screen. Ideally it should shear clean. If it does not, well, as they say in Vegas, thats' a tell. There in lies all the interdepant  variables. My high school science teacher taught me to only change one variable at a time in order to achieve results. Unfortunately we do not always have the time and opportunity to do so. Ink, Squeegee, (duromreter angle of attact presure, speeed,etc. And of course art and the path to get to screen{s} Think of ink viscosity and rheology with its tendency to change due to temperature and humidity. Think of the the screen and all of its variables. Think of operator error. Think of flash technology.
I could go on forever but I will not. All I can say is to stick to standards