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screen printing => Newbie => Topic started by: Bsurb on June 15, 2012, 01:59:24 PM
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i found a lady and her husband selling their screen press equipment.... i got everything for $450.... pictured below.
it is the semi-pro model press on ryonet for $999.99..
4/1 press, flash dryer, the screen exposure stand, 4 or 5 squeegees, white ink, palet paper, emulsion scoop cover, 10 wood frames, 3 different size platens..
does anybody know where i should get the ink and chemicals?? i really need someone to help me get started... ( or recommend where to buy my inks)
here are pictures below...
(http://i46.tinypic.com/s5v8t4.jpg)
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2sb350l.jpg)
(http://i49.tinypic.com/1zmyvte.jpg)
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Welcome to the industry, and to this forum in particular.
To answer your supply question, first off, who are your local distributors? They are often your first source of help and information (though that has declined in recent years).
The one thing that I can tell you right off the bat is that almost everyone nowadays will tell you to avoid the spray adhesive and replace it with a brush-on/roll-on water based version (similar to white glue that stays tacky)
Next, you will need to learn how to coat and expose screens.
Then, print a single dark color on a light shirt.
Then, perhaps white on a dark shirt.
Then, multiple colors on a light, and then dark shirt.
Each of these six things has it's own learning curve and is part of the journey.
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COOL and welcome aboard!
It looks like you are off to a good start. Many ppl here will gladly help you out. Finding a good supplier is another right move to make, so you are ahead of what many of started with.
Where are you located? Having a local supplier that is willing to help out when in a jam is priceless. Based on your location we can try to match you with somebody. Also, don't forget to check out the guys advertising here. They are all good ppl and are supporting the forum by paying for the banners.
pierre
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Shoot me a pm I will give you a list of who I use, tonight congratulations and good luck
Sent from samsung gem(the worst smart phone ever)
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Welcome.
Shoot with the questions, there are plenty of people willing to answer them.
BTW, previous owners lovet to print the palets instead of the shirts ;)
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Welcome.
Shoot with the questions, there are plenty of people willing to answer them.
BTW, previous owners lovet to print the palets instead of the shirts ;)
Or used really thin shirts.
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Welcome.
Shoot with the questions, there are plenty of people willing to answer them.
BTW, previous owners lovet to print the palets instead of the shirts ;)
Or used really thin shirts.
or cinderblocks for hands lol
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thanks for the replies yall... i got the uv exposure light to work that the kit came with... the people said it didnt have a bulb but i looked up inside it today and the bulb was sitting in a unopened box lol..
i am lacking chemicals right now... and emulsion. i want to start printing asap lol just practicing. also prepping a screen and cleaning off the screens i want to do....
what do i need to have to get the old emulsion and old ink that they left on it?
my location is OCALA, FLORIDA..
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Okay, so step one, assuming that these screens still have a little tension and life left in them is, like you say, remove the existing emulsion. (assuming that all ink is gone already)
For those with ink still in them, you will want an Ink Degrader which allows you to spray, brush, and rinse, or a Press Wash which is wiped up with rags or paper towels. Looks like you have some sort of ink cleaner with that PlastiWipe or whatever it is.
You then need emulsion remover, and though there are many, they all are pretty much the same. Some are concentrated as much as 20/1 which helps if being shipped.
A pressure washer is pretty much a necessity for this (probably why they're not reclaimed)
In a pinch, folks have been known to take them and the reclaim chemical to a coin operated cart wash.
The liquid is generally sprayed or a little poured on, and spread with a scrub brush, both sides.
Allow to work for a minute of two, then, scrub some more, and with luck, the old emulsion will dissolve and be a fairly easy rinse. Usually, it's a little more stubborn, and the pressure washer will show its worth.
Only do a few at a time, and never, ever let the reclaim liquid dry on the screen. Once it starts to do its thing and then dries, the emulsion can really lock in.
Hopefully, someone in your area can suggest a good supplier. Otherwise, as suggested, we have some advertisers here not far from you via UPS or however they ship.
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i have the bottle of albatross it says it gets rid of plastisol inks.. is that what i should be using??
does it go in a squirt bottle? and where do you recommend getting the scrub brush and bottles? can i just go to walmart or something like that??
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I assume that since this was included with your dirty screens, Plastisol is what the last folks used. You may want to spray the cleaner
The white you have is plastisol, and yes, it's a good place to start.
I just pour a little and wipe with towels to clean.
I spray my remover from a generic spray bottle, and then use a standard scrub brush from the grocery or hardware store.
Many use scrub pads which even many suppliers handle.
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so that plastisol ink remover in that large container i have.... i can put it in any squirt bottle?? i thought chemicals you have to put them in a certain squirt bottle so they dont eat away or anything?
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It's your call. Some spray bottle valves certainly seem to hold up better than others, but I just use the gallon jug for my ink wash. Just be careful and only pour out enough to wet a towel or two. Gloves are a must here as well. I think that the last nitrile ones I got have held up for a couple of years, but in a pinch, I have even used plastic bags and rubber band bracelets.
The reclaim liquid, I dilute in a standard spray bottle.
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ok cool ill leave that stuff in the jug its in....
now what about setting up a dark room? if i set it up in my room.... what kind of light can i get?? where do i get it??
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Read through the screen making section, and find the thread on how dark you need it. There is a slight bone of contention as to what seemingly works fine and what is ideal.
Many of us keep our coated screens in light proof boxes, and work in subdued or yellow filtered light.
It could, in a pinch, be a room used otherwise, with just the lesser light used when coating or handling coated screens.
Ideally, separate room with filtered air would be nice.
Otherwise, the one thing to remember is to, if possible, separate your screen storage from the room in which you do your wet work.
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iv tried searching everywhere on which type of light... i see yellow lights, bug lights... florescence but idk where to go to get them... or what its going to run me $ wise.
i am planning on printing out on my back porch and burning the images in a bed room.... just cant seem to find what type of light.
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bug lights are adequate, and as I said, for just coating and the brief time it takes to expose a screes (at least when one has a proper exposure unit lol!) just subdued light with no sun is often fine.
You will need a screen cabinet or rack covered with a blanket, or a cardboard box to store coated screens.
Your toughest thing at first may be a room or drying cabinet that is UV safe.
Once again, your bedroom could be adequate with shades and bug lights, or at least a partitioned off area. Perhaps your clothes could live elsewhere and you could appropriate the closet.
I have both slept in a large closet when sharing a one bedroom apartment with three other guys back in college, and in my present set-up, turned half of a large closet into a true photographic dark room, sans running water. You may or may not know that in the old days, film positives were made on, you guessed it, real film, on a real camera.
As the fourteen year olds on the present AT&T Uverse commercials keep complaining to their younger siblings "you kids have it too easy today"!
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where can i get the bug lights? lowes and walmart right..? and when i get the light what am i looking for?just a yellow light bulb that replaces my current light that is attached to the ceiling fan??
im going to cover the blinds.... shut the door and cover the crack under the door and burn the screens in my closet...
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That will be more than adequate, however, you may want to dry and store screens in your closet, where it is easier to keep dark, and burn them in the room which is not as critical.
I have to assume that. especially in the summertime, bug lights must be easy to source.
Hell, I thought that you guys had lots of bugs!
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lol we do.. im going to the store tomorrow and ill pick some things up...
and for printing out the negatives on a printer on the clear paper..... what kind of printer do u HAVE to have? or can i just use my HP officejet ?
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I use an HP Deskjet 9800. The inks work all right on most "waterproof" films.
Most folks will give or sell you sample packs to try.
I had to experiment a bit for the densest output.
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ok if i have other questions ill let u know :)
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(http://djstorm.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/no-doubt-on-tour.jpg)
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this is what i got so far on my back porch... all cleaned and vacuumed haha... turned my back porch into my screen printing shop.
im going to walmart in a bit to get the scrubber, squirt bottles and a bug light..
(http://i48.tinypic.com/24osoxj.jpg)
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@ frog do you think this is a good deal??
http://orlando.craigslist.org/bfs/2966306411.html (http://orlando.craigslist.org/bfs/2966306411.html)
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Not just @ me (though I seem to be the only Newbie helper this weekend so far)
I'd say yes and no.
Yes, it's probably way cheaper than all of the same inks bought new.
No if you won't use many of them.
No if you see just how many lots like this spring up, sometimes even cheaper.
So, I can't really advise. I also don't know your space limitations.
The Newbie question of "what inks should I get?" has come up before, and I bet that white and black are always included.
Then, maybe a red, a royal blue, a green. It really depends on how your business (or artistic design nature) goes.
What inks to get when starting out is a good subject worthy of a thread of its own.
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You also should be careful buying old ink. That is just one thing I always buy new. Your basics are white, black, royal blue, red, yellow and green. In addition I would suggest a small mixing kit to allow you to mix any color.
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It'a always buyer beware on old inks, but of all the possibilities in the graphic arts, plastisol screen printing ink has to be one of the least problematic in this regard.
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Very true. Buying old inks you will want to probably get a power mixer and some curable reducer to get them flowing again.
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yeah ill pass on it... im actually getting set up with a warehouse in Florida who makes drives to my town two days a week.. they asked me some ?'s about my business so i can get a account with them to get their prices...
what all chemicals do i need to get exactly?? i went and today to walmart and purchased two chemical resistance bottles and i got a scrubber.. and got my yellow bug light for $4 and some change.
just need to know exactly what chemicals to buy when i call the place tomorrow... and whats that clear paper you print on called?
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does it not matter what kind of printer you use to print out the positives??
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The most popular printer is probably the Epson 1400 although that has been replaced with the Epson 1430. You can use the stock ink carts but that will get expensive rather quickly so most install refillable cartridges. I got my set at www.filmdirectonline.com (http://www.filmdirectonline.com). I just got some film from Maverick Graphic Supply who is a member here and I am happy with their film.
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Simply put, some work better than others, just as some ink and film, and settings combinations work better than others.
Like I said, I use an HP 9800. Most popular are Epsons. Get yourself a sample of some damn waterproof film and fool around with it!
My drivers allow an increase in ink volume, and I use the best quality setting for maximum density.
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and does it matter if its waterproof inkjet? if i have an officejet
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You need emulsion remover, degreaser, press wash, and ink degrader (Ink wash).
Those are the basic chemicals you will need.
Stay away from spray tack, use water based pallet adhesive.
Good chemical companies are Easivay and Franmar, but there is a bunch of other ones too.
Also, it is called waterproof transparency paper
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I found a guy who is selling an epson 1400 for $50... Ahhould i keep myofficejet and save $50 or get it?
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I found a guy who is selling an epson 1400 for $50... Ahhould i keep myofficejet and save $50 or get it?
Make sure it is in working condition. And, if it is BUY it.
Also, you can see if you can find some Epson Workhorse 1100 still in the stores.
They were around $120, but they are discontinued and can be found for around $70 brand new. I use that one and I can print up to 13x19"
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I found a guy who is selling an epson 1400 for $50... Ahhould i keep myofficejet and save $50 or get it?
There pretty cheap new I think I only paid $240 a couple of years ago , Have had zero problems with it, when it breaks it will go out the door and be replaced with new one, there is no reason to try and fix at that price. Get samples of film from any of the suppliers you use, I tried about 4 when I started and have settled on one. Definetly buy the all black carts from filmdirect and an extra bottle of ink. That is where your biggest savings will be.
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ok ill see what i can do... i purchased my chemicals today... i purchased the green stuff from ryonet, the stuff that does the decreaser and haze in one bottle.. and i purchased emultion remover... 4 different inks, and emulsion...
should be good to go to start printing this week :) just need a little help getting started from step 1
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also my transparencies will be here WED with the chemicals.. i found a guy selling a epson 1400 with ink, usb cable and ect for $75 cash. im going to see if the positives will print fine on my office jet first