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screen printing => Screen Making => Topic started by: Prosperi-Tees on July 23, 2012, 06:10:50 PM
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I have always taped off reg marks and pin holes but find if I have to wipe the back of the screen some residual ink will catch on the tape edges and will transfer to the next shirt being printed. I know some use old emulsion but normally when I have a screen washed out and dry, we go to print immediately so waiting for old emulsion to dry would suck. I see some blockout pens have a dry time of 30-90 seconds which isnt to bad. Would just like to hear your thoughts and what you do.
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Yes but not for what you are describing. I don't know how the pen would react
with ink. They're great for hard to hit pinholes.
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i use the pens for small pen holes SOMETIMES! ONLY if its in a place I cant get scoth tape on. Other wise I always use tape.
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Maybe I should try scotch tape. Thinner and may not catch residual ink?
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I seem to remember looking at them many years ago and not seeing a great benefit (to justify the expense) over a little block out on a toothpick or small brush, or my old stand by, some of Homer's out of fashion color nail polish.
And Gerry, any tape has the potential to catch wiped ink. I always try to run a junk shirt print after a wipe. That's where the fastest drying press washes excel.
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I have the green block out pens here and they are alright for small pin holes away from the image but they really lay some content down. I prefer red coat block out for my pin holes. t dries very quickly. If we need the screen right away it is ready to go with about 25 seconds of hair dryer applied.
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I used them but stopped. I have had pin holes or larger holes open back up that I used them on. I like tape when on the press. You don't have to wait for dry time. The block out pens are water based so they only work with plastisol.
If you wipe a screen use screen opener. It breaks down the ink alot better then press wash. This way the tape you covered holes with don't transfer ink as easily. Still a good Idea to run a test shirt.
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Speaking of nail polish... I've had some spots that I could have used it on but was reluctant because of reclaiming concerns.
Does the nail polish come off when reclaiming easily? Anything I need to do different?
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I have the green block out pens here and they are alright for small pin holes away from the image but they really lay some content down. I prefer red coat block out for my pin holes. t dries very quickly. If we need the screen right away it is ready to go with about 25 seconds of hair dryer applied.
Watch out for forced drying precisely registered screens. I have seen them shrink or stretch enough to not line up.
In fact, there was an ultra fast block out with methylene chloride or something that could knock a critical screen out of whack if enough was used.
And Gilly, the tiny spots of nail polish blast right out because for the most part, they are sitting on reclaimed emulsion, not mesh. The polish doesn't penetrate and sandwich the mesh like the emulsion did.
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For small pinholes on short runs, I have used White-out. From what you guys are
describing, should work as good as something more expensive. Drys fast and usually
holds up for a couple hundred impressions. It is only good for pinholes- not registration
marks or large areas.
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I like them for when a highlight white sim process screen turns out to be "too much ink"....i can artfully "sketch" out the bad areas and you'd never know because it doesnt leave a clean line and block everything like tape would.
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We have a contact solution bottle of our emulsion. Works great but requires a quick post expose.
I have a green water soluble pen and it's nice for tight spots on plastisol screens.
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We have them and my printer uses it but I don't. I just put tape on the pinhole or whatever because I don't have to worry about dry time or what usually happens is the blockout pen works for a few hundred impressions then opens back up.
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I've been using a brush for so long that when I tried out the pens, they didn't have the control. I guess they're fine for the larger holes, but getting at the middle of a design needs a finer tip... I like a sable brush, but I don't really do this anymore, I'm in the office 99% of the time.
Steve
as far as ink on the tape, we just wipe more carefully before we start up again
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I used them but stopped. I have had pin holes or larger holes open back up that I used them on. I like tape when on the press. You don't have to wait for dry time. The block out pens are water based so they only work with plastisol.
If you wipe a screen use screen opener. It breaks down the ink alot better then press wash. This way the tape you covered holes with don't transfer ink as easily. Still a good Idea to run a test shirt.
We use block out pens and it holds up fine, has lasted over 10k prints before just fine. It's also usable for water-based ink screens.
Pinholes are blocked right after screen is taped which happens when it's dry on the rack after the stencil has been washed out.
We don't have many pinholes though because we use a CTS now. Only have to check on 200+ higher mesh counts.
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I used them but stopped. I have had pin holes or larger holes open back up that I used them on. I like tape when on the press. You don't have to wait for dry time. The block out pens are water based so they only work with plastisol.
If you wipe a screen use screen opener. It breaks down the ink alot better then press wash. This way the tape you covered holes with don't transfer ink as easily. Still a good Idea to run a test shirt.
We use block out pens and it holds up fine, has lasted over 10k prints before just fine. It's also usable for water-based ink screens.
Pinholes are blocked right after screen is taped which happens when it's dry on the rack after the stencil has been washed out.
We don't have many pinholes though because we use a CTS now. Only have to check on 200+ higher mesh counts.
What pens are you using?
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Nail polish from the .99 cent store.
Have a nice day!
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Nail polish from the .99 cent store.
Have a nice day!
really? it holds out and is easily removable on washout?
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Nail polish from the .99 cent store.
Have a nice day!
really? it holds out and is easily removable on washout?
With our inks, the nail polish holds fine, and then, since it's just a tiny spot on top of the emulsion, comes off with normal reclaim
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will make sure to test it this coming week. we're taking steps to preventing pinholes but there's still a few and some are hard to reach. this will help tremendously.
how long should we let it dry? will 30secs suffice?
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will make sure to test it this coming week. we're taking steps to preventing pinholes but there's still a few and some are hard to reach. this will help tremendously.
how long should we let it dry? will 30secs suffice?
However long it takes. Classically, one sees women blowing on their nails to hasten the process. So, time depends on temperature and air movement.
If you strike off a shirt prematurely, not only do you have a spot on that shirt, but probably also brought back the pinhole.
Try a dab on any old thing and see.
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CLEAR finger nail polish. Only use clear. Cheaper the better.
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Presently, I'm using Cover Girl 801 Pink. What's the problem with color?
Oh, and just as often, I'll use a small piece of tape.
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First, if you're blocking out registration marks with it too, you can still see through them.
But more importantly colors are formulated differently than clear. In my experience, clear holds up better on press and reclaims easier.
When we do longer runs of WB or DC, we use clear nail polish to block out the reg marks AND use clear tape.
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I have only used nail polish for breakouts during runs (which occur much less frequently than they used to)
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I have only used nail polish for breakouts during runs (which occur much less frequently than they used to)
Hey, just a quick question... do any of you guys do a fingernail polish repair (pinhole size) during a run, without cleaning BOTH sides of the repair first?
I've not tried it in a long time, but have wondered if anyone does it successfully. My fingernail polish is getting old and a bit thick, and the other day, I wondered if a newer, thinner batch might dry quicker and maybe a couple of coats might even bridge the open mesh sufficiently to do a one sided fix.
Don't want to hijack the thread. I've never tried blockout pens.
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I don't. Just a blob on the pinhole breakout.
As I said though, nowadays, I find myself more often using a small piece of tape as there is no drying time.
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I don't. Just a blob on the pinhole breakout.
As I said though, nowadays, I find myself more often using a small piece of tape as there is no drying time.
On press I use tape don't have time to wait on press. I do use colored polish on the light table before the run. I may switch to clear just to try it out.
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they always felt to bulky for me, I prefer a sable brush which comes to a nice point...
Steve
BTW: I haven't touched up a screen in a long time though, not my job anymore...
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I don't. Just a blob on the pinhole breakout.
As I said though, nowadays, I find myself more often using a small piece of tape as there is no drying time.
On press I use tape don't have time to wait on press. I do use colored polish on the light table before the run. I may switch to clear just to try it out.
sometimes there's some spots pretty hard to reach with tape. the tips gotten here will come in handy but tape is still the way to go for most pinholes