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screen printing => Tips and Tricks to Share (Please don't ask questions here) => Topic started by: stitches4815 on July 24, 2012, 01:31:01 PM
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After rinsing out a detergent bottle for recycling it came to me. Why don't I use this jug to dispense emulsion into my scoop coater. I know it will be a pain to pour the emulsion into the jug with a funnel. I don't know, I am still kicking it around. Any thoughts?
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You can try with a small amount and see. I would not put the whole gallon in there at first.
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how do you go from the scoop coater back into the jug? might get messy. I always have a bit left in my coater, maybe you just dump it?
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This is what I am trying to figure out. Will this add time to the process. I know when I dump left over emulsion back into the container it came in it is a quick deal because the opening is so big. I am going scratch my ass some more and think about it before I actually test it out.
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I think its a cool idea depending only on the amount of emulsion you use. For some they would go though a gallon to quick for that to be practical. I typically use one half gallon a shot so I dont think it would be practical for me. I would think using the same funnel to scrape the remainder from the coater back in should work then wipe things up to keep clean.
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if you want to have a pour spout just attach one to the lid of the emulsion bucket. Then you can take the lid off when you want to pour it back in. just make a stand so the bucket sits on its side. This way you can just take the lid off and put it on a new bucket of emulsion when its empty.
I personally think its just adding alot of steps that are not needed.
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If you have trouble pouring from the gal bucket, pour you some in a qt and use it from there. I,m like others seems like a good idea, but would cuz me more work.
Darryl
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I would be worried about the dried up emulsion in the end of the spigot that would fall into the next batch. Or just dry up. I like the idea though. We go through about gallon when we coat so it's really something we would not do. Plus I like to use a different emulsion from time to time.
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The more I think about it the more I believe it would be a time waster. I don't go through gallons of emulsion like some of you do but it does add time to the process. Jay, the dried emulsion was one of my concerns also. Doesn't hurt to bounce ideas around I guess. Some day I will come up with a million dollar winner.
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After rinsing out a detergent bottle for recycling it came to me. Why don't I use this jug to dispense emulsion into my scoop coater. I know it will be a pain to pour the emulsion into the jug with a funnel. I don't know, I am still kicking it around. Any thoughts?
WHY? I doubt there is any cost or time savings..
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I'm also concerned about dried up emulsion in the spout BUT... if you wanted to do it anyway here is how you do the scrape back part.
Just scrape it back into the gallon bucket. Don't worry about getting it back into the detergent bottle till after you run low. It's kind of 2 steps forward one step back but if it's saving you time overall then it's worth it.
I can definitely see how it would work... I'd just dump back into the gallon bucket for a quick clean up then worry about once the leftover piles up to about a half gallon dump it back into the bottle with a funnel. Problem with using a funnel everytime is not only time consuming but wasteful in that you won't be able to scrape the funnel clean (not enough for me at least.) ;)
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2 options: put a ball valve into the lid or the side of a bucket. The ball valve is super easy to clean. Just drill a hole and attach. If you put it in the lid you just move it from bucket to bucket.
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we tried this very method about a year ago... really nice filling the coater PITA returning the emulsion to the jug. We scrapped the idea and went back to the bucket.
We thought about using a hose and a grab clip you know like the restraunts use on the bags of milk they dispense from the counter top frig.
We thought about attaching the hose at the very bottom of the bucket but at the end of the day we Scrapped the idea.
Your best bet is to use purex jug or Downey the ones with thr pour spout under the cap. Junk the pour spout and take advantage of the large opening to slop your emulsion back in.
Be sure to get a bottle that blocks UV light.
here is a typical pic of the jug type.
mooseman
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We've been using one of these for years.
http://imgur.com/xsbXx (http://imgur.com/xsbXx)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-MixerMate-2-Qt-Bottle/16408619 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-MixerMate-2-Qt-Bottle/16408619)
It's great putting what you need in the coater, and the top screws off and you just pour what's left in the coater back in the bottle when your done.
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cool idea but how do you protect the emulsion from uv in a clear bottle or do you find that is not an issue?
mooseman
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cool idea but how do you protect the emulsion from uv in a clear bottle or do you find that is not an issue?
mooseman
I hit MODIFY rather than QUOTE by accident earlier and thus the (EDIT) above.
It's not an "issue". Lets leave it at that. ::) LOL.
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cool idea but how do you protect the emulsion from uv in a clear bottle or do you find that is not an issue?
mooseman
We keep it in the screen room which is uv protected.
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Do you guys not mix your emulsions before coating screens???
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Do you guys not mix your emulsions before coating screens???
I was thinking this could help that issue honestly. Swish it around a good bit and the bubbles are moving away from the bottom so you don't have to wait as long to let it "settle" which is kind of counter to what you just did.
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I'm a little curious about what you mean by 'mix'.
I may gently swirl it around with a stick, but I do not 'mix' to avoid introducing air bubbles which might cause pinholes or weak spots as the bubbles burst once the emulsion dries.
I kind of like the Walmart container idea.
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We use aquasol. It's an sbq emulsion so we don't really need to mix.
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I've used both Ulano QX1 and QTX, both SBQ emulsions and they can tend to separate some unless you're using them up on a steady basis. I' m not a high end guy so for me they do settle sometimes.
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No special buckerts or spouts needed guys...
Just a new gallon and the one your about to finish up.
Add your diazo and stir, then simply pour off half the gallon into the old bucket and put the lid on. It's really easy to pout out from a 1/2 gallon and just as easy to hold the scoop coater over it pour out what's left in the coater.
When you empty that 1/2 gallon, open the other 1/2 and repeat when you open a new gallon.