Hey Cam - I bought a small dedicated shop vac for blowing out my mesh after washout. Taped the hose onto blow good and proper with Silver tape so it could never be used for suck and contaminate screens with dirt. Worked a treat and no oil at all. I don't have one now and it KILLS me. Hate the stupid emulsion stains clogging up mesh. Gonna invest in a compressor or vac on the next job I get. In the meantime, I bought a USB powered fan and attached that to my dehumidifier exhaust with a battery pack thrown into the drying cabinet, so at least the screens get dry air blowing over them to reduce the chances of "emulsion run-off". Fan runs for 3 hours easy off a tiny rechargable power bank, which is awesome and it isn't powerful enough to blow dust all over the screens. I FINALLY built my new screen print shop and it's ready after 2 years of grinding on 10hr night shift, 6 days a week - can't wait to get back into it. I'm going all in on WB this time, and Yeah - it's a bitch. But I know it will be worth it in the end. Keep grinding brother
@@diprestful I'm not 100% sure what your asking, but I love the final waterbased product, the problem is how fast it dries in the screen, even when consistently printing it dries after roughly 24 prints.
@@ThePrintLife okay! I only asked you why you were doing so much force when you passed the stamping handle on the matrix, if it is only water based and not a heavy material like plastisol lol that was my question, your textile prints seem to me of the first level nothing to envy Rip Curl or Wrangler
@@diprestful oh gotcha, when I did the first test barley needed any force to make the print, fixed the green then by the time I came back to the white print it was all over. I'm gonna be honest water based is just over whelming.
Cam: I took a cheap Harbor Freight leaf blower, ditched the long nozzle part and made a mount so that it mounts to the wall about 5' off the ground blowing horizontally away from the wall. After I'm done with a screen in the washout booth I wipe down the frame with a towell and then blow the screen with the leaf blower. The screen will be 90 percent dry within seconds, the only downside is that it's noisy.
The residue in the mesh is from an underexposed screen, it will always find itself into the open mesh. Either, raise the exposure time or coat the mesh thinner or/and after the screen is dry (i always dry screens with a hairdrier anyway) ..give it another quick sponge down both sides and dry again before setting up. Just dont dry it in the sun..that can lead to trouble even with residue (i call it snail trails cos thats what it looks like when you catch it in the light).
@@rc1634 Absolutely. I use a single point light source and they do deteriorate over time and maybe shift in the uv spectrum. I think mine has gallium (may be wrong).
@@raybeer549 I also run a single point light source; 5k Olec with a large vacuum frame. When I put in a new bulb, it gives off a really rich blue hue. I found this interesting as yesterday I had just a bit of clogging in a screen. I had also noticed recently the blue hue is almost gone. Time to replace
Yeah we would get that too it is a thin layer of emultion that was left behind from the non exposed part . You probably use to blow it out with the air we use to just throw the screens on top of the dryer after we rinsed them out when you put the on the light box searching for pinholes we use to check the edge of the stencils to make sure the clear edge of the emultion cured other wise it mix with the ink & ruin the screens over time. Two years of being screen bitch. Got that shit down. A once over with a heat gun on low doesn't hurt either.
Gotta be honest Cam, I like the changes you made to your format. The little green screen work, and the voice overs make me laugh quite a bit. It's nice to see the little quirks that come up. Thanks for putting it up, really dig the design too.
The Print Life I’ve worked with a few folks so I noticed. It looks good though man! You should be proud of yourself. I’m about to dip my toes into printing bandanas with only a flash dryer and maybe a heat press. Things like this video make it a less stressful trial and error process. You show that even when speed bumps happen, good things can still come from hard work.
This video was so helpful....we have been struggling with our damn screens clogging on a 3 color set up. And hearing everyone using an air compressor gun to remove debris was a great tip. Thanks! We love The Print Life, over here in Oregon at Sister Screening. 🖤
Thats the game. Your the best. Im pissed on the inside, there are a few vlogs where I loose it on the outside, I even have a video were I through a screen across the shop in frustration, and the screen didn't bust?
The small little inconveniences in screen printing can drive you crazy. A problem arises with your press, emulsion not acting right, the impossible ghost image, and over/under cure can drive a man crazy
Get an in-line filter for your air compressor also Drain the tank once a week or so! Idk who really said that because if that was the case you wouldn’t have to use air tool oil for your pneumatic tools lol my air Compressor is my best friend never had an issue! Glad to see the videos back at it dude! Most entertaining screen printing Chanel 😂
Second installing a quality inline filter that will remove 99% of any oil & contaminates in your compressed air... www.eastwood.com/compressed-air-moisture-and-oil-filters.html
Cam, use the dang compressor! But I highly suggest an oil and water trap. That’s what car painters use. If water or oil get to the paint gun, there will be fisheyes in the paint job...so the oil and water trap is key. Just be sure and drain the traps once in a while :)
I am also a student of Cam. Just got into the print busimess about a year ago but learned almost everything from watching hours and hours of "The Print Life"
Question at 11:30s - What I do to prevent the scum that occurs during the drying process is... Using Costco microfiber towels, lay them on the image area and pat dry for 20 seconds on both sides. I have not had an issue with scum since.
Agree with using the reg system, I use my tri lock for everything, means I don’t have to move boards around constantly and the print is always in the right place.
Dude I wish we could use triloc, I have tried it so many times. It's always out by a hare, so I still end up using the microse. Came the the conclusion, that I have to get higher tension screens for it to work.
The Print Life yup drives me nuts even with higher tension, I’ve now made a board that sticks on the tri lock. Giving it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes.
Hey Cam!! I don’t really have any hard water issues in Portland, our water is pretty soft but I rinse the hell outta my screens after degreasing and kinda spin it around to shake off any excess water better laying flat to dry. On press, I am constantly misting the flooded screens so they don’t dry up. Sometimes I’ll print on a dummy shirt to clear it mid run if needed. Awesome video, bad ass print! 🤘🏼
With the air compressor i have a filter where the airline hooks to the compressor and i have one @ the quick connection. I powder coat and was having issues with grim in my air haven’t had a problem since
What up Cam! So I force dry all my screens with an $18 box fan from Home Depot. It works pretty well, you just gotta make sure you have a clean, dust free environment so random crud doesn’t get stuck to the emulsion while it’s wet. But for the most, force drying eliminates any chance or scum or water bs.
Agree completely. I figured out our issue we have a window unit that hangs in the dark room makes it damp as shit. I have to get an industrial dehumidifier, in there.
Great vlog Cam..!! To keep debris out of clean screens after reclaiming and degreasing I box them. This sounds crazy maybe but in an effort to have top quality stencils I do not coat them until the day before the job when possible and try not to keep emulsion that has not been exposed on screens more than a few days - after they dry overnight I rebox them (and feel the cardboard helps absorb even more moisture because here in South Florida we have high humidity). It's been working great BUT you have to really be on top of your management game. Funny thing is if your not and you coat right away you still end up not having a screen when you need it. This forces the issue and decreases waste. For the humidity issue in Phoenix I may be talking out my butt because I haven't tried it but a million years ago I was into aquariums and terrariums. In the pet trade they used to have automatic terrarium misters/sprayers that were programmable (both in volume and in how often they spray).. They were inexpensive. I'm sure they are much more advanced now. I think I would try that and a hygrometer to measure humidity and try and get a good balance - the smaller the area and the less moving air the easier it would be to control but at the very least make sure the shop door is down. Maybe you could maintain a workable balance? Anyway just a thought for what it's worth..
Hey man! Honest question here.. Is there any reason as to why you wash your screens bottom to top? I feel like that would make the possibility of emulsion streaming back down into your cleared areas way bigger. I've always learned (the hard way often, thanks dad!) that you wash top to bottom so you don't have dirty water running down over the parts you just cleaned. I'd love to hear your input! :) Greetz!
Hey Cam, how did you set up the dryer to cure water base and plastisol together? Same temp but longer dwell? After I spray out the image, I use newspaper to dry screens and keep any un exposed emulsion out of the open mesh. Take a sheet of newspaper, lay it over the back and lightly rub your hand all over it. Use that piece to wipe the farmer a little...repeat other side with a fresh dry piece of newspaper. I've never had an issue doing this. Vastex use to sell an attachment for a wet/dry shop vac...but it's super simple to make yourself. :)
Excellent video. So how do you change your workflow to account for the summer weather? It's obviously not the material's fault so something in the workflow has to change.
I blow the water out of the stencils with an air hose and finish drying them with a box fan. We have hard water where I am and I've never had a problem.
I have a shop vac and blow them out after I wash out screens........ I use it specifically for that..... I never use it as a vacuum, just a blower. I was tired of the compressor turning on constantly. And making noise when my customers walk in
I use a blowdryer to dry after cleaning/before coating and after washing out my image...its take about 4 minutes to dry them by hand and cuts down in the issue greatly as well as time to try.
Hey Cam, Dude I had the same scum thing, I thinks its actually some watered down (unexposed) emulsion hardening. Im pretty sure it comes from the thicker beads of emulsion on the edges. What I always do is post expose for 30 seconds and then pressure wash the screen again. This has fixed this 100% without the air compressor. It takes like 1 minute extra time per screen. The rest is drying time. Try and it a see if that works for you.
@@ThePrintLife no the key is you gotta dry it before post expose. Post expose a little not a lot because that's when you get that baked in film on the screen opening. Then blow out again with your water cannon 🙂
This is all great info. I've been having trouble with residue in my screens and now I can experiment with all the different solutions you guys have suggested.
Late to the show; it's been a busy week! Did I see a mist spray in the background of the registration filming? If so, does that help with the water based? I hate water based too. Central Florida.
Personally I got to where I like water base better BUT you have to work at it to keep it wet and still it’s tough. Pros: I love the feel of the ink, if you get any on you when working with it rubs right off and not ALL over EVERYTHING like plastisol, cleaning up is so much easier, if you use something like glow in the dark ink it shows lots better. Cons: you have to print fast and not let it set between prints, if printing multiple colors and you have 8 substrates like me I just print one color and clean the screen each color so it is more work, if you put vinyl on top of the print the vinyl will turn loose after a few washes. I got to where I post harden everything and put hardener on the screens. Also I rarely ever use tape anymore but use the water base block because it sets quick and won’t come off when printing like tape has when printing water base ink. Not using tape is another savings. Also I use an air compressor as well but I also use a small yet powerful batter pack leaf blower to blow the openings out and dry the screen. My blower is a DeWalt because I had batteries for it already but I’ve tried other brands and they work just as good as far as I can tell. That leaf blower was a great investment, about $100 without the batteries. I enjoy your videos so keep it up!
To help prevent screen gunk instead of putting the wet freshly cleaned screen directly in your rack where it lays flat and water will puddle leave it up at an angle for a few minutes first so the water can runoff to the bottom off the screen this preventing the water from drying on the design and causing hard water stains. I use to have the same problem until i started leaving my screens in the rinse tub for 5 minutes before putting into the rack. Havent had a single hard spot since starting that practice.
Hey Cam, do you have a video on your screen coating rig? I'd like to make one for my employee to use since he cant understand the concept of coating with one hand. Thanks!
@@ThePrintLife I like millimeters for my small measurements. Turns out that the mesh size is also in millimeters/1000 so .2 trap is twice as large as mesh on an 83/100 screen
For water-based, keep a damp rag and periodically wipe the screen after printing (without flooding) to reopen the stencil before the dry ink builds up. Make sure you dry it well before you print again.
1st Question: Possible problem: Emulsion on the screen isnt fully exposed. The water dripping down while its drying is pulling emulsion into the openings and exposing once it dries. Best thing to combat this is an air compressor. Just air down the excess water.
For what it is worth, what I do with water base is that I always spray a little bit of water before my first test pass. It helps clear the clugs if there is. Then I always spray one shot of water (especially on white) over my flood after each shirt.
I have problems with the hard water all the time because of my location. I always pat dry and then wipe the screens with a clean towel and then put them in my DIY heated drying cabinet for about 15-30 minutes. Then I put them out in the sun. I tried blowing the screens out with air for a while but just took too long to do larger designs with the blower nozzles I have.
I keep dry to towels and dry the entire outside. If there is underexposed emulsion water buildup running down the screen tends to leave a little emulsion residue
@@ThePrintLife yeah. Well I use a cloth rag. As long as the rag is only collecting the water, should be all good for multiple uses. I was having that problem. Then I started wiping all the extra water collected on the frame. Inside the frame also, but not on screen. The edges would be fine. When you lay your screen in the sun, the water trapped on the frame runs down picking up any non hardened emulsion. Just eliminate the water buildup. Also running a clean squeegee down the screen works also. I just prefer the cloth rag. Running a squeegee makes me nervous on the wet emulsion.
I saw your other video about making a cheap 30 dollar press. I made one out of some scrap wood in the shop, and I have 4 sets of jiffy clamps. My question is, how can I do more than one color with this setup?
Use an electric leaf blower. I burn & reclaim 100+ screens per week and never have an issue with residue because of this. It also helps to soft rinse (no pressure) the less light exposed side as the emulsion will be softer on this side .It helps to avoid pinholes and residue(which is the scum that you were talking about). Blow out with leaf blower, then set on drying rack in the darkroom. As long as uv light hasn't hit the screen after washout, the residue can still be rinsed out.
Cam: I use a small harbor freight air compressor to blow off most of the screen and then I have a regular fan in the dry room while the screen lays horizontal. Love your site and all the tips you share with us...gag reflex...I share your pain.
Recently I’ve had a few screens with something blocking part of the image, only to notice after setting up on press.... I’ve had some success using the spot gun to blast it out from a short distance, being careful not to hit anything except the image area too much.
make sure your emulsion isn't under exposed and or it is rinse completely... corner to corner and edge to edge. Also an air compressor with a simple air nozzle works really well to avoid the clear scum in the image area of a new screen.
its gonna sound gross, but saliva breaks down emulsion. ill put a little on the area, doesnt work well enough to break down exposed areas, but little pieces that are in the print area come right out. SAME thing for that haze in the new burned screen. i find that opener doesnt actually get it out as well as a little bit of spit. is what it is.
Yes, that's The oldest trick in the book! Also, before doing The first pass with water based inks, use a spray bottle AND spray a little water on top of the screen, AND inmediately do the pass. This will make it smoother for the ink ti flow on the screen. Use it as needed. I live in a city that has the same weather conditions as Phoenix, or worst!! 45-50 degres un the Sumner, and the method works
Great video Cam-O! 2 or 3 cents: air compressor - if it worked for you without issues, fix it man and start using again! Water Based struggles - Just use plastisol LOL - i can't do water based ink because it WILL DRY UP - i have too many things going on at once to successfully use waterbased ink.
just doing at night,switch off the fan but if your studio hv a a.c unit its okay.. seem like ur paste is too thick.. but here in Malaysia or Indonesia printees we use the reducer or just use the binder... and mix altogether with slow dry agent (for slowing the dry factor and anticlog)
a few months late but oll throw in my input anyways. as far as drying box fan would be your best bet but you risk blowing loose dirt or dust into the screen. far as cleaning the scum build up might be underexposed. if I get a screen glog I just hit it with a little degreaser and let it dry or my supplier showed me this stuff called screen opener that worked pretty good.
Water based is like solvent based inks from the days or yore, once you get a color actually printing, DON'T STOP UNLESS THERE"S A FIRE AND THE FIRE HAS FINALLY REACHED YOUR PART OF THE BUILDING. Then you can think about stopping printing. I'm talking about printing on poster board, plastics and shade vinyl back in the dark ages before UV cure inks. You didn't really want to even stop for lunch because when you came back you and your press helper would have to get mineral spirits and rags and wipe down both sides of the screen at the same time. Fun times.
Haven't used my equipment in over 5 years... we have really hard water. When j washed out stencil lay a flat piece of newspaper on screen.. soaks up water..no lint
hey cam,nice to watch your video Whenever I watch you I always think how you decide the final costing of a screen print? Like if you make 10-20 pcs it might cost you higher (in price ad time both), like creating frames for just 10-20 pcs? I have a question you do business online or offline ?Cam ,please reply my comment I will be waiting for your reply, because from the starting when I started watching your channel I always had this question in mind..
Hi Cam...this may sound foolish but...because of the HEAT would a humidifier or dehumidifier work. I live in Ontario Canada not far from Toronto my house CARPETS get damn in the heat i have to use a dehumidifier always Maybe it might help in your shop. Just a suggestion. Cheers☕
I dry the screens in the oven. I use same temp and airflow settings as for dark tshirts, just nocks up the speed a bit. And if it's not dry at first run I just put it in the oven again.
Printing with water based ink, A real pain but I haven't given up yet. Still gotta work out some of the kinks,
Hey Cam - I bought a small dedicated shop vac for blowing out my mesh after washout. Taped the hose onto blow good and proper with Silver tape so it could never be used for suck and contaminate screens with dirt. Worked a treat and no oil at all.
I don't have one now and it KILLS me. Hate the stupid emulsion stains clogging up mesh. Gonna invest in a compressor or vac on the next job I get. In the meantime, I bought a USB powered fan and attached that to my dehumidifier exhaust with a battery pack thrown into the drying cabinet, so at least the screens get dry air blowing over them to reduce the chances of "emulsion run-off". Fan runs for 3 hours easy off a tiny rechargable power bank, which is awesome and it isn't powerful enough to blow dust all over the screens.
I FINALLY built my new screen print shop and it's ready after 2 years of grinding on 10hr night shift, 6 days a week - can't wait to get back into it. I'm going all in on WB this time, and Yeah - it's a bitch. But I know it will be worth it in the end.
Keep grinding brother
Hi Cam! why do you fight with water-based ink if it is the easiest thing to print much lighter than a plastisol?
@@diprestful I'm not 100% sure what your asking, but I love the final waterbased product, the problem is how fast it dries in the screen, even when consistently printing it dries after roughly 24 prints.
@@ThePrintLife
okay! I only asked you why you were doing so much force when you passed the stamping handle on the matrix, if it is only water based and not a heavy material like plastisol lol that was my question, your textile prints seem to me of the first level nothing to envy Rip Curl or Wrangler
@@diprestful oh gotcha, when I did the first test barley needed any force to make the print, fixed the green then by the time I came back to the white print it was all over. I'm gonna be honest water based is just over whelming.
Cam: I took a cheap Harbor Freight leaf blower, ditched the long nozzle part and made a mount so that it mounts to the wall about 5' off the ground blowing horizontally away from the wall. After I'm done with a screen in the washout booth I wipe down the frame with a towell and then blow the screen with the leaf blower. The screen will be 90 percent dry within seconds, the only downside is that it's noisy.
Haha that is clever as shit! I bet it works like a charm.
The residue in the mesh is from an underexposed screen, it will always find itself into the open mesh. Either, raise the exposure time or coat the mesh thinner or/and after the screen is dry (i always dry screens with a hairdrier anyway) ..give it another quick sponge down both sides and dry again before setting up. Just dont dry it in the sun..that can lead to trouble even with residue (i call it snail trails cos thats what it looks like when you catch it in the light).
100% That is exactly it. Nothing else to say
Throw a fresh bulb in your exposure unit.
@@rc1634 Absolutely. I use a single point light source and they do deteriorate over time and maybe shift in the uv spectrum. I think mine has gallium (may be wrong).
@@raybeer549 I also run a single point light source; 5k Olec with a large vacuum frame. When I put in a new bulb, it gives off a really rich blue hue. I found this interesting as yesterday I had just a bit of clogging in a screen. I had also noticed recently the blue hue is almost gone. Time to replace
Yeah we would get that too it is a thin layer of emultion that was left behind from the non exposed part .
You probably use to blow it out with the air we use to just throw the screens on top of the dryer after we rinsed them out when you put the on the light box searching for pinholes we use to check the edge of the stencils to make sure the clear edge of the emultion cured other wise it mix with the ink & ruin the screens over time. Two years of being screen bitch. Got that shit down. A once over with a heat gun on low doesn't hurt either.
Gotta be honest Cam, I like the changes you made to your format. The little green screen work, and the voice overs make me laugh quite a bit. It's nice to see the little quirks that come up. Thanks for putting it up, really dig the design too.
Ah shit I was hoping no one would be able to tell Its a green screen.
The Print Life I’ve worked with a few folks so I noticed. It looks good though man! You should be proud of yourself. I’m about to dip my toes into printing bandanas with only a flash dryer and maybe a heat press. Things like this video make it a less stressful trial and error process. You show that even when speed bumps happen, good things can still come from hard work.
This video was so helpful....we have been struggling with our damn screens clogging on a 3 color set up. And hearing everyone using an air compressor gun to remove debris was a great tip. Thanks! We love The Print Life, over here in Oregon at Sister Screening. 🖤
Ain't it cool. All the great tips and input are amaizing.
Props for dealing with these frustrations way better than I do.
Thats the game. Your the best. Im pissed on the inside, there are a few vlogs where I loose it on the outside, I even have a video were I through a screen across the shop in frustration, and the screen didn't bust?
The small little inconveniences in screen printing can drive you crazy. A problem arises with your press, emulsion not acting right, the impossible ghost image, and over/under cure can drive a man crazy
Get an in-line filter for your air compressor also Drain the tank once a week or so! Idk who really said that because if that was the case you wouldn’t have to use air tool oil for your pneumatic tools lol my air
Compressor is my best friend never had an issue! Glad to see the videos back at it dude! Most entertaining screen printing Chanel 😂
Second installing a quality inline filter that will remove 99% of any oil & contaminates in your compressed air...
www.eastwood.com/compressed-air-moisture-and-oil-filters.html
Cam, use the dang compressor! But I highly suggest an oil and water trap. That’s what car painters use. If water or oil get to the paint gun, there will be fisheyes in the paint job...so the oil and water trap is key. Just be sure and drain the traps once in a while :)
I just found your channel. Your design and the amount of work this took was insane.
All i want for christmas is to go to Arizona and shadow cam for a week! Im 100% self taught through this channel. So THANK YOU 💜
That is so nice, Thanks you for watching.
I am also a student of Cam. Just got into the print busimess about a year ago but learned almost everything from watching hours and hours of "The Print Life"
Same!
Cam, have you considered using a fogger system for your waterbase ?
My.bad. I posted that in the beginning of your video . I see now that you actually have a system there
Question at 11:30s - What I do to prevent the scum that occurs during the drying process is... Using Costco microfiber towels, lay them on the image area and pat dry for 20 seconds on both sides. I have not had an issue with scum since.
Nice. Do you rewash and reuse the towles after every use. Or can you use them multiple times?
@@ThePrintLife Yes but no fabric softener!!!
Agree with using the reg system, I use my tri lock for everything, means I don’t have to move boards around constantly and the print is always in the right place.
Dude I wish we could use triloc, I have tried it so many times. It's always out by a hare, so I still end up using the microse. Came the the conclusion, that I have to get higher tension screens for it to work.
The Print Life try using lighted inspection loupes for aligning on the carrier sheets.... it makes it a breeze on press 9 out of 10 times
The Print Life yup drives me nuts even with higher tension, I’ve now made a board that sticks on the tri lock. Giving it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes.
Hey Cam!! I don’t really have any hard water issues in Portland, our water is pretty soft but I rinse the hell outta my screens after degreasing and kinda spin it around to shake off any excess water better laying flat to dry. On press, I am constantly misting the flooded screens so they don’t dry up. Sometimes I’ll print on a dummy shirt to clear it mid run if needed. Awesome video, bad ass print! 🤘🏼
Sweet this is good advice. I think we do most of these things, but we are probably doing it wrong.
The Print Life We’re probably all doing it wrong. Lol
With the air compressor i have a filter where the airline hooks to the compressor and i have one @ the quick connection. I powder coat and was having issues with grim in my air haven’t had a problem since
alan harneck can I get one on amazon.
The Print Life yeah lowes harbor freight home depot. The one by the gun is called an inline air filter
I had good luck taking some reclaimer on a rag and dabbing it on the problem area then spraying it out again worked great.
thanks man your video was very educational. I have a apparel company and im looking to start screen printing myself
What up Cam! So I force dry all my screens with an $18 box fan from Home Depot. It works pretty well, you just gotta make sure you have a clean, dust free environment so random crud doesn’t get stuck to the emulsion while it’s wet. But for the most, force drying eliminates any chance or scum or water bs.
Agree completely. I figured out our issue we have a window unit that hangs in the dark room makes it damp as shit. I have to get an industrial dehumidifier, in there.
Great vlog Cam..!!
To keep debris out of clean screens after reclaiming and degreasing I box them. This sounds crazy maybe but in an effort to have top quality stencils I do not coat them until the day before the job when possible and try not to keep emulsion that has not been exposed on screens more than a few days - after they dry overnight I rebox them (and feel the cardboard helps absorb even more moisture because here in South Florida we have high humidity). It's been working great BUT you have to really be on top of your management game. Funny thing is if your not and you coat right away you still end up not having a screen when you need it. This forces the issue and decreases waste.
For the humidity issue in Phoenix I may be talking out my butt because I haven't tried it but a million years ago I was into aquariums and terrariums. In the pet trade they used to have automatic terrarium misters/sprayers that were programmable (both in volume and in how often they spray).. They were inexpensive. I'm sure they are much more advanced now. I think I would try that and a hygrometer to measure humidity and try and get a good balance - the smaller the area and the less moving air the easier it would be to control but at the very least make sure the shop door is down. Maybe you could maintain a workable balance? Anyway just a thought for what it's worth..
Nice tips, I will implement all of them and report back when I get it sorted out.
How do you dry your shirts
Do u flash dry the white before putting on the green? Or put green on directly after white while it’s wet?
Hey man! Honest question here.. Is there any reason as to why you wash your screens bottom to top? I feel like that would make the possibility of emulsion streaming back down into your cleared areas way bigger. I've always learned (the hard way often, thanks dad!) that you wash top to bottom so you don't have dirty water running down over the parts you just cleaned.
I'd love to hear your input! :)
Greetz!
old habit mostly. I spray back down from the top when im done to rinse any residual emulsion.
Try using a shop vac with a wide flat attachment. It works like a charm.
that's a great idea. Shop vac to the rescue as always.
thanks for sharing, may i ask you some question.? what about the measurement beetween sensitizer and photo emulsion.?
thanks in advance
Do you coat screen with thin or dull side? Nice video.
just a dumb question but did you consider doing a half tone on the white instead of using gray? ( two screens might be better than three?)
Could be a cool effect,expecialy If I used like a 20 pine per inch, but I did not consider it at the time.
@@ThePrintLife shit man. I gotta start my consulting bidness.
@@zendixie Haha dont do that! No one likes Consultants.
Hey Cam, how did you set up the dryer to cure water base and plastisol together? Same temp but longer dwell?
After I spray out the image, I use newspaper to dry screens and keep any un exposed emulsion out of the open mesh. Take a sheet of newspaper, lay it over the back and lightly rub your hand all over it. Use that piece to wipe the farmer a little...repeat other side with a fresh dry piece of newspaper. I've never had an issue doing this. Vastex use to sell an attachment for a wet/dry shop vac...but it's super simple to make yourself.
:)
Excellent video. So how do you change your workflow to account for the summer weather? It's obviously not the material's fault so something in the workflow has to change.
what chemical you used for removing image on the screen mesh?
You have to add an air dryer to your compressor to clean the air coming out of your compressor
hey cam what emlusion are you using thanks steve
We use all kinds right now I love marukami T9
I blow the water out of the stencils with an air hose and finish drying them with a box fan. We have hard water where I am and I've never had a problem.
Are u flashing in between each color?
I'm just learning so this is probably a dumb question, but do you need to cure each color before laying down the next?
I have a shop vac and blow them out after I wash out screens........ I use it specifically for that..... I never use it as a vacuum, just a blower. I was tired of the compressor turning on constantly. And making noise when my customers walk in
Fred Vitolas that’s a great idea. I wouldn’t think the blower on you vac outputs enough airflow...
Cam yeah man if you get one with enough HP it will work great
I use a blowdryer to dry after cleaning/before coating and after washing out my image...its take about 4 minutes to dry them by hand and cuts down in the issue greatly as well as time to try.
Nice, It doesnt pop the mesh?
I have heard blow-dryer can be bad for the mesh. The heat can tend to mess it up. Never tried it though.
thank you Cam for this video,.. i also have trouble using waterbase ink to get a smooth print i use Plasticharge ink,... thx
ardhy samjaya good point I need to at least give it a shot.
what is the best size screen mesh to use on a adult t shirt
What are you using in making stencil? Thank you
Was that a hole in the first window you cleaned?! looked kinda bright when you were cleaning it :(
plastisol + wb - i never thought it's possible. thank you very much
Hey Cam,
Dude I had the same scum thing, I thinks its actually some watered down (unexposed) emulsion hardening. Im pretty sure it comes from the thicker beads of emulsion on the edges. What I always do is post expose for 30 seconds and then pressure wash the screen again. This has fixed this 100% without the air compressor. It takes like 1 minute extra time per screen. The rest is drying time. Try and it a see if that works for you.
Ahh thats a great idea. post expose but is the screen still wet when you do?
@@ThePrintLife no the key is you gotta dry it before post expose. Post expose a little not a lot because that's when you get that baked in film on the screen opening. Then blow out again with your water cannon 🙂
Have you ever used a table top press ? And if so any tips ? I’m starting out n have sold a few but it’s still a pain.
Yes we had the vastex for years, as long as it has micros you are good to go, If it has no micros I would only do one color jobs on it.
The Print Life Got it !, looks like I’m sticking to 1 color jobs for now 😂.
This is all great info. I've been having trouble with residue in my screens and now I can experiment with all the different solutions you guys have suggested.
Sir How you align the multicolor acetate design in to the screen
What printer should I buy for silk screening?
i usually wipe bottom of the screen with semi-wet sponge and clean with dyr cloth. keep doing that after several pass. it works everytime :)
Nice tip
That’s kinda what I do, I spray the screen lightly with water and wipe it clean right a old clean T-shirt, works every time
Link to other video says it is unavailable. Would love to see your workflow on the seps for this design! When will it be available?
It will be up On Monday morning.
Late to the show; it's been a busy week!
Did I see a mist spray in the background of the registration filming?
If so, does that help with the water based?
I hate water based too. Central Florida.
I really like your sprayer, where can I get it? Is it part of the pressure washer or just regular water like a garden hose?
its a seperate piece, You can buy it on Amazon, Link in the description.
How do you align the shirts between color flashes?
Personally I got to where I like water base better BUT you have to work at it to keep it wet and still it’s tough.
Pros: I love the feel of the ink, if you get any on you when working with it rubs right off and not ALL over EVERYTHING like plastisol, cleaning up is so much easier, if you use something like glow in the dark ink it shows lots better.
Cons: you have to print fast and not let it set between prints, if printing multiple colors and you have 8 substrates like me I just print one color and clean the screen each color so it is more work, if you put vinyl on top of the print the vinyl will turn loose after a few washes.
I got to where I post harden everything and put hardener on the screens. Also I rarely ever use tape anymore but use the water base block because it sets quick and won’t come off when printing like tape has when printing water base ink. Not using tape is another savings. Also I use an air compressor as well but I also use a small yet powerful batter pack leaf blower to blow the openings out and dry the screen. My blower is a DeWalt because I had batteries for it already but I’ve tried other brands and they work just as good as far as I can tell. That leaf blower was a great investment, about $100 without the batteries.
I enjoy your videos so keep it up!
For sure man. We dont just find it tough during the summer we cant do more than one color. I'm sure we are doing something wrong. But dang!
To help prevent screen gunk instead of putting the wet freshly cleaned screen directly in your rack where it lays flat and water will puddle leave it up at an angle for a few minutes first so the water can runoff to the bottom off the screen this preventing the water from drying on the design and causing hard water stains. I use to have the same problem until i started leaving my screens in the rinse tub for 5 minutes before putting into the rack. Havent had a single hard spot since starting that practice.
If it's the lack of humidity causing your summer problems, have you thought of using a humidifier in the shop?
9:30 What is that template that you use and where can I get it?
Hey Cam, do you have a video on your screen coating rig? I'd like to make one for my employee to use since he cant understand the concept of coating with one hand. Thanks!
No buts its on ebay for like 15 buck.
@@ThePrintLife Sweeet. I'll search for it. Thanks, bud.
How many points (in illustrator) is your underbase smaller than top color?
thats what I was asking you guys, I cant make the conversion, don't know how.
@@ThePrintLife I like millimeters for my small measurements. Turns out that the mesh
size is also in millimeters/1000 so .2 trap is twice as large as mesh on an 83/100 screen
Can you tell me a good product to reclaim the screen?
Strip-E-Doo from a company named FranMar. It is an emulsion remover and degreaser in one.
@@Tim.McElheny thanks a lot, appreciate it.
we use easyclean supra.
@@ThePrintLife Hey Thanks buddy. Have a nice day.
Do you measure your side clamps for your designs?
For water-based, keep a damp rag and periodically wipe the screen after printing (without flooding) to reopen the stencil before the dry ink builds up. Make sure you dry it well before you print again.
Ah as part if production. Just wipe the inside periodically. Not a bad idea.
1st Question: Possible problem: Emulsion on the screen isnt fully exposed. The water dripping down while its drying is pulling emulsion into the openings and exposing once it dries. Best thing to combat this is an air compressor. Just air down the excess water.
For what it is worth, what I do with water base is that I always spray a little bit of water before my first test pass. It helps clear the clugs if there is. Then I always spray one shot of water (especially on white) over my flood after each shirt.
Nice tip.
I have problems with the hard water all the time because of my location. I always pat dry and then wipe the screens with a clean towel and then put them in my DIY heated drying cabinet for about 15-30 minutes. Then I put them out in the sun. I tried blowing the screens out with air for a while but just took too long to do larger designs with the blower nozzles I have.
This might help... www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-High-Flow-Air-Blow-Gun-w-Ergonomic-Resin-Handle/1000404941
It would be dope if you made a video of the DIY cabinet.
I keep dry to towels and dry the entire outside. If there is underexposed emulsion water buildup running down the screen tends to leave a little emulsion residue
Can you use the same towels on multiple screens?
@@ThePrintLife yeah. Well I use a cloth rag. As long as the rag is only collecting the water, should be all good for multiple uses. I was having that problem. Then I started wiping all the extra water collected on the frame. Inside the frame also, but not on screen. The edges would be fine. When you lay your screen in the sun, the water trapped on the frame runs down picking up any non hardened emulsion. Just eliminate the water buildup. Also running a clean squeegee down the screen works also. I just prefer the cloth rag. Running a squeegee makes me nervous on the wet emulsion.
I saw your other video about making a cheap 30 dollar press. I made one out of some scrap wood in the shop, and I have 4 sets of jiffy clamps. My question is, how can I do more than one color with this setup?
I usually hit it with water hose with hose spray on it. After I degreased and i would not get the scum build up after they dried
Use an electric leaf blower. I burn & reclaim 100+ screens per week and never have an issue with residue because of this. It also helps to soft rinse (no pressure) the less light exposed side as the emulsion will be softer on this side .It helps to avoid pinholes and residue(which is the scum that you were talking about). Blow out with leaf blower, then set on drying rack in the darkroom. As long as uv light hasn't hit the screen after washout, the residue can still be rinsed out.
Have you ever printed with union plasticharge?
No I have not tried it, How do you like it?
I like it, not exactly sure if discharging placticol inks are the same as water based inks.
Hi Dear
I don't know why this link of Video ( Photoshop spot color sep video @ } Doesn't working
@
Sorry about that I decided to what to upload it till monday.
The Print Life
Ok brother
Thanks you for your response
What brand press are you using? I'm looking into presses at the moment.
Im using the Anatol Thunder, Full review will be posted monday morning.
Cam: I use a small harbor freight air compressor to blow off most of the screen and then I have a regular fan in the dry room while the screen lays horizontal. Love your site and all the tips you share with us...gag reflex...I share your pain.
Can you also tell me about what was on your board for your registration marks !!!?
HI. THERE YOUR VIDEO PHOTOSHOP SPOT COLOR SEP DO NOT WORK PLEASE CHECK
It will post on monday
Besides the little hiccups they are still badass , love the shirts need me one!
Sweet, I may put these projects up on theprintlife.com after I do a few more projects.
What computer program do you use?
Two questions.
Are you still using the 50 watt led in your exposure unit?
What are your curing parameters for HSA under plastisol?
Thanks!
On this I preheat the pallets to about 120 degrees and flash for 3 seconds.
I’m talking about in the dryer. Just hit 320?
Recently I’ve had a few screens with something blocking part of the image, only to notice after setting up on press.... I’ve had some success using the spot gun to blast it out from a short distance, being careful not to hit anything except the image area too much.
Haha nice.
Printed Stitches sounds like “slime” which is under exposure.
I noticed you had your portable press out. Do you use it often, or do a live show recently?
Yea we use it allot, event season is among us the schedule is getting packed for the next year.
What happened to your LED setup? 15 second exposure time?
after some use we jumped to 20 seconds, the 5 seconds is how long it takes to turn on
make sure your emulsion isn't under exposed and or it is rinse completely... corner to corner and edge to edge. Also an air compressor with a simple air nozzle works really well to avoid the clear scum in the image area of a new screen.
How to reclaim your screen? What materials needed? Thank you
its gonna sound gross, but saliva breaks down emulsion. ill put a little on the area, doesnt work well enough to break down exposed areas, but little pieces that are in the print area come right out. SAME thing for that haze in the new burned screen. i find that opener doesnt actually get it out as well as a little bit of spit. is what it is.
Yes, that's The oldest trick in the book!
Also, before doing The first pass with water based inks, use a spray bottle AND spray a little water on top of the screen, AND inmediately do the pass. This will make it smoother for the ink ti flow on the screen. Use it as needed. I live in a city that has the same weather conditions as Phoenix, or worst!! 45-50 degres un the Sumner, and the method works
Haha you a messing with me on this, for sure,
Cool studio
Great video Cam-O! 2 or 3 cents: air compressor - if it worked for you without issues, fix it man and start using again! Water Based struggles - Just use plastisol LOL - i can't do water based ink because it WILL DRY UP - i have too many things going on at once to successfully use waterbased ink.
i got all fired up seeing the "they live" art.
cam: where can you get the rapid reg from ???
Im pretty sure its rapidreg.com
@@ThePrintLife It's rapidreg.net ;) Looks like a cool system, I might need to try it out.
Damn Skolnick did you use a pocket protector to part your hair?
Hey Cam, look into getting a 360 mist bottle. It gives out a super fine mist and it's only about 8 buck!
Great advice advice, We have some they work so much better than the regular spray bottles
just doing at night,switch off the fan but if your studio hv a a.c unit its okay.. seem like ur paste is too thick.. but here in Malaysia or Indonesia printees we use the reducer or just use the binder... and mix altogether with slow dry agent (for slowing the dry factor and anticlog)
Great Design and Screenprint. 👍 That's alot of squeegee work. Definitely should try to get an automatic screen printer. Big Bucks.
I'm sure you have figured it out by now but there is oil separators and filters you can get for air compressors and connect them inline
a few months late but oll throw in my input anyways. as far as drying box fan would be your best bet but you risk blowing loose dirt or dust into the screen. far as cleaning the scum build up might be underexposed. if I get a screen glog I just hit it with a little degreaser and let it dry or my supplier showed me this stuff called screen opener that worked pretty good.
print 100% Polister
key points
- Heat temperature
- type of ink
- Drying time
I have a water softener system that I use when reclaiming to prevent any hard water build up.
Realy? Just run the hose outlet through. Before going to the nozzle?
I had an additional outlet set up in the garage to wash my ride. And now it comes in play for reclaiming.
Water based is like solvent based inks from the days or yore, once you get a color actually printing, DON'T STOP UNLESS THERE"S A FIRE AND THE FIRE HAS FINALLY REACHED YOUR PART OF THE BUILDING. Then you can think about stopping printing. I'm talking about printing on poster board, plastics and shade vinyl back in the dark ages before UV cure inks. You didn't really want to even stop for lunch because when you came back you and your press helper would have to get mineral spirits and rags and wipe down both sides of the screen at the same time. Fun times.
Haha so tru. Try filming your self with multiple angles while printing with it. Nightmare!
Haven't used my equipment in over 5 years... we have really hard water. When j washed out stencil lay a flat piece of newspaper on screen.. soaks up water..no lint
hey cam,nice to watch your video Whenever I watch you I always think how you decide the final costing of a screen print?
Like if you make 10-20 pcs it might cost you higher (in price ad time both), like creating frames for just 10-20 pcs?
I have a question you do business online or offline ?Cam ,please reply my comment I will be waiting for your reply, because from the starting when I started watching your channel I always had this question in mind..
Occasionally I see what appears to be a humidifier running. Why?
Hi Cam...this may sound foolish but...because of the HEAT would a humidifier or dehumidifier work. I live in Ontario Canada not far from Toronto my house CARPETS get damn in the heat i have to use a dehumidifier always Maybe it might help in your shop. Just a suggestion. Cheers☕
I dry the screens in the oven. I use same temp and airflow settings as for dark tshirts, just nocks up the speed a bit. And if it's not dry at first run I just put it in the oven again.
How's it work? How long in the oven?