# Pre-Treat cure times



## Florimonte (Feb 25, 2007)

Here's a combo of FastInk pre-treat questions:

I'm doing great with the pretreat for dark shirts w/ white undercoat. Here's what I've gathered from this site and it seems to be working for me: Lightly mist with water / nice even coat of pretreat for dark shirts / brush down the fibers / heat press lightly @ 330 for 10 secs with quilan parchment / remove the parchment and heat press again for 10 secs / print the image / heat press lightly @ 300 for 180 secs with the silicon parchment to cure the ink.

So what are the variables for using FastColor and Fastbright: Water spray before the pretreat? Times to press the pretreat? Use Quilan parchment over pretreat when pressing? Final print/ink cure times and which if any parchment?

Mostly the reason I ask is because the directions on the back of the bottles give a little different directions than what is said here (and in fact, are different than some of the videos on the US Screen web sites). What works for you using todays pretreats.

As always- BIG thanks!!!

Thomas @ Ka-Blam


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## TahoeTomahawk (Apr 12, 2006)

10 seconds seems too short. I noticed that the water doesn't start to evaporate until 12-15 seconds.

We do 330 first press very light pressure for 20 - 25 seconds, then open up let steam escape. Second press hard pressure for 10 - 15 seconds to get the fibers nice and flat.


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## Florimonte (Feb 25, 2007)

*TahoeTomahawk*,
Are these times you use for the pretreat for dark shirts? The US Screen video shows the guy doing it for 5 - 7 secs.
What do you use for the other two pretreats?

Thomas @ Ka-Blam


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## TahoeTomahawk (Apr 12, 2006)

Hi Thomas, 
I've never seen that video. Also I've never heard of anyone doing such a short cure time for pre-treatment on dark shirts.

For the FastColor, we do not spray with water, we just do a 10 second pre-press the shirt to get it warm and lay the fibers down as much as possible. We spray on the FastColor (it doesn't need as much as the pre-treat for darks), then we press for 10-15 seconds then print.
FastColor works great.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Adam the way I read the post above was that they are pressing 2 times of 10 seconds which is 20 seconds total. This is what I do and it works great. One 10 second press with the quilan paper and One 10 second press without it. 

As far as the fast color pretreat. I just spray a light layer of fast color and brush it down. I then dry the pretreat the same as I do for the dark pretreat. Its not really necessary to do the misting of distilled water with it, as that is done to keep the dark shirt from staining, but the fast color does not leave any color on the shirt.


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

I pretreat for upto 40seconds each shirt. This is because I put the shirt into the heatpress, and then go-off to pre-treat anoher t-shirt while that is curing. No problems with 40-50seconds for me.


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## Florimonte (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks yall...
When using the fast color pretreat (light/white shirts) cure the print 120 seconds @ 330 degrees (FastInk3)?

What about the times/settings (water and such) using FastBright (light colored shirts USING an undercoat)?



Thomas @ Ka-Blam


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## adrenaline (Aug 1, 2008)

I pretret 1st press for about 20 -30 sec and then lift lid and of paper let stem escape then put down paper again and re press. I need paper down as i do not have a no stick surface on the hix press ( swingman) and with out paper on second hard press it seems to stick.


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

How do you guys cure white shirts? Our white shirts keep turning yellow which I assume means the pre-treatment is getting burnt. 

I do 10 seconds for the pretreatment and 1 minute to cure the ink. It burns some point during the curing. This is how I was instructed to do it in training but we can't seem to get white shirts to not stain/burn.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

have you checked your heat press to make sure it is regulating the right temp? sometimes they might be off by a few degrees. I would try doing 325 degrees and see if that works better. That is what temp I use.


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

It's at 330. I will give 325 a try..


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## adrenaline (Aug 1, 2008)

Have you tested you haet press for temp. Some of them can be out by over 50degress. Th echeaper ones have hot spots and the thermostates are not + or - 3 but + or - 10 or even more. Use a heat teater gun or prob to test the platen heat on the press. It sounds to me like oyur heat press is over heating or the Thermostate is out.


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

It's brand new (though I've been tricked before) so I would hope it's not out. It was also a couple thousand dollars if I remember correctly.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

It doesnt matter if it is brand new, any heat press can have a problem with the heating element  I would check it just to make sure  It is true that each heat press can vary a certain amount of degrees, that was why I suggested lowering your temp a little and see how that works. I would also do a wash test on a garment to make sure the cure is good. Hope this helps


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

I washed the shirt after and the ink held. What would I use to test that the thermostat on the press is accurate?


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

If you look at harbor frieght they have a heat temp gun that you can use, or they have digital heat strips that work well also.


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

Thank you!


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## adrenaline (Aug 1, 2008)

Buy a heat testing gun or prob try to use infa red rather than a touch porb thta is a round shape as you will not get all the prob on the platen. Some probs are desinged to be pushed into things needle like shape and you should not use one of these as you will not et full surface coverage of the prob. You want a heat tester for a flat enviroment, and when you test test a few areas as all you need is one spot hotter that the rest. It is very commin for elements to have a hot spot in them.


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## rhl (Jul 2, 2008)

I got the infra red gun. It should be here later today. Thanks for the input!


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## adrenaline (Aug 1, 2008)

No problems mate, I do hope you sort it all out and all ends up well for you.
Grant


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

An IR temperature gun does not work well at measuring the temperature of heat platens on heat presses. The IR guns measure radiated heat and work well with heat sources such as conveyor dryers. However a heat press platen uses contact heat. Using an IR gun can result in reading of 100-150 degrees difference then the actual platen temperature. To accurately measure a heat press platen you need to use a pyrometer with a surface probe thermocouple.

Harry


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## adrenaline (Aug 1, 2008)

I use a IR prob which was recomended and it works fine. I hold the prob about 1mm form surface and it gives a very accurate reading. The prob I have is what is used in the RAAF base hear for testing the temps on the FA-18 Hornet engine exterior. I would have thought the the Air force would not use junk. I found touch probs do not work as good as alot of them have been desing as a round shape and you cannot proper full prob contact with the surface. Most needle type probs are desing to be inserted into something not touch the surface.


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

It depends on what the heat press element surface is coated with. This came straight from a couple of heat press manufacturers. This is why Geo Knight recommends a surface probe kit - Geo Knight & Co Inc - Heat Presses Heat Press Machines Heat Press Machinery. The IR gun bounces refracts off the heating press element and gives an improper reading. Other ones will work with an IR gun. Call your heat press manufacturer and ask them what they recommend for the heating element.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

I have a pyrometer with surface probe purchased from EquipmentZone and a Fluke IR temp gun. When using a PhoenixPhire heat press, the two differ by 1 degree measuring the center of the heating element.

What DAGuide says about heating element surface must be true (didn't know it until I read it and tested it) as my Seiki heat press has a 12 degree difference between the two instruments.

Both elements have a black coating that appears to be non-stick but there must be some difference to cause the temperature readings to vary.

Basically, everyone is right lol.

BTW Thanks EquipmentZone, that pyrometer and nomex pad I purchased from you saved me from tossing my Seiki. Well worth the money.


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## whatevers13 (Jun 17, 2008)

Try and call you supplier and see if they can get you a teflon sock, it's a big teflon sheet that you put onto your heating element and it goes on like a sock hence Teflon sock I use it and I have no problem with scroching of white shirts


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## SickPuppy (Aug 10, 2009)

I am new to DTG but I just finished a run of 50 red shirts. I found that the water mist works great and I also brushed the shirt after applying the pretreatment. Something that also helped was reducing the pressure when curing the ink. I use just enough pressure to keep the press closed. The press has pressure readout and it reads 0. When I press the pretreatment I set it to 6 it helps press down the fibers.

You could see a difference in the first few shirts compared to the rest. The first few I was not doing the water mist or brush down.


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