# correct procedure on application of emulsion on silk screen and after drying



## jay_are (Jul 7, 2008)

hello everybody,

just want to ask help on the correct procedure on application of emulsion on silk screen and after drying, what should be the next steps for me to be able to print t-shirts. thank you!!!


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## A Perfect Pixel (Jul 4, 2008)

*Re: silk screen printing*

for best results, use a scoop coater...

I've heard of people using a squeegee, but I would imagine it makes a lot of waste

the next step would be Drying your screen... do it overnight with a fan nearby (not close) or you could use a hair dryer (just keep it in motion or you might burn a hole in your screen)

After that... expose your art!


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## rfdoomedyouth (May 26, 2008)

*Re: silk screen printing*

you apply emulsion to the screen with a scoop coater.. Emulsion Scoop Coater (New Design, Dual Coating Edge)
you let the screen dry ink side down. in complete darkness. a fan helps speed the drying process.
heres a video on applying emulsion.. YouTube - Basic Screen Printing - Step 3 - Screen Preparation
1.degrease screen-dry screen completely
2.apply emulsion-dry completely print side down.
3.make artwork- print to transparency.
4.burn artwork on screen.
5.washout.dry completely
6.tape up screen-load with ink
7.pull a squeegee


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## jay_are (Jul 7, 2008)

hi woodward,

thank you very much for the information you've just posted in reply with my querry. i'm just a new member of the forum.

jay_are


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## rfdoomedyouth (May 26, 2008)

no problem everyone has been super helpful to me!
and I'm new too.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

jay_are said:


> .... help on the correct procedure on application of emulsion on silk screen and after drying, what should be the next steps for me to be able to print t-shirts.


Direct Emulsion Video
http://www.ulano.com/video/EmulsionStencilUlano20min.wmv

Coating FAQ Page
Coating FAQ of Screen Making Products


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## ukmlb (Oct 26, 2008)

I know this is an old post but i am wondering if anyone could help as i am confused as to why you have to dry emulsion print side down would you have to place frame on blocks so not to disturb the emulsion if so why not just squeegee side face down?? hope you can help really apprecieted!!!


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

*How do you know when the stencil is dry?*

*Dry Is Critical*
A dry stencil is critical. After coating, moisture in the stencil blocks UV energy and blocks the cross linking action triggered by UV energy.

After developing, moisture makes the stencil weak and it may break down on the press because it is soft inside.

Dry air is the best way to dry the stencil. Humidity is relative depending on the heat of the air. Heat will expand the air in a room so it can hold more moisture, but dry air is best. That is why a dehumidifier is the best method of drying the air in a room, that will suck the moisture from you stencil. 

Mother Nature hates imbalance. With 35% relative room humidity and 62% moisture in a stencil (38% solids), the dryer air sucks the moisture out of the stencil. If it rained last night and the humidity is 70%, why would the moisture leave the stencil.








Buy a US$10 to US$20 hygrometer/relative humidity gauge, to measure your drying room. After a night in your dehumidified room, it will read it's lowest. When you start to coat, the Rh% will rise. 

As the dehumidifier reclaims the moisture the stencils have given up, the room will return to it's lowest Rh% and you will know all the screens *are as dry as you can make them.









Drying the stencil
*You should dry the stencil with the inside facing up. As it dries, gravity will move the liquid emulsion to the bottom of the mesh. You want as much of the stencil as possible on the bottom, to control the image, especially since the majority of the emulsion you coated is *water*, that will evaporate, leaving only solids. 

Capillary film should also be dried with the inside up because the polyester backing sheet will inhibit evaporation.


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## LBRPromos (Apr 21, 2010)

How come when i coat my screens some come out nice and clean, and some come out with fish eyes? What causes the screens to do this?


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## Tj Ryonet Tech (Jul 28, 2008)

It could be either dust in the area you are drying them in or contaminants int he mesh prior to coating from the reclaim process. Be sure to degrease as your last step. Dry and store in a clean and dry environment as well.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

*Why do I get fisheyes in my stencil?*

I agree with TJ that there is some contamination on your mesh.

A fisheye is a 'thinning defect' - a residue on the mesh surface that causes the wet emulsion to resist that area creating a thinner film of emulsion that has less color. 

Everybody knows that oils in stencil remover, solvents, ink and water don't mix. Any oil or oily dust particle on the mesh will lead to a change in emulsion flow over that mesh. The emulsion will be pushed away by the oily residues on the mesh and you end up with a thin spot in the coating. In many cases, the frame can still contaminated with residue from inks that are most likely to stick to your hand. If you touch your mesh after you handle the frame, those contaminants are transferred to the mesh.

If you use a power washer during degreasing, chances are that the water spray is not only hitting the screen, but also the walls of your washout booth. The spray picks up contaminants you just removed and re-deposits them on the screen. If you de-ink, reclaim, and degrease in the same washout booth, all the things you want to remove can end up right back on the mesh.

To prevent this blow-back from re-contaminating your screens, flood the screen with a high volume of water under low pressure. Rinse until the screen runs free of bubbles and water sheets across the mesh smoothly without showing voids.

Beware - even water drops left in the mesh will also leave thinner, weak spots when the stencil dries.

*Homework*
To check if your mesh is clean, *pour *water on the mesh and see if it forms a smooth sheet of water across the mesh. If the water sheets, it's clean.

The next time you coat, put some 1 inch oily test smears at the bottom edge of your coat:


cold cream
butter
fingerprint after rubbing your forehead
vegetable oil

or consider a coating test of only degreasing one half of your mesh.

Like the best night time beauty routine, the best cleaner doesn't leave any residue on the surface it cleaned.

Consider the lovely smell left on dark laundry, kitchen and bath surfaces to show they are clean. That "lemon fresh smell' is a pine, lime or orange oil that can cause fisheyes.


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