# ink blotches on silk screen



## GarageMutiny (Mar 6, 2018)

so im running into issues with this print i made 

screen-160 mesh 
ink is water based white opaque

but its not going on like it should i flood it pretty good then pull and flood again but when i lift its blotchy in some areas 

and the ink is really thick for water based i've already added some water to thin it out and it seemed to work in some spots better than others, now im curious to see if i should add more water and make it as thin as speedball inks or not or somewhere in-between.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

Opaque ink is thick, else it wouldn't cover over dark garments, so don't go crazy on the thinning. That said, you do need to add water after returning used ink to the bucket in order to compensate for moisture lost to the air and emulsion. I find it best to keep fresh unused ink separate from used ink so I always have a reference of what fresh ink looks like.

You will not get sufficient coverage in one hit. You need to Print/Flash/Print ... and maybe some more.

Try this:
Flood
Wet Stroke
Dry Stroke
Flood
Wet Stroke
Dry Stroke
Flood
> Should be pretty even, but light coverage
Flash
Wet Stroke
Dry Stroke
Flood
> Should be passable, or hit it again for extra "pop" if needed/desired
Flash
Wet Stroke
Dry Stroke

See if that gets you closer to what you want.

Also, I started out using a Pull stroke, but it is well worth learning to Push stroke. Besides being easier on your body, it is a better workflow (pulling to flood, pushing to print).

Other random things:
- Set the squeegee at a bit of an angle, side to side, relative to the horizontal weave of the mesh, AND to any major horizontal lines in the design. Else sometimes the squeegee will catch and sort of digin, causing a stumble in your stroke and maybe pushing ink all the way through the garment.
- If your coverage remains uneven, try printing harder, more firmly. You can get away with printing pretty damn hard ... unless the design has large open areas and/or the mesh isn't very tight.


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## GarageMutiny (Mar 6, 2018)

Thanks for the reply, this is the screen I tried again today and I flooded did one pass and pulled went to check and it did the same thing when I pulled up its blotchy and thick still could it be my in Kanji at old and crappy? It's the one that came with the kit and sat for a while.


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## GarageMutiny (Mar 6, 2018)

Thanks for the reply, this is the screen I tried again today and I flooded did one pass and pulled went to check and it did the same thing when I pulled up its blotchy and thick still could it be my in Kanji at old and crappy? It's the one that came with the kit and sat for a while.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

Are you using off contact? I know some people print water base without off contact, but I find it best to use an 1/8 inch, or so. If the mesh is trying to stay stuck to the ink on the shirt, then you need more off contact and/or a tighter screen.

Do a dry stroke after the wet stroke, then look at the result.


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## GarageMutiny (Mar 6, 2018)

update: got it sorted it there wasnt enough off contact as was mentioned and the shirts came out great .


thanks for those tips nox


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