# Washing out screen in shower



## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

Hi guys,

So here is what I do. I expose my screen using a 500W (overhead) exposure unit. Then I go to my shower and wet both sides let sit for about 30 seconds and then wet again. Wait 30 seconds.

Then I use the high pressure setting on my detachable shower to wash the emulsion out. It takes a good minute of high pressure before it starts to wash out, then it goes pretty fast.

IS that normal? Should I be doing something else?

Thanks.


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## Keysgeek (May 15, 2012)

Depends on the emulsion, some wash out quicker than others, also depends on thickness. It's about the same for me when I wash screens. I now run my hand over the entire screen to give a light scrub, this tends to help it get started.


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

Make a dunk tank to soak the screens in, using only water. I still use a home made dunk tank with 4 automatic presses running 8-10 hours a day. A friend of mine gave me a Boing 747 trash can and we made a wheeled base for it. It holds 3- 25x36 frames or smaller at a time. Soaking the burned screens for 5-7 minutes before washing our will save tons of time and water. You can also have the next screen burned before washing out the previous. I ran my business from my home for a coupel years, so I learned all the short cuts/time savers. I would also put a metal window screen, or two in your drain. It will save you in the future from plumber bills by catching all the bigger particulates.


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

coupel years, 

Couple of years. 

You can soak screens for 10-15 minutes as long as you dry completely before printing. This does increase dry time by a little, but well worth it in the long run.


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## Keysgeek (May 15, 2012)

I will definitely try soaking, good tip.. Thank you


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

To make the washout much quicker and no soaking. Take a white scrub pad and your pressure setting and scrub the shirt side the the ink side. After the initial scrub on the ink side never hit that side again. You can always scrub the ink side again but don't use pressure on that side. 

When using photopolymer emulsion you won't be able to soak long at all. This all we use unless doing waterbase or discharge.


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## coppone (Mar 27, 2011)

HardEdge said:


> Make a dunk tank to soak the screens in, using only water. I still use a home made dunk tank with 4 automatic presses running 8-10 hours a day. A friend of mine gave me a Boing 747 trash can and we made a wheeled base for it. It holds 3- 25x36 frames or smaller at a time. Soaking the burned screens for 5-7 minutes before washing our will save tons of time and water.


so after you soak the screen for a couple of minutes you just wash it out regularly? and it works out perfect?


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

coppone said:


> so after you soak the screen for a couple of minutes you just wash it out regularly? and it works out perfect?


This has worked "perfect" for us. With 230 - 355 mesh, sometimes the image only takes 3 - 5 seconds per side ( 6 - 10 seconds ) to wash out after soaking. Been such a long time since I've used low pressure ( use controlled 2800 psi now), but know our soak tank is a great, time saving thing. Mesh count emulsion choice, and coating techniques will affect overall results. Hard Edge utilizes 800 roller frames, and we process about 65 per day and try to hold for 7-10 days for reorders, doubling up left chests with backs when possible. We use pure photo polymer emulsion on most jobs ( plastisol ) using two part emulsion for discharge/water-base with similar washing results.


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## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm using a pure photopolymer as my emulsion (plastisol) and I will definitely try the soaking. These designs are designs that I will be using over and over and over. You said that you try to keep them for 7-10 days, if I soak it can I keep it for longer than 7-10 days? I'm thinking at least 5+ months...

Thanks.


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## 20vK (Jul 9, 2011)

Yes, once your screen is washed out and dry - you can keep it for ages.

If you are going to do a tone if prints on the screen, you could even wipe some emulsion hardner on it to toughen up the emulsion. It will be harder to wash out, though. So my advice would be to leave the hardner until you are more familiar with the "standard" exposure and washout process

Richie


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## 20vK (Jul 9, 2011)

Sorry - not harder to wash out; you'll already have done that. Harder to reclaim.


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

jwaldmann said:


> I'm using a pure photopolymer as my emulsion (plastisol) and I will definitely try the soaking. These designs are designs that I will be using over and over and over. You said that you try to keep them for 7-10 days, if I soak it can I keep it for longer than 7-10 days? I'm thinking at least 5+ months...
> 
> Thanks.



I keep some screens for a year or more for monthly accounts, like birthday tees for bars, retail accounts, and licensed designs. I have done runs of 20k+ without issues, and monthly orders of 300+ for 6-8 months before break downs. I was just stating I keep all screens for 7-10 days for the occasional " we need 30 more ". It just saves us time and money if we still have the screens. Our sales team calls every customer before reclaim to see if reorders are possible soon.


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## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

sben763 said:


> When using photopolymer emulsion you won't be able to soak long at all. This all we use unless doing waterbase or discharge.



So you don't soak the screens or you do...

So far the consensus that I am seeing is that you should soak your screens in water for about 5 minutes...

Am I right?


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

I don't. I use pure photopolymer. I take a hose and a white pad. Start on shirt side use sprayer and white pad lightly scrub while spraying and then the ink side let sit 30 sec and spray out. I have a video I will try to upload to YouTube. I actually have one there but it has a members artwork on it and I made it private. Ill post link once I upload new video.


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## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

What do you mean by white pad?


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Didn't know you should soak for that long. I normally use the Screen Wash to get the Ink off. Then let it air dry outside so the Screen Wash scent goes away. When I'm ready to wash, I squirt both sides with Power Washer. Then I use Reclaimer. Scrub both sides and power wash for a minute or so. If the image is ghosted on I use a Dehazer or haze reducer. 

Sounds like some of you are only using water to remove the emulsion. Is that correct or are you just saying to soak longer to make it easier to remove the emulsion?

If what you're saying works, I'll buy a Bottle Recycling container. Looks like it'll take a few screens.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

Most screen supply stores will have scrub pads. White(fine) red(medium) blue(course). You can also get them from cleaning supply stores and even Lowes, Home Depot or Menards. In flooring departments or cleaning. Just make sure they say NON ABRASIVE. some have abrasive materials embedded in the pad and will mess up screen.


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## ericsson2416 (Aug 29, 2007)

I also do the shower washout. After soaking each side I grab a small bunch of toilet paper and rub it over the design which seems to either loosen up the emulsion of rough it up enough its then ready to wash out. Cheap and effective.


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## Flash Gordon (Mar 28, 2011)

After exposure saturate both sides of screen with water and let sit for about a min before washing out from the shirt side.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Flash, we're talking about reclaiming the screen, not exposing.


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## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

Actually the topic was for exposing the screen not reclaiming. 

I soaked the screen in a tub while my next screen was exposing (7 minutes) and it literally took seconds to wash out. It was amazing. What used to be 4 minutes to wash out a screen now takes 20 seconds (i just want to make sure i get every little piece). 

Thanks guys. Life is a little bit easier.


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

This tried and true. I knew it would help. Glad your results were satisfactory. This will save you lots of time, and time is money.


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## jwaldmann (Aug 12, 2012)

HardEdge said:


> This tried and true. I knew it would help. Glad your results were satisfactory. This will save you lots of time, and time is money.



Not only time/money but water which is also money


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Someone mentioned Dip Tanks. Those are for reclaiming. 

If you're talking about Washing out after exposing, you only need to wet both sides and let them sit 4 minutes or so. Then wash them out.


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## HardEdge (Oct 19, 2012)

selanac said:


> Someone mentioned Dip Tanks. Those are for reclaiming.
> 
> If you're talking about Washing out after exposing, you only need to wet both sides and let them sit 4 minutes or so. Then wash them out.


We use two tanks. One is the pre-soak tank for imaging the screens with only water in it ( made ours from 747 Trash Can ). This pre-soak softens up the image area so washout/imaging is fast and easy. 

The other is a reclaim solution tank with an air line connected so it gently circulates the stencil remover around up to 6 screens at a time. You do not have to mix the stencil remover as strong since they sit in for several minutes each. When you place in reclaim booth, you spray no Stencil Remover, just power wash from top to bottom both sides. Stencil just falls off. 260 -355 mesh looks almost reclaimed already before you even turn the power washer on. Once you PW, all you have to do is degrease. 

You will have to de-sludge the reclaim tank every 300-400 screens. Let settle over night, Siphon TOP 2/3 solution off tank to re-use. Turn air on to mix sludge and discard in 5 gallon bucket. Let evaporate, and discard solids. After clean, add saved solution, Top off tank with water and additional stencil remover, and continue.


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## Ryan Tan Yu (Apr 3, 2012)

Wow, reading your posts makes me see the whole screenprinting process differently! I have recently started with photoemulsion (first perfectly burned screen was minutes before New Year--yay), and all I do is this:

Burn screen for 90-120 seconds
Take it to the pressure washer waiting outside (I get it wet ASAP since it's starting to be exposed to uncontrolled light)
Just spray the unwanted emulsion out of the way

It takes a little while and I know I may be using more water than needed, but so far I've been doing it that way and haven't had an issue.

Well except for that one instance where I had issues with exposure time, caused by my mixed emulsion solution sitting around for about a week (being less sticky then). Exposure time had to be 2-3 times longer


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