# emulsion and exposure problems with screenprinting



## das_king (Jan 14, 2006)

So I been messing with this order for 2 months now and I just cannt get it done. 

I keep messing up on the screens, its either its too much emlusion or the image didnt expose it long enough.....

I really dont know what to do any more, i want to shoot myself in the head and call it a day....argh......
i just tried another screen, now, the image washed away along with the emlusion.....now i have to order more emulsion and try to get something going again, but that will be another week or two.......................


PLEASE HELP ME>.................i dont know what I am doing anymore......


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

If it's an order for others, maybe just bite the bullet and have it done externally.

You don't want to go mad. Then, without the pressure of time, you can sit down and work out exactly is going wrong.


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## MIKEHAWK (Mar 26, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

I agree. I wish I had some Tech advice...

Getting frustrated just makes things worse. Take it from a mechanic....


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## Sac printer (Mar 10, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Wow two months! How many colors is the job? How many shirts? Ever tried using capillary film intead of the emulsion?


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## das_king (Jan 14, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

what is capillary film?

The person who ordered it was in no rush. so she wanted done by early april...........its 50, single colored, i just cannt get it done....

so what is capillary film again? will it free me from the evils of the emulsion???


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## das_king (Jan 14, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

and i am using this emlusion...
http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/product/CCDXPQT

Is there a better one out there? and is there a place just to buy the sensetizers without extra bagage?

I think I aged by like 10 years over the last 2 days....


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## Squirts (Feb 17, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Without being there looking at the bad screens its hard to help but give me some details what kind of exposure unit are you using? what are you using to wash out the screens and etc... Maybe I can help you... Maybe not


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## Sac printer (Mar 10, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Capilary film is applied to the screen instead of the emulsion. Just to give you an idea, you simply lay the film on the screen and spray a small amount of water on it for it to adhere to the screen. Let dry and your ready to burn your design. It's a little more expensive than the emulsion but I find it a lot easier to use. The are pros and cons compared to the emulsions but for a beginner like I was it's a great way to go. If your having a hard time mastering applying the emulsion this may be a good way for you to go.


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## BelHeirClothing (Mar 23, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*



das_king said:


> So I been messing with this order for 2 months now and I just cannt get it done.
> 
> I keep messing up on the screens, its either its too much emlusion or the image didnt expose it long enough.....
> 
> ...



get an exposing machine with a vaccum suction at the top for perfect exposure... and maybe ur shooting the screen too hard.. be gentle but firm anddd uhh.. what type of ink are you using.. maybe you water proof based emulsion or something.. im no screen printing expert but i can definitely taking things apart and find out whats wrong...


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## jay allen (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Are there any other screen printers in your area? If so, just ask them to burn the screen for you. Shouldn't be more than a few bucks to do that. You may want to ask them how much they would charge to print the shirts.

In the long run you need to figure out why you can't get your screens burned correctly. It could be any number of things...probably a combination of several.

1. How old is your emulsion? It does expire at some point and even the most experienced screen printers can't work with it.

2. Are degreasing your screen after you wash it out? You need to get all oils (even from your hands) off the screen before recoating.

3. If the image is just washing off the screen it is clearly underexposed. What are you using for a light source? If you are doing it outdoors,while it can be done, it is difficult to get exposure times correct.

4. You mentioned getting too much emultion on the screen. Are you using a good scoop coater...with a clean, sharp edge?

Believe me, you can learn how to coat screens. You just need the right equipment/supplies. Ask a local guy to burn this one for you so you can get the order out. Then figure out what it is that is causing the problem. If you can't find someone to do it locally send me the screen, email the image, and I'll do it for you.

Good luck.


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## Squirts (Feb 17, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Ben and his friend Mark spent Friday afternoon at my shop. We covered alot of territory in a short period of time.... Hopefully it will help... while here He successfully burned his screen that he needed and they both spent some time on the press... Good Luck to you Ben. Hope you can repeat the screen making on your own now... If you run into problems again just hollar. Now that you've seen it done and done it yourself once, your screen making will continue to improve.... Good Luck to you both. Chuck


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## jay allen (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*



Squirts said:


> Ben and his friend Mark spent Friday afternoon at my shop. We covered alot of territory in a short period of time.... Hopefully it will help... while here He successfully burned his screen that he needed and they both spent some time on the press... Good Luck to you Ben. Hope you can repeat the screen making on your own now... If you run into problems again just hollar. Now that you've seen it done and done it yourself once, your screen making will continue to improve.... Good Luck to you both. Chuck


Squirts - Good job helping him out....nothing beats hands on training. I was very fortunate to have an experienced guy walk me through some of the basics when I started. Ben is lucky to have you near by....and willing to help. I've found the screen printing community to be very open in that regard. It might be because everyone remembers what it was like to be a newbie.....and have no freakin' idea how to start.

Anyway.......good job, and good luck to Ben.


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## das_king (Jan 14, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Thanks a lot Chuck,

I learnt a lot from the man. It was such an awesome trip and definitely worth a heck of lot more than the drive. I was just soo lost before and chuck helped me moving into the right direction. I mean, its the first time I seen how a screen is made and a shirt is printed, it was just amazing. 

A big thanks goes to Chuck and everyone at Squirts, they are very nice people, and I cannt tell you how grateful I am.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Wow! That makes me feel fuzzy inside.


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## Sac printer (Mar 10, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

that really is Good lookin out!!


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## Squirts (Feb 17, 2006)

*Re: I want to shoot myself...*

Just glad to have helped a bit... Thanks to all of you for the kind words..


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