# bubbles on emulsion



## gigan480 (Jan 18, 2011)

Hi i just tried putting photo emulsion onto my screens for the first time and to be honest it went badly lol. first screen i applied the emulsion to had a small hair on it and so i applied another layer to the screen after picking it off which made it too thick. the second screen i applied just one coat but what i noticed on both screens was they had small bubbles on it. im just wondering if its normal for this to happen because im sure they would cause small holes which would ruin any prints i do. do you think it could be down to using emulsion that was just mixed (although i never noticed any bubbles in the tub or scoop coater) or not using enough pressure when coating the screen?


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## fullthrottle (Mar 21, 2010)

What kind of emulsion are you using? It sounds like you are mixing it?

How often to you plan on making screens?

I use the 1 step emulsion that is already mixed. I've never had a problem with it. Works great for me.


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## Celtic (Feb 19, 2008)

gigan480 said:


> Hi i just tried putting photo emulsion onto my screens for the first time and to be honest it went badly lol. first screen i applied the emulsion to had a small hair on it and so i applied another layer to the screen after picking it off which made it too thick. the second screen i applied just one coat but what i noticed on both screens was they had small bubbles on it. im just wondering if its normal for this to happen because im sure they would cause small holes which would ruin any prints i do. do you think it could be down to using emulsion that was just mixed (although i never noticed any bubbles in the tub or scoop coater) or not using enough pressure when coating the screen?


 
Yes, if you just mixed your emulsion, you want to let it sit for a 4-6 hours before you use it. 
Because yeah, you will have bubbles. 
Also, it sounds like you're laying on your emulsion too thickly. Try using the sharp edge of the scoop coater, not the rounded side. Rounded side is for laying on thicker.
Remember, you want your scoop coater to make a screeching sound as your pull it up the screen.
And, no, it's not normal to have the bubbles in your screen.
keep at it, you'll get it.
check youtube too. Ryonet does a video on applying emulsion, I believe. They also sell a 6hr dvd on screenprinting, that is really helpful. Well worth the $50.


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## gigan480 (Jan 18, 2011)

yeah fullthrottle its an emulsion that needs to be mixed. i got it with my screen printing kit but i have completely forgot what brand it was sorry. thanks for the advice celtic, the first screen did have two coats which looked like too much. it was starting to drip even when i was using the scoop coater to scrape it off. i used the sharp side of the scoop coater on the second screen and it came out okay but could be better. do you have to apply loads of pressure to the screen when using the scoop coater, because i saw a video of someone applying emulsion and it didn't seem like he was using that much force.


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## Celtic (Feb 19, 2008)

gigan480 said:


> yeah fullthrottle its an emulsion that needs to be mixed. i got it with my screen printing kit but i have completely forgot what brand it was sorry. thanks for the advice celtic, the first screen did have two coats which looked like too much. it was starting to drip even when i was using the scoop coater to scrape it off. i used the sharp side of the scoop coater on the second screen and it came out okay but could be better. do you have to apply loads of pressure to the screen when using the scoop coater, because i saw a video of someone applying emulsion and it didn't seem like he was using that much force.


 
You don't have to apply lots of pressure, but you want to apply inward as well as upward pressure. 
Like I mentioned before, you want the scoop coater to squeal as you pull it up the screen. You're not trying to apply a heavy coat of emulsion. And, when you get the bubbles forming after applying your emulsion, yeah, you're putting on too heavy a coat.
Remember too, that you want to first apply your emulsion on the shirt side, then on the ink side last.

keep at it, you'll get it. 
do look at youtube and ryonet's video on applying emulsion, that'll help to see it done too.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

As Celtic said, after mixing you want to let it sit for a few hours to over night. I usually let it sit over night. 

Also, if you use a Scoop Coater, let the Emulsion poor forward so it's spilling out from the coater to the screen. You'll know what I mean when you do it a few times.

Also the coater ends have a slant shape like if it's part of a Hexigon. When you put the coater agains the screen, let those hexigon shapes touch the screen. Then tilt forward a little so just the edge of the coater is touching the screen, then pull up. 

At no time should your coater emulsion applicated touch the wood frame. If so, you'll leave a bigger gap and apply a lot of emulsion. If you do that you'll have drop marks on the screen. 

I know cause I did it until someone showed me the right way. 

The best way to learn how to screen print is to take a class. I took one from Ryonet. Not only do they show you everything in two days, they also give you great tutorials to take home on DVDs. The class was awesome.


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