# extremely frustrated: emulsion starts to peel off the screen



## Snoringbeauty (Feb 23, 2007)

Im new and have already posted one or two threads asking for advice.
Heres another issue, so bear with me. I recently bought a small screen printing kit. Ive made two attempts to begin. Everytime I've coated and exposed my screen and go to rinse out my images, the emulsion starts to peel off the screen ruining my images. I dont know what I did wrong! I let the emulsion dry on the screen for at least 8 hours, I expose the screen for the time of 12 mins 20 seconds as told. Im really starting to get frustrated. Please any suggestions???


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

*Re: extremely frustrated*

try increasing your burn time. Soulds like you not burning long enough if the emulsion is peeling off during washing. You may need to double your time depending on your light source.

hang in there. This isnt a simple task at first. once you get the correct time its like butter from there.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

*Re: extremely frustrated*



Snoringbeauty said:


> I recently bought a small screen printing kit. Ive made two attempts to begin. Everytime I've coated and exposed my screen and go to rinse out my images, the emulsion starts to peel off the screen ruining my images. I dont know what I did wrong! I let the emulsion dry on the screen for at least 8 hours, I expose the screen for the time of 12 mins 20 seconds as told.



Who, What, Where, When and How?

Bought kit with what in it? Where and from whom?

Emulsion? Slow or fast exposing
Exposure lamp? Low or high power - weak or rich in UV?
Who told you 12min 20 seconds?

But, if emulsion washes off, it wasn't exposed long enough, so you must start from that approach.

*The Sun is the best single point light source*
If it's sunny outside, coat a small section of your screen so you don't waste emulsion. Dry the emulsion. Get a piece of carboard that can cover the stencil.

Take a watch that shows seconds and a pocket full of change and go outside.

Move fast. Take the cardboard off and put a coin on the screen every 30 seconds in a line. When you get bored or run out of emulsion, cover the stencil and go back inside and develop the stencil with water.

There will be a point where the stencil under the coins won't wash out. Of course, This is the time for sun exposure, but it proves the emulsion works.

You need to do the same experiment with your exposure lamp.


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## Brandon03690 (Mar 21, 2007)

I don't know what type of coater you are using and how many times you are costing each side, but if you are using a coater with one rounded side and one sharp side try coating the screen with the sharp side of the coater and only coat each side of the screen one time only. Then expose it in and see what happens. Sometime if there is to much emulsion on your screen it will pill off like that when you wash it out. Hope this helps!


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## bhoffmann (Feb 7, 2007)

Are you degreasing your screens? If not, then the emulsion is not adhering to the mesh correctly. Use Simple Green diluted with water and degrease prior to coating with emulsion.
Also, if using a pressure washer, ensure you don't get too close or it will blow out your image. I did this a couple of times and now only use the pressure washer for reclaiming and degreasing. I find that for spot color (not too much detail), a simple garden hose and sprayer provide sufficient pressure to wash out the image. Wet both sides, wait 30 seconds, then wash out the image.

Hope this helps,

Bruce


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

*Re: emulsion peels off the screen*



bhoffmann said:


> Use Simple Green diluted with water and degrease prior to coating with emulsion.



Mmmmm.... Smell that lovely Original scent or the new fresh Lemons scent in the Simple Green?

That's an oil, left on the mesh. Not good.

Even if you did leave the lemon oil on the mesh, when you coated the mesh, the oil is trapped inside and can't do any harm. If I put oil on your arms and then encapsulate your wrist with a watch band or hand-cuffs, they still won't come off when you pull on them. 

Now, capillary film is another matter. The film will fall off the mesh very easily. If I leave oil on your arm, then spay it with paint, the paint will wash off.


Completely exposed screens resist being dissolved with water and washed down the drain. They will even stand up to a pressure washer, but why use one??? To increase your water bill?

Water dissolves the unexposed, un-crosslinked stencil, not a brute force river of water. You can put your screens in a dip tank or 'tray' of water for 5 minutes and rub the image area with your fingers or a sponge. 

It takes a certain amount of time for the water to dissolve the stencil, we only keep ourselves busy looking like we are working when we spray the stencil with water. The water goes into the stencil all by itself.


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## Mr.4ColorProcess (Dec 5, 2005)

Cleaning your screens properly is a crucial step before applying emultion to a screen. Any chemical left on your reclaimed screen will have an effect on your emultion process. Rinse your screen thoroghly and use the proper screen solvents. 

Maybe you're applying too much water pressure on your screens?


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## maverickclothing (Jan 10, 2014)

You need to be DE-GREASING your screen just before you coat them with emulsion. The silk mesh on your screen will become covered in grease and oils from your skin and other materials as your move it around and touch it, this will make it difficult for your emulsion to hold itself onto the silk mesh. 

I recommend DE-GREASING your screen about 10 minutes before you want to coat your emulsion, this gives the silk mesh enough time to dry of the DE-GREASER.


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## BobMotep (Jan 21, 2013)

Something that would help is if you posted a pic of what it looks like when you rinse it. If the emulsion is too thick, the place it is drying has too much moisture, not a long enough exposure time all look different. 

So lets say your emulsion is pink, as you rinse it if the inside (where the ink and squeegee would go) is sort of milky pastel pink looking and feels gummy then it was under-exposed...the light did not reach all the way through to the inside. If it just rinses out and is barely tacky on the inside that should be about right.

If you start to rinse it and the image starts to rinse away but the edges start to ruffle up or peel away then the emulsion did not dry thoroughly, a dehumidifier in the room with the drying screens will fix that within a very short time.

If all the emulsion immediately rinses off the entire screen then the screen was not exposed.

Seriously, the only time I de-grease a screen is when I first buy it. It's been in a warehouse collecting who knows what so I de-grease, rinse, dry and coat. I have a pretty sterile screen area, they get reclaimed and moved 2 feet away to a drying a rack then into a humidity controlled room where they dry and are coated.

Good Luck


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## francisdesigner (Mar 20, 2015)

* expose longer (your light might be too weak)
* do not soak with water for too long (around 15 seconds and then 2 to 3 passes of water pressure for a good emulsion and good exposure)
* check water spray pressure, might be too strong

one of the above.... assuming that you have a good emulsion, good and clean screen.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

maverickclothing said:


> You need to be DE-GREASING your screen just before you coat them with emulsion. The silk mesh on your screen will become covered in grease and oils from your skin and other materials as your move it around and touch it, this will make it difficult for your emulsion to hold itself onto the silk mesh.
> 
> I recommend DE-GREASING your screen about 10 minutes before you want to coat your emulsion, this gives the silk mesh enough time to dry of the DE-GREASER.


Modern mesh for t-shirts is made from polyester threads.

*Coating with direct emulsion*
When you coat mesh with direct emulsion, nasty dirt or oil is simply trapped inside and can't really do any harm. It will create visible 'fisheyes' that will be evidence of a thinner area caused by the oil.

If I put oil on your arms and then encapsulate your wrist with a watch band or handcuffs, they won't come off when you pull on them no matter how slippery they are.

*Direct Film*
Now, direct film is another matter. The film will fall off the mesh very easily if oils & dirt form a barrier to adhesion. If I leave oil on your arm, then spray it with paint, the paint will wash right off.

*Wet Mesh*
10 minutes after rinsing your mesh after de-greasing may not be enough. If the mesh is still wet or damp, you will see the emulsion dilute or even drip.

Newsprint will speed the drying of your mesh when you're in a hurry.


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## Ripcord (Sep 2, 2006)

Occasionally when I've exposed a screen with film that's not quite opaque enough and can't quite get the stencil to completely wash out, I've been able to save the screen with a quick blast from my pressure washer. Otherwise, you're right, there is no reason to use one for a washout.


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