# My diy 6 color silkscreen printing press



## sharry (Aug 5, 2010)

Hi everyone,
My brother,nephew and I built this 6 color printing press.
[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/1st.jpg[/media]It could have been built differently but I wanted to use whatever I had on hand already,
[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/close-up-top.jpg[/media][media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/small-squeegee.jpg[/media]I could not get 12 springs in this country so I decided to take the springs off a mini trampoline that I had,they work reasonably well,except they are a bit too stiff so I had to put a magnet to keep the arms down.
[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/arm.jpg[/media]I looked at ryonet's 6 color press but if I had to import it into Trinidad it would cost me double the price because of freight duty and vat.
So I saved a bundle building it myself,I figure it would cost you guys living in the States between $150.00 and $200.00.


Here are some other photos
[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/registration-guide.jpg[/media][media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/clamp.jpg[/media][media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/Base.jpg[/media]and my first 5 color print ever with the press we were a little anxious to see what it would look like so the black could have been aligned better,but I don't see that we would have a problem with the registration in future.

[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/print1.jpg[/media][media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/green-jersey.jpg[/media]My nephew printing
[media]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a405/Sharon1957/Screen%20printing/chris-printing.jpg[/media]Now I want to ask a couple of question
1) This was the first time I tried plastisol and I find it is messy and the white was very thick and gave problems to go through the screen,is there an additive that can be used to thin it down and would that be a wise thing to do?
2)What do you guys use to clean your screens after a plastisol run?
Any help will be appreciated with these two problems.
Thanks in advance
Feeling really good today,finished building that press and printed our first multi color print,next project most likely a washout booth.


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

Congrats on building your machine!

Do NOT try to thin out the white ink. It will cover even less than it does now. White is the hardest to work with because it has to be thicker to cover. Use a lower mesh count screen to allow more ink, put an extra coat of emulsion on the screen for the same reason, print two strokes then flash dry and then add two more print strokes and then dry in the oven. 

The best thing to do when printing white is to be in a warm/hot room as opposed to a cool room. The ink won't be as stiff and therefore easier to work with. 

Cleanup is easy with an environmentally friendly ink wash. Don't use mineral spirits.


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## mikelmorgan (Nov 1, 2008)

We use a strip tank to clean our screens and mineral spirits to clean our squeegees. As far as the white ink, that will be a choice for you to make. We thin our white with a thinner base of reducer. Ask your supplier for samples. If you want your white really bright you will have to use a lower mesh screen and thick ink. This will leave a thick deposit of ink on the shirt so your choice is a thick coat of ink or a thin coat with a better feel and not as bright. My customer like the thinner coat so that is what we do. Good luck


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## jtannerc (Aug 20, 2008)

that is amazing. Nice job... Almost looks like a prototype of one that will go into production. It appears its mainly built from aluminum which might make it fairly light i would guess.

Anyway... Jim is right... white is difficult
For cleaning screens, I use Franmar's ink remover "Bean e doo" and screen reclaimer "strip e doo". Both are soy based.


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

mikelmorgan said:


> We use a strip tank to clean our screens. . .


Will that reclaim old screens that have been sitting with ink and emulsion for a long time (like maybe years)? What do you put into the tank for solvent? Does it remove ink and emulsion?

Thanks,
Jim


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## sharry (Aug 5, 2010)

JimGilbert said:


> Congrats on building your machine!
> 
> Do NOT try to thin out the white ink. It will cover even less than it does now. White is the hardest to work with because it has to be thicker to cover. Use a lower mesh count screen to allow more ink, put an extra coat of emulsion on the screen for the same reason, print two strokes then flash dry and then add two more print strokes and then dry in the oven.
> 
> ...


Thank you,I was hoping it was because of the heat in the room that the ink was so thick,so I guess installing an air condition won't help that problem,but in any case I really don't think I want to print with plastisol inks but the only alternative is printing with water based,and I have a serious problem with the ink drying in the screen from the heat in the room.


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## spiderx1 (Oct 12, 2009)

Try just using one coat for white to seal. Then flash dry then. One or two coats. You will be surprised. It gives a good bright white with crisp edges. Better than 2 then 2. I have seen veteran screeners amazed ny this tech.


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## sharry (Aug 5, 2010)

jtannerc said:


> that is amazing. Nice job... Almost looks like a prototype of one that will go into production. It appears its mainly built from aluminum which might make it fairly light i would guess.
> 
> Anyway... Jim is right... white is difficult
> For cleaning screens, I use Franmar's ink remover "Bean e doo" and screen reclaimer "strip e doo". Both are soy based.


Thank you.
I made the base out of 2x2 angle iron and the hexagon is a quarter inch steel by about 20 inches by 17 inches,but the rest is aluminum,but trust me it's still heavy.
The base can be made of aluminum but I used the steel because it was cheaper to buy.


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## JimGilbert (Jul 9, 2010)

spiderx1 said:


> Try just using one coat for white to seal. Then flash dry then. One or two coats. You will be surprised. It gives a good bright white with crisp edges. Better than 2 then 2. I have seen veteran screeners amazed ny this tech.


I tried that but didn't get the results I wanted. I think that squeegee technique has a LOT to do with it, and emulsion thickness also. I try not to press to hard so maybe I get thinner coats than others do. With white I also do a push-print stroke instead of a pull-print. I find that works better for me. Maybe I should use an emulsion with more solids also to get more thickness .....


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## mikelmorgan (Nov 1, 2008)

JimGilbert said:


> Will that reclaim old screens that have been sitting with ink and emulsion for a long time (like maybe years)? What do you put into the tank for solvent? Does it remove ink and emulsion?
> 
> Thanks,
> Jim


Yes it removes everything. I'm not sure what the chemical is I purchase it from my supplier. It is not a solvent, That I'm sure of.


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## oldbox (Apr 25, 2010)

first congrats for well built press! 
and second a question: how do you cure it (plastisol)?


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## sharry (Aug 5, 2010)

oldbox said:


> first congrats for well built press!
> and second a question: how do you cure it (plastisol)?


Thank you,
I am using an Econo flash dryer 16x16 that I bought from Ryonet.
*
*


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## Celtic (Feb 19, 2008)

Hi Sharon, 
Get some 'curable reducer' from Ryonet for your white ink and be sure to always mix it really really well.
also, a push stroke will give you much better results with your white. 
I use a push stroke for pretty much everything.
Nice job on your press and your print.


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## atlantatees (Sep 24, 2008)

spiderx1 said:


> Try just using one coat for white to seal. Then flash dry then. One or two coats. You will be surprised. It gives a good bright white with crisp edges. Better than 2 then 2. I have seen veteran screeners amazed ny this tech.


randy where are you in atlanta, sorry to be off subject guys. im in atlanta also randy.


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## spiderx1 (Oct 12, 2009)

Newnan sharpsburg area


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Wow. Impressive job on that press. It's all about making do with what you have at your disposal. 
I think that printing white isn't any more involved than any other colors. There are variables to consider and a lot of different white ink formulations for different 
applications. You can reduce your white and still get decent coverage especially if you print-
flash-print. You have more latitude if you're printing 100% cotton than 50/50. 100% you have no 
dye migration. Your mesh count, stencil thickness, squeegee angle and speed, off contact, mesh 
tension, whether you push or pull (I prefer push), all affect the ease of printing.
Bill Hood demonstrates "single-stroke white" check Youtube...pretty cool. I even set my flash (to 
my right) so the shirt warms for a second or two prior to printing (clock-wise) and the ink goes 
down like butter. With a fill stroke (different than flood stroke...see the video) I get a nice smooth 
coverage. 
Check with different ink manufacturers for particulars on the different whites available.
Oh, and video your press, post it on Youtube and offer plans for building it and you CAN make some extra cash...LOL


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## sharry (Aug 5, 2010)

Thank you.
I think possibly I got a bad batch of white because straight out of the pail it is almost impossible to stir but I am going to get some reducer from a local supplier and see if that helps.
I am printing on 100% cotton.
I don't know if it was my imagination but the ink seemed to get stiffer from the heat in the room.
The youtube video idea sounds really good,I just might do that,thanks for your comments.


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## buy4now1 (Feb 26, 2008)

Great Job on the press.


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## Yahtzee (Feb 24, 2015)

Man that thing looks pretty sweet. I am considering building one myself but trying to weigh the savings with the hassle of doing it. In the process of pricing some of the equipment now to get started. Just not sure what direction to go yet.


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## wellsjc2 (Nov 19, 2012)

Awesome press!!


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