# First Homemade Screenpress and Ink question



## hercules (Dec 31, 2007)

Well i am brand new to this screenprinting business so i decided to make my own press. Just wanted to post this to show how inexpensive it can be to make your own 1 color screenpress. I went out yesterday and bought enough wood for 2 1color presses and it only cost me $75 including the hinge clamps at a local screenprinting wholesaler. Its just amazing how cheap but very durable you can make these presses. I am starting on my exposure unit and flash dryer today and will post expenses of those next week if time allows. 

By the way it only took me about an hour to cut and put together both presses.

I do have a question on Inks. Which inks for tshirts should i get just to practice with until i get familar and better at screenpressing? The salesman at the wholesale store said something about airdry inks which i have no idea about.

If anyone has any plans or ideas on how to make a conveyor dryer i could use some advise/ideas on the subject. I was thinking of trying out an old quisno's bread toasting conveyor or a pizza warmer conveyor for my first shot at making one. Of course it will take some modification i am sure.


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## FRACTURE (Aug 30, 2007)

Do U Have The Plans For All Three Items That You Might Be Willing To Share For Some Other People On Here?


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## hercules (Dec 31, 2007)

The site i got the press, exposure unit, and wash bin plans is from here....



Screen Printing | Silk Screening | Screen Printing Equipment


web2wear.com » One Color T-Shirt Printer Plans


the conveyer dryer idea hasnt come to reality yet but if i get it working i will be posting some plans for it.


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## hercules (Dec 31, 2007)

I changed the flash dryer plans some so i will be redoing those plans and posting pics soon.


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## EdwinRivera (Jan 2, 2008)

Some ideas for you (in the web) by the Scott Fressener Book ......




































































































More Pictures?

Edwin Rivera


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## hercules (Dec 31, 2007)

Thanks for the pics of the 4press...Looks easy enough to make and sturdy. Probably be my next project after i practice abit on the 1 color press. Thanks again.


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

i would also be interested in how to make a flash dryer 

i don't think the conveyor dryer would be all that bad to make with an old oven heating unit and a thermostat or heavy duty dimmer switch. with the proper metal working tools that is (which i have). 

what has me confused is the flash dryer does anyone know what kind of heating unit those things use. 

and for those that say i should not do it because i will burn my house down One thats what a fire extinguisher is for and Two the economy blows so houses are cheep lol


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## midwaste (Apr 8, 2008)

I am in the process of building my own conveyor dryer from scratch, I will post pictures when done.

This is a good place to start for the element, although it can be done cheaper.


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

yeah i would love to see pictures of that and just wandering how much did you pay for your heating unit because i cannon find a price list on the web site


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

hercules said:


> Thanks for the pics of the 4press...Looks easy enough to make and sturdy. Probably be my next project after i practice abit on the 1 color press. Thanks again.


Dont even bother making another one or even a flash dryer. Make some money using what you got and buy some used "pro" equipment.


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## EdwinRivera (Jan 2, 2008)

The same heat elements (infra red) Screen Printing used in a flash cure dryer are the same used inside the conveyor dryer but with more watts 

[media]http://www.customcarousels.co.uk/DOUBLE%20%20DRYER%20%20ONE.JPG[/media] [media]http://www.customcarousels.co.uk/refurbished%20t%20dryer.JPG[/media]

[media]http://www.customcarousels.co.uk/GREEN%20DRYER%201.JPG[/media] [media]http://s1.subirimagenes.com/albums/103210conveyordryer15.jpg[/media]

[media]http://s1.subirimagenes.com/albums/103209conveyordryer13.jpg[/media] [media]http://s1.subirimagenes.com/albums/103208conveyordryer11.jpg[/media]

[media]http://s1.subirimagenes.com/albums/103206conveyordryer4.jpg[/media] [media]http://s1.subirimagenes.com/albums/103205conveyordryer1.jpg[/media]

Home built Screen Printing Conveyor Dryer

[media]http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=oR4zbomakKs[/media]


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

so i see that your using wire mesh as the belt but what is that you have on the sides? is that masking tape and what do you do to connect the belt to make the loop.


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## marcelolopez (Jul 16, 2007)

This is one of my early projects of a flash dryer.
I had some troubles to build/find the stand.
Finally I bought an used flash dryer. I have cured some test shirts with it.


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## ambitious (Oct 29, 2007)

marcelolopez said:


> This is one of my early projects of a flash dryer.
> I had some troubles to build/find the stand.
> Finally I bought an used flash dryer. I have cured some test shirts with it.


 
That look's nice marcelo!!! So you gave up on it and bought a used one.. What's the brand name on the one your using? Im looking for a flash dryer as of now and a exposure unit, just don't know what brand to buy, there's some many out there. lol


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

so does anybody know what the belt is made of or how it is used.

i think the heater is the easy part then you could just change the speed of the belt to determine how long it is cooked.


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

dextor said:


> so does anybody know what the belt is made of or how it is used.
> 
> i think the heater is the easy part then you could just change the speed of the belt to determine how long it is cooked.


That is not a conveyor dryer it is a flash dryer!


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

ok so does anybody know what the belt is made of or how it works in the conveyor dryer that is pictured a few post back by EdwinRivera .


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## marcelolopez (Jul 16, 2007)

ambitious said:


> That look's nice marcelo!!! So you gave up on it and bought a used one.. What's the brand name on the one your using? Im looking for a flash dryer as of now and a exposure unit, just don't know what brand to buy, there's some many out there. lol


Sorry for the delay Nick, I think the flash is a Vastex.
By the time I was playing with my project, I received an order to print 31 t-shirts, at the same time I saw in craigslist a guy selling a flash dryer for 100 dollars, so I didn't think twice.
Perfect timing, I guess.


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## midwaste (Apr 8, 2008)

mrvixx said:


> That is not a conveyor dryer it is a flash dryer!


What exactly is the difference?


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## dextor (Nov 14, 2008)

a flash dryer usualy has the same heating unit as a conveyor dryer but a little weaker. flash dryers are usualy used for flashing your print between colors so the inks dont mix. yet a conveyor dryer is used after the shirt has been taken off the press to make the final cure. it is like a flash dryer but with a conveyor belt to move the shirt in and out of the heat. they are nice because they once the shirt is on the conveyor you can just forget about it and move on to the next print.


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## rjeeper (Feb 18, 2008)

most dryer belts are some type of coated fiberglass, i have also seen some that were a type of canvass (old school). but the limiting factor for a diy dryer is the way to get the belt on.dryer belts will not track unless they are square and they do expand and contract under temp extremes- most have zippers- that is a type of alligator link system they are used in industrial conveyor applications. mcmaster carr is on the internet and has a lot of what you need to build a dryer. the panels illustrated can also be purchased at black body international. these panels can be blanks element only, or in the built cans with ready to use wiring- even plugs. just remember the wattage is relative to the amps on draw. that wattage can be drawn as needed but on ac 120 volts will draw twice the juice as 220. the funny thing is that you would think the quality of a built unit would be superior to a
homefly built stuff. i did some repairs on a flash unit recently for a local printer, built by --------- (it's brown) and when i flipped it over the element was just like in the stove. as a matter of fact i fixed it with the same bake-o-lite stuff used in kitchen appliances- hows that for home cookn'.


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## Guest (May 23, 2009)

someone please give me any blueprints!!! i would really like the blue prints for the 4 color prints
thanks
[email protected]


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## ramosb (Mar 15, 2010)

hercules said:


> Well i am brand new to this screenprinting business so i decided to make my own press. Just wanted to post this to show how inexpensive it can be to make your own 1 color screenpress. I went out yesterday and bought enough wood for 2 1color presses and it only cost me $75 including the hinge clamps at a local screenprinting wholesaler. Its just amazing how cheap but very durable you can make these presses. I am starting on my exposure unit and flash dryer today and will post expenses of those next week if time allows.
> 
> By the way it only took me about an hour to cut and put together both presses.
> 
> ...


speedball cheap a durable


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## ramosb (Mar 15, 2010)

check you tube they have great ideas, I use my tshirt press to dry my ink 320 degrees for 10 seconds


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