# Heat press with no manual. Advice on use please



## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

Hi. I’ve recently bought a second hand clam heat press but it doesn’t have a manual. The only makers mark I can see on it is -

CY-4890

I’m new to using a heat press. I have 100 t shirts to print for a holiday club. 

The heat press ‘sings’ Why?

I’ve set the temperature and the timer. I was waiting for it to get to 175 degrees (temp on paper) 
It just kept singing. Really really annoying

Then

After I printed on t shirt I was getting the next ready, I closed the press but noticed that shortly after some steam was coming of it without anything in it. 

I turned it off with the switch at the top assuming that was it but......... it kept heating up and reached 334 before I pulled out the plug from the socket. 

Is something wrong or what did I do wrong?


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## chrisprintaura (Aug 11, 2021)

Do you have it closed while heating? If you're new to heat presses the noise you're hearing may be the timer alarm going off. It starts when the timer is up to indicate it needs to be removed. Their temperatures are also configurable. You may need to set the target temperature for paper instead of fabric as you'd set around 350 for that.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Post a picture of the entire press and a close up one of the control panel.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

Here are photos of said heat press. Maybe make and model is CY-49BD?


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## chrisprintaura (Aug 11, 2021)

I'm not sure that's really a branded press that has a model on its own. The left part is a visutec CY-49BD temperature controller and the one on the right is a Chinese timer from Yuyao Gongyi Meter Co. Ltd


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

chrisprintaura said:


> I'm not sure that's really a branded press that has a model on its own. The left part is a visutec CY-49BD temperature controller and the one on the right is a Chinese timer from Yuyao Gongyi Meter Co. Ltd


Thanks


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

The temperature controller is sold on Amazon & Walmart. Should not be too difficult tracking down a downloadable manual starting there.



> After I printed on t shirt I was getting the next ready, I closed the press but noticed that shortly after some steam was coming of it without anything in it.


As long as it is steam, that is normal. Any garment with moisture you press will release steam. Just make sure it is not smoke. That is not good.



> I turned it off with the switch at the top assuming that was it but......... it kept heating up and reached 334 before I pulled out the plug from the socket.


If in the end the worse thing about this heat press is you have to unplug it to turn it off, consider it a win. Not a bad idea to unplug when not in use regardless of press.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

splathead said:


> The temperature controller is sold on Amazon & Walmart. Should not be too difficult tracking down a downloadable manual starting there.
> 
> 
> As long as it is steam, that is normal. Any garment with moisture you press will release steam. Just make sure it is not smoke. That is not good.
> ...



Thanks Joe
I got this for £30 so I really dont mind inperfections given the good price. 
I realised from another reply earlier that it 'sings' to tell me that timer had ended. That was when I had it heating up. I left it closed in the way that you would keep an iron hot flat plate down away from anyone to cause damage. However It appears that leaving it closed meant that the machine ignored the temperature I set it to reach because it was confused as timer had gone off and it was still closed. It was steam ..... I think, there is a mat inside the plate and it started to smell of 'burn't mat so maybe the 'steam' was not steam but 'smoke'. Not good!

pulled plug out. machine was by big double sliding patio doors. late evening so nice cold breeze when I opened them and opened machine .

Note to self. leave the heat press open when heating up? is that right? 
surely it should be closed?


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## chrisprintaura (Aug 11, 2021)

The mat below heat presses are intended for transient exposure to heat not continuously cooked at 350 or 175 degrees.  They are built to be left open and only pressed when there's a garment to dry underneath thus reducing the thermal load on the mat itself.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

chrisprintaura said:


> The mat below heat presses are intended for transient exposure to heat not continuously cooked at 350 or 175 degrees.  They are built to be left open and only pressed when there's a garment to dry underneath thus reducing the thermal load on the mat itself.


thanks. 
see - I did say I was a newbie to this. Thankfully my smoke detector went off and so I stopped it all.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

So here is my first attempt. 
Most of the image took really well but when I was peeling thecbacking paper off part of the S came unstuck. 

What is the best thing to do in that situation. 

Had temp set to 175 as stated on the paper and timer for 18 seconds 
I used Teflon sheet over top of tee shirt 

Some where I read that after taking of the backing paper then press briefly again to set the design?


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

Also. As I have 3 separate pieces to assemble for the design, I found when lifting the t shirt to place on the heat press they moved and I had to try and carefully re position without burning myself. 

Could I use a light fabric adhesive spray such as is used to hold stencils in place or is there another way?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

H hollis said:


> So here is my first attempt.
> Most of the image took really well but when I was peeling thecbacking paper off part of the S came unstuck.
> 
> What is the best thing to do in that situation.
> ...


What brand paper are you using? 

We always repress for a few seconds after removing the paper (using a teflon sheet or parchment)


H hollis said:


> Also. As I have 3 separate pieces to assemble for the design, I found when lifting the t shirt to place on the heat press they moved and I had to try and carefully re position without burning myself.
> 
> Could I use a light fabric adhesive spray such as is used to hold stencils in place or is there another way?


what ink are you using? If waterbased, an adhesive spray may cause colors to run. Use heat tape instead. You can get it at your heat press supply provider or places like Amazon.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

splathead said:


> What brand paper are you using?
> 
> We always repress for a few seconds after removing the paper (using a teflon sheet or parchment)
> 
> what ink are you using? If waterbased, an adhesive spray may cause colors to run. Use heat tape instead. You can get it at your heat press supply provider or places like Amazon.



Hi Joe
Thanks for your input and help. 

I'm using Creative Pro-Seal Injket Light Transfer sheets. Printing in high density from my injket printer (as suggested on the instructions in the paper pack) 
I used the Teflon sheet on top of the tee shirt when pressing the transfer on. 
So should I remove the backing then replace with teflon sheet and press for a few seconds after? 

Does Heat Tape need to be removed after pressing?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

H hollis said:


> I'm using Creative Pro-Seal Injket Light Transfer sheets. So should I remove the backing then replace with teflon sheet and press for a few seconds after?


Press first following instructions. After peeling backing off, place a teflon sheet over the image and press again. Doesn't have to be the full time as the first press, but at least 10 seconds or so.



> Does Heat Tape need to be removed after pressing?


Yes, otherwise you can't remove the backing. 

I can't find any information on your Creative Pro-Seal. But if you want the top paper pro's use for inkjet light transfers, get some Jet-Pro Soft Stretch.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

Thanks everyone for all your help.

I’ve just ordered the heat tape

Has anyone used heat resistant gloves when using a heat press to print t shirts?

I’ve seen some but I’m concerned I might not be able to get them off quickly enough to pull off the backing paper after pressing? 
How quickly should I get the paper off, immediately or can I wait till it has cooled a little so I don’t keep burning my fingers?
Would heat resistant gloves be a good idea?


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

Also, I notice that when I open the heat press the top plate seems twisted, higher one side than the other.m
It was on that furthest corner which is higher (see photo) where the transfer didn’t seal properly.

Any suggestions on whether I should see if this can be evened up?


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## SammySquirrel (Nov 15, 2020)

The top plate will wobble a little bit but should be flat when the press is closed. Is it flat when closed? To check you can put a piece of paper half way in at the front, close the press and set the pressure so it's just gripping the paper hard enough you can't easily pull it out. Then move the paper to the back corner, close the press and again try and pull it out. If the paper comes out easily compared to the front then the top plate is warped and will not be heating your t-shirt evenly which will probably be the cause of the problem with the 'Su' part of your image. A good idea would be to buy an infrared temperature gun to check you've got an even temperature across the heat plate.

You may be planning to do this already but as this is a new process for you, you should press one or two garments and then wash them a few times before pressing the other 100 to make sure the ink doesn't run or fade. Nothing worse than having to refund or redo an order, especially for that quantity.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

H hollis said:


> Has anyone used heat resistant gloves when using a heat press to print t shirts? I’ve seen some but I’m concerned I might not be able to get them off quickly enough to pull off the backing paper after pressing?


What is getting so hot you can't touch it with your bare hands--besides the backing paper?

You don't need gloves. Besides, press burns are badges of courage.



> How quickly should I get the paper off, immediately or can I wait till it has cooled a little so I don’t keep burning my fingers?


Follow your transfer's instructions.



> Also, I notice that when I open the heat press the top plate seems twisted, higher one side than the other.m
> It was on that furthest corner which is higher (see photo) where the transfer didn’t seal properly.
> 
> Any suggestions on whether I should see if this can be evened up?


Increase the pressure using the black knob on top of the press and it will lay flat on the lower platen.


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## Donald DeLauder (Aug 18, 2021)

H hollis said:


> Hi. I’ve recently bought a second hand clam heat press but it doesn’t have a manual. The only makers mark I can see on it is -
> 
> CY-4890
> 
> ...


The temp controller only sets the temp in degrees centigrade, so you need to set the temp with the proper temp. In an example, 100 degrees centigrade is equal to 212 degrees Fahrenheit


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## rossdv8 (Dec 21, 2012)

Pretty sure it is a Chengyi press. I can't help with the actual manual, but I have a similar press here that I have been using for small (A4) jobs since about 2011. I also have a big heavy Insta, swing press I sold someone in 1984, and got back in 2010 when they stopped doing Tees, and that does close to A3,
Ok, I'm waffling on as usual.

There's a manual for another of their models that is similar here:








CHENGYI CY-G6 USER MANUAL Pdf Download


View and Download Chengyi CY-G6 user manual online. HEAT PRESS. CY-G6 power tool pdf manual download.




www.manualslib.com





I'm pretty sure Chengyi makes presses sold under other names, but this might be handy if you make allowances for the differences between your model and the G6.
It won't fix any 'funny sound' stuff though :-(

Might be useful to bookmark ManualsLib - Makes it easy to find manuals online! in case you buy a secondhand mug press or a chainsaw at a yard sale. It is a very useful site. For example, typing chengyi press in the search bar brought up the G6.


Hope this is useful for something


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

rossdv8 said:


> Pretty sure it is a Chengyi press. I can't help with the actual manual, but I have a similar press here that I have been using for small (A4) jobs since about 2011. I also have a big heavy Insta, swing press I sold someone in 1984, and got back in 2010 when they stopped doing Tees, and that does close to A3,
> Ok, I'm waffling on as usual.
> 
> There's a manual for another of their models that is similar here:
> ...


Thanks very much. That’s great.


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## H hollis (Aug 11, 2021)

So above heat press thermostat seems to not be functioning properly. Sometimes it will maintain the heat set and other times it carries on heating . By that I mean more than 20 degrees c more and still continues to climb. If I turn itvof a switch on machine the light goes out but when I turned it back on at the switch the temperature had hardly gone down or was further increased so now I have to unplug it as well . 

This happens after 4-5 t shirt pressings. 

Can I get new thermostat and replace easily or does anyone else have any other Suggestions?


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