# Airwaves Fabric opaque



## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

Hi will I was asked to wash some shirts that where done with Airwaves fabric opaque by Luis Fortun *MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2 *
Will I said yes to that going to take them to the Laundry mat then he asked if I would use sublimation ink on one and I said yes he sent two of them will first one I killed LOL second one worked I feel if this can pass my washing test at the laundry mat then this is the way I am going for dark shirts it may cost little more but the feel and look is so much better then any other transfers that I have seen ok here is the list of shirts

1.Lazer Toner and Contour Trimmed cottontrans

2.sublimation ink with cottontrans and Airwaves Fabric Opaque

3Inkjet Ink with cottontrans and airwave Opaque

4.Laser Toner, Cottontrans and Airwave Opaque

washing will be done sunday and will take new pics and see how they hold up now I think that Luis has all ready washed his some


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

O ya please note there for testing you will see yellow box on the one I did becouse I did not trim the cotton trans so I wented to see what will happin to it after washing and I did fast hand cut


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

mrdavid said:


> 1.Lazer Toner and Contour Trimmed cottontrans
> 
> 2.sublimation ink with cottontrans and Airwaves Fabric Opaque


Hi David,

Thank you for doing the testing. The order of the thumbnail does not match with the list. Number 1 should have been number 2 and vice versa.

BTW you did not need the cottontrans for sublimation. I was hoping you were going to try the freezer paper instead. That way the image will not have polymer over it. Which will yield a very soft hand.


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

had to do it this way had to put polymer over it sub will not stick if you have just fabric and this is who I had to do it

1. print sub an paper 
2. heat press up and press 400 - 40 sec.
3.then paper over fabric opaque and press
4. then let cool and peel the paper
5.then put freezer paper over and press 3 sec.
6. trim
7.then peel the back off and put on shirt press 5 sec
8. peel off hot the freezer paper 
9 then cotton trans and press for 30 sec.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

mrdavid said:


> had to do it this way had to put polymer over it sub will not stick if you have just fabric and this is who I had to do it
> 
> 1. print sub an paper
> 2. heat press up and press 400 - 40 sec.
> ...


The fabric can be printed with inkjet ink. That is how I did with the inkjet version. I printed the image directrly on the opaque material. You do not have to print it on paper first then sublimate. Unless like you said the ink will not stick on the opaque. The opaque is made of 100% polyester so you can sublimate it without printing the image on the paper first if it can be rpinted directly with dye sub ink. In dye sub case after printing the image on the opaque you have to sublimate the ink by covering the fabric opaque with teflon sheet press it with pressing temp and dwell time you use for sublimation in this case 400F for 40 seconds. Then use the freezer paper as described in the instruction for sublimation that I gave you. 

Sorry about the confusion. There is no mention of cottontrans in that instruction instead freezer paper was mentioned. The freezer paper was suppose to stablize the opaque when the backing is being removed so that it will not be limp or stretch which also has a tendency to stick to itself. Applying cottontrans with dye sub is not necessary because the ink is already bonded with opaque. It the defeats the puprose of having soft fabric hand when using dye sub.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Sorry I went back and reread the steps you described is good up to the point where the cottontrans was pressed. You could have skipped that and the ink would be fine since you already sublimated it. You would have the yellow background had you not pressed cottontrans.

My instruction was to print directly on the opaque to save some steps. What you did was OK too. Maybe next time you try dye sub do not use cottontrans or any laser transfer paper to seal the ink.

I only used cottontans on the inkjet version because the ink needs to be sealed.

Sorry.


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

OK sorry for taking so long I had to get some jobs out will here go washing this at laundry mat with high heat and yes I do know that not every one will put there shirts with this type of test first shirt is the white shirt and I love how this turned out it is just as good as JPSS yes I said it there if I was to use Laser toner I would do this it is Cottontrans with Laser toner here is the pic after wash.
.
. 
next is the Inkjet ink and cottontrans with Air wave Opaque this is sweet I would us this and sell it to I like the feel it is better then the ironall dark and it is little thick but it dois not feel like rain coat LOL did pass the wash test with mehere is pic .
.
.
next was the Laser toner and cottontrans will this is died it did not pass the wash test and yes I have pics you can see I think.
.
.
.

please note that all of this was contour trimmed with vinyl cutter and I would use this and even sell I like it lot better then ironall dark it will out last it printer and do transfer on it and it will hold up I would pick patch on my shirt then rain coat that is my two cents


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

Luis 
let me know if you want me to ship them back thanks for letting me do the wash test and I am getting some so I can use sub on them and will post new infore when I get that


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

mrdavid said:


> Luis
> let me know if you want me to ship them back thanks for letting me do the wash test and I am getting some so I can use sub on them and will post new infore when I get that


Thanks again for doing the test. Good to here a second opinion. You can keep the shirts. Maybe give them some more beating .

I would love for you to try dye sub again without the cottontrans or any type of laser or inkjet transfer over the opaque. That way we will know how dye sub by itself will hold up on the opaque. Use the freezer paper to keep the opaque stable when you peel the backing so that it will not stretch or curl back and stick to itself. You will be surprised how much softer the opaque is and no yellowish window to boot.

Not sure what you meant by pen circled area on the 4th picture.


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

that is where it is started to peel up and some of the sides are to just not anough to see yet and yes I will keep beating them thanks


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

mrdavid said:


> that is where it is started to peel up and some of the sides are to just not anough to see yet and yes I will keep beating them thanks


Thank you.


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

will just odered some should have some time next week


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

Or ya by the way I will be using this and replace ironall for darks !


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## Ascribe (Nov 14, 2007)

Thanks to both of you Mad Scientists! 

I really appreciate your efforts in experimenting and reporting the results. 
However I'm confused about whether I can use these recent results for my heat transfers. Please answer these two questions.

1. What "inkjet ink" did you use on one of the dark shirts? Was it pigment ink? (like Epson's Durabrite). 

2. Is Airwaves Fabric Opaque an alternative transfer paper for IronAll-Darks for printing onto dark shirts?


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

pigment ink,subimate ink and Lazer Toner.



> 2. Is Airwaves Fabric Opaque an alternative transfer paper for IronAll-Darks for printing onto dark shirts?


yes I would say that ironall is nice to give away but I would not sell. (but that is me) 
Airwaves fabric opaque I would sell it looks better holds up better and will last as long as the shirts and you can put JPSS on this so you know it will last cost would be at $2.00 plus shirt and time.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Ascribe said:


> Thanks to both of you Mad Scientists!
> 
> Please answer these two questions.
> 
> ...


I used Epson CX5000 multi purpose inkjet printer with OEM Durabrite ink and heat sealed it with Cottontrans laser transfer paper. I have to use laser transfer paper because the fabric is 100% polyester and the ink will not bond on it. I could have used blank inkjet transfer paper as will but I wanted to know how cottontrans will hold up with harsh washing method. Like Mrdavid said you can use preprinted JPSS with image then press it on the fabric or in my case I printed the image directly on the fabric and pressed a blank transfer paper in this case with blank JPSS. Either method will work. The advantage of printing the image directly on the fabric is the ink will be on the fabric which has a better chance of staying in the fabric and not relying on the tranfer paper to transfer the image on the fabric. Or having some ink left on the transfer paper. Make sure the ink is dry if you print the image directly on the fabric before you press any kind of blank transfer paper on it.

If you use sublimation ink you do not need the transfer paper. Again you can print directly on the fabric or use a preprinted release paper to sublimate the ink on the fabric but you have to use a stabilizing material such as freezer paper to keep the fabric from stretching and become distorted or curling back and stick to itself. I wish the adhesive is not pressure sensitive like the adhesive used with IronAll for dark. In other words it is more manageable when removing the backing paper and laying the fabric on the shirt.

With sublimation ink the feel would be a lot better since there is no polymer used. It would have a true fabric feel. Very soft hand and the color would be more vibrant than pigmented ink such as Durabrite or 3rd party archival and pigmented inks. With sublimation ink it is semi breathable since there is adhesive envolved.

Like IronAll for dark this material has to be trimmed. BTW this material will not crack since it is made of 100% polyester fabric.


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## mr cando (Jul 29, 2007)

Hi all, you guys are talking over my head(lol)! I do dye-sub on light colored shirts only at this time , but if I am reading you right , you fellows are using dye-sub inks on dark fabrics with the Airwaves Fabric Opaque. If this is the case, where do you get this stuff from. Thanks guys , Ken


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

you can get it at Air Waves Inc. - Home Page


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## mr cando (Jul 29, 2007)

Thanks mrdavid. I appreciate it.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

*Hi David. Luis pointed me in the direction of this thread.*

*With the inkjet and sublimation samples, how did these stand up to the wash tests? Luis mentioned possible fraying at the edges. Was this bad or would it hardly be noticed? *

*Am looking at item suitable for darks I can sell onto my customers, with confidence. More so something I can use with sublimation ink, that doesn't leave a massive hand.*

*Thanks...  *


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## mrdavid (Sep 14, 2007)

It is not so Bad but yes you can see it. I Have washed now 12 times and I do like it and yes there is hand to it. I would see if they can send you some samples and try them your self and see if you like them I would not have any problems with it.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

*Hi. Couple of folks on here are doing wash tests on some sublimation flock at the moment, may see how that works out first.*

*The fraying could be a problem with my customers, so I may have to keep looking.  *


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

i am absolutely confused here. (maybe im not understanding fully cause its soo late and im falling asleep). how does this paper differ from regular opaque transfers? you keep saying "fabric".. what exactly is that? im using sublimation ink...can you please post detailed steps for using this paper with sublimation inks? thnx.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

The link you want to the product is here.

Air Waves Inc. - FABRIC OPAQUE 29.7X42CM A3


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## R1Lover (Jun 7, 2008)

It's the same thing best blanks sells too. IMO it's too thick to work for the look I'm after and it can't be contour cut with a cutter, only by hand.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

chonkymonky said:


> i am absolutely confused here. (maybe im not understanding fully cause its soo late and im falling asleep). how does this paper differ from regular opaque transfers? you keep saying "fabric".. what exactly is that? im using sublimation ink...can you please post detailed steps for using this paper with sublimation inks? thnx.


It is made of 100% high density polymer fabric with pressure sensitive adhesive. Yes it can be sublimated. The hand is very soft if no heat transfer paper for light is pressed on top of the sublimated fabric. It fells like it is part of the tshirt. That is how soft it is.

Send me PM with your email address and I will send you the detailed instruction.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

DREAMGLASS said:


> *Hi. Couple of folks on here are doing wash tests on some sublimation flock at the moment, may see how that works out first.*
> 
> *The fraying could be a problem with my customers, so I may have to keep looking.  *


Doesn't flock have fuzzy texture to it? I think it will have less sharp image.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

hello to you all. i just got my paper (Airwaves Fabric Opaque) this morning and im in the process of trying it out. im using sublimation ink so im going by the instructions that were sent to me by luis. i just had one question for luis..how long can i store the fabric transfer after i transfer the image on to it? will the ink eventually start to bleed or fade on the fabric transfer if i dont press it right away? thanks again for everything.
Miguel


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

chonkymonky said:


> hello to you all. i just got my paper (Airwaves Fabric Opaque) this morning and im in the process of trying it out. im using sublimation ink so im going by the instructions that were sent to me by luis. i just had one question for luis..how long can i store the fabric transfer after i transfer the image on to it? will the ink eventually start to bleed or fade on the fabric transfer if i dont press it right away? thanks again for everything.
> Miguel


I can't really tell you how long because I pressed the transfer right away after the ink was dry. I would say that it is not going to bleed if you let it dry before you store it. Keep it in a ziplock bag so it is not exposed to humidity. When in doubt use the alternate method where you print the mirrored image on a release paper as would do with sublimation transfer.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

ok i finally got my hands on some reynolds freezer paper and im ready to test the Airwaves Fabric Opaque on a dark shirt. (keep in mind that im using the sublimation method and any other method may give you different results).

i followed instructions to a tee. reading every step twice before actually doing it. 

when it came down to peeling the backing from the fabric..that's where it got messy. 

i pressed the freezer paper on to the fabric for 3 seconds and then let it cool. it seemed to stick pretty well..until i started trying to peel the backing from the fabric. 

the freezer paper is supposed to keep the fabric from curling up on itself by holding it with its slightly tacky side as you peel away the backing from the fabric. the backing kept pulling the fabric off of the freezer paper when i tried peeling it off. the freezer paper just wasnt holding the fabric well enough. so i had to keep using my fingers to hold down the fabric as i pulled on the backing. 

the sticky side on the fabric is very....umm...sticky..so it kept getting stuck to my fingers. i could not keep the fabric to stay on the freezer paper. eventually i got the backing off of the fabric. then as i tried to position the fabric on the shirt it just kept sticking to the shirt and pulling and stretching. at one point i pulled up the opaque fabric to re-position and thats when it just curled up on itself. the sticky side made contact with itself and i could not get it apart again. 

what a mess. removing the backing from the fabric is just too tedious even with the freezer paper. 

so i had another go at it..this time i didnt use the freezer paper. i just very carefully pressed down on the fabric as i peeled away the backing. by the time i got the backing off, the fabric itself was pretty deformed from stretching and pulling. i didnt bother positioning the fabric on the t-shirt since all i really wanted to check was its washability. i pressed the fabric (with teflon over it) for 2 seconds then let it cool down before pressing for another 2 seconds to make sure the adhesive set well. i then pressed for 8 seconds. 

the opaque fabric seemed to adhere to the shirt very well. i tried peeling a corner and could'nt. the hand was softer than any opaque transfer id used so far. but that wasnt too important to me..i was more interested in how it washed.

i threw the shirt into the washer with cold water...mild soap. when ii was time to remove it from the washer...the opaque fabric had completely come off of the shirt. crap! im sure not all the transfers come off so easily..probably something i overlooked..or maybe a bad batch perhaps? 

so after three hours i had only pressed one shirt and that transfer came right off in the wash. i wanted to test the washability some more..but i didnt bother testing anymore and am basically just giving up on this Opaque Fabric. its just too much trouble to work with in my opinion. now im stuck with 23 sheets of Fabric Opaque and a box of freezer paper. 

id like to hear if anyone else (other than luis) has had better luck with this item. 

Miguel


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Miguel,

I am sorry it is not working out for you. The freezer paper that I am using has thin poly coating on one side. It looks more like a laser transfer paper. The 3 seconds I recommended worked for the freezer paper that I use. I bought mine from C. Jenkins Company . Try raising the dwell time. Maybe your freezer paper needs to be pressed longer. As far as the opaque coming off I do not have an answer for you. Other than try changing some of the settings of temp, time and pressure. The settings I gave you worked for my press. The shirts that I did has been through 11 washes without coming off. The shirts that I sent to mrdavid are holding also. The last time he posted the shirt had been through 12 washes. He washed the shirts in laundry mat using hot water and dryer conditions.

Or maybe you have a bad batch.

Send me a PM with your address and I will send you a couple of sheets of each freezer paper and opaque. In the mean time use a blank inkjet or laser transfer paper in place of the freezer paper. You have to press longer because the regular transfer paper has thicker coating than the freezer paper. Also some of the polymer will stay on the opaque which will cause it to have heavier hand.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

yeah my guess is that i got a bad batch. wouldnt be the first time it's happened to me. i had the temp and time set for sublimation (55 sec. @ 400 degrees)..so that is the same temp i used when i pressed the freezer paper on to the fabric. even at three seconds the fabric/freezer paper would start to warp. from the heat im guessing. 

the peeling was just so tedious. very frustrating. i couldnt imagine going through that every time i had to print a shirt..so thats why i gave up on it.

i used the renyolds freezer paper. its waxy with a tacky side. as a matter of fact..on the box it gives suggestions for other uses..one of them said you can use it as a stencil on tshirts by cutting out a design then sticking it on the shirt with a hot dry iron and then painting in the cut out parts. so im thinking that was the right kind of freezer paper to use.

i need to get an order out by next week so my best bet is to just go ahead and order the same freezer paper you used from that website. then ill give it one more try. thanks again for everything.

Miguel


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

chonkymonky said:


> yeah my guess is that i got a bad batch. wouldnt be the first time it's happened to me. i had the temp and time set for sublimation (55 sec. @ 400 degrees)..so that is the same temp i used when i pressed the freezer paper on to the fabric. even at three seconds the fabric/freezer paper would start to warp. from the heat im guessing.
> 
> the peeling was just so tedious. very frustrating. i couldnt imagine going through that every time i had to print a shirt..so thats why i gave up on it.
> 
> ...


 I tested the freezer paper again and it held on the opaque. I peeled the back without the freezer paper coming off.

55 seconds may be what is causing the peeling problem from the shirt. You might call Airwaves and find out what is the recommended maximum dwell time for the paper. In Airwaves website it says that it is Sawgrass Sublimation Ink compatible. So if that is what you have and that is the dwell time for the ink then you definitely need to call Airwaves about the dwell time.

When I tested thermal wax sublimation ink I only used 30 seconds.

BTW if you are printing directly on the opaque make sure you sublimate it first before you press it on the shirt.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

well the 55 seconds is what i used to sublimate the image from the transfer to the fabric. its what have always used with my artainium uv+ sublimation inks. 

when i attached the freezer paper i only used three seconds like you instructed. 

when i pressed the fabric opaque to the shirt..i used your instructions as follows: 
-press for two seconds then let cool so that adhesive sets.
-press again for one or two seconds
-peel freezer paper
-press for 6 to 8 seconds

when you pressed your fabric to the shirt what temp was your press set at?


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

chonkymonky said:


> well the 55 seconds is what i used to sublimate the image from the transfer to the fabric. its what have always used with my artainium uv+ sublimation inks.
> 
> when i attached the freezer paper i only used three seconds like you instructed.
> 
> ...


I use 400F with very heavy pressure.


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## Daniel Slatkin (Jun 25, 2008)

Luis I tested the sample you sent, Thank you. As far as the product goes it would be great for easy cut designs or for designs that where full sheet printing, as far as contour cutting with a plotter goes I had no success. I did like the extremely soft feel though, and would consider using it for photo style prints that where easy to cut.

Thank you for the sample and the great instructions.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Daniel Slatkin said:


> Luis I tested the sample you sent, Thank you. As far as the product goes it would be great for easy cut designs or for designs that where full sheet printing, as far as contour cutting with a plotter goes I had no success. I did like the extremely soft feel though, and would consider using it for photo style prints that where easy to cut.
> 
> Thank you for the sample and the great instructions.


Dan,

You are welcome. Have you done any wash test? Just want to know if you have any problem that Miguel was experiencing where the opaque is coming off the shirt. Where you using sublimation ink on it?

I agree it is hard to cut with vinyl cutter. I have not found a way to cut it. I hand cut when the image has complex contour and use rotary trimmer for straight edge such as photo.

Thanks.


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## Daniel Slatkin (Jun 25, 2008)

It performed well in the wash test. But like you I used very heavy pressure.I also did a pre-press on the shirt. If any body figures out a good way to ploter cut it, it would work great. I used sawgrass sub ink.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Daniel Slatkin said:


> It performed well in the wash test. But like you I used very heavy pressure.I also did a pre-press on the shirt. If any body figures out a good way to ploter cut it, it would work great. I used sawgrass sub ink.


What is the chance of posting a photo? I have not given up trying to cut it. I know a way but it is going to be expensive. A Laser fabric cutter will do the trick but the price is just not practical.

Thanks.


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## Delilah Storm (Jun 24, 2010)

mrdavid said:


> pigment ink,subimate ink and Lazer Toner.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


so airwaves is AS GOOD as Jet Pro Dark/Opaque?


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