# Best way to heatset screenprinted designs?



## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

Hi all,
I just did a big order (75 shirts) and my customer is very dismayed because some faded. I was in a hurry and did them all quickly and heatset with a heatgun enough to dry the ink, but I guess that wasn't enough :\
What's the best way to heatset so that the image is permanent? Sometimes my design 'smokes' after I heatset it alot with the heatgun. Is that damaging or is that just the moisture from the ink evaporating? Is that good or bad?
When I get back to my basement shop after the holidays I'm going to try heatsetting to various degrees, and also throwing shirts inside-out for a run in my clothes dryer (of the kind that go with washing machines, not a specific drying machine for printing) and see how that works out.
Thanks


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> What's the best way to heatset so that the image is permanent?


A curing oven.



brent said:


> Sometimes my design 'smokes' after I heatset it alot with the heatgun. Is that damaging or is that just the moisture from the ink evaporating? Is that good or bad?


Normal and good with waterbased inks. I don't know about plastisol.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

How much does a decent curing oven cost?
Would running them through a cycle in a normal dryer help set at all? I've heard it does but am not sure it really makes a difference.
And, yes, these are waterbased, acrylic inks. From now on i'll smoke them.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> How much does a decent curing oven cost?


I'm not sure in the US (that kind of thing tends to be more expensive here). I'm guessing $2k-$4k, but some of the regulars here will have a much better idea; it might cost more like $6,000+, I really don't know.



brent said:


> Would running them through a cycle in a normal dryer help set at all? I've heard it does but am not sure it really makes a difference.


You hear a lot of myths about curing ink. I've heard variously that yes a dryer helps, and no it doesn't. The person who told me it doesn't however also pointed out that the dryer gets up to 77ºc, and the minimum temperature needed to cure the ink (for 8-9 mins) is 120ºc... so in this case I know who I'll be believing 



brent said:


> And, yes, these are waterbased, acrylic inks. From now on i'll smoke them.


Bearing in mind the smoke could _also_ be from the garment burning  But the ink does smoke when it's curing.

You can use a heat press to cure waterbased ink, although it's not very efficient.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

Also, someone told me that rinsing the shirts in salt water helps set the design. Have you ever heard anything about that?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> Also, someone told me that rinsing the shirts in salt water helps set the design. Have you ever heard anything about that?


I've never heard that before, and I definitely don't know enough about ink chemistry to have a clue whether it would help or not.

My instinct says no, but my instinct doesn't have a chemistry degree either, so I trust that about as far as I can throw it.

Ultimately (speaking for me personally) I wouldn't care if it helps set the design or not: there are a myriad of reasons I wouldn't wash garments in salt water before selling them.


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## global epidemik (Dec 2, 2006)

a buddy of mine has a small screen printing setup and he just uses his conventional oven, im not sure if thats the right way...but thats the way he does it. any thoughts?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

incognito said:


> a buddy of mine has a small screen printing setup and he just uses his conventional oven, im not sure if thats the right way...but thats the way he does it. any thoughts?


It's generally recommended you don't cook chemicals and food in the same oven. Honestly I have no idea if it's a problem or not, but it tends to make people squeamish.


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## renwick (May 16, 2006)

hi i`ve used my heat press to cure(dry) inks and it works great but i tested shirts before i sold any.I have found that the best way to test is to make some up.
Then give them to my mates who work in heavy industry(building work) ask them to wear them for a week,(give them a couple each)Then see what was the best results if week on a site is`nt a good test then i don`t know what is.
The other thing is i once wrote on here about curing plastisol ink on my heat press and a lot of people called me mad(not directly),i`ve had my test tees for 3 months now with a lot of washing and ironing done to them.And they still look great and now i now the work well will be selling them next year.Do you use a catalyst when printing?this helps to air cure.


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

Look n the classified forums at www.usscreen.com. You might find a used dryer there that may fit your budget. Curing screen printed shirts any other way is not reccomended and not very professional.



> Also, someone told me that rinsing the shirts in salt water helps set the design. Have you ever heard anything about that?


In my 11 years in the industry, I have never heard of this.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

With the heat gun, it's very hard to make sure every square inch of the image has been brought up to 300 degrees. Imagine the marks an aerosol can makes as you paint something, but now you need to heat up the shirt.

*Flat iron on cotton setting * The $10 solution
Better than a heat gun: heat + pressure and you are reasonably sure you have covered the whole area. Remember that the ink AND the shirt both have to rise to 300 degrees F. for the ink to be properly cured and bonded, so a quick pass with the iron is not enough.

*Heat Seal Press*
Large platen for complete coverage and uniform pressure. Usually used to apply transfers.

*Flash Unit
*Ohhh, I don't like using a flash to cure. It ties up the press and takes too long. Use a heat seal press instead.

*Conveyor Oven*
Plastisol doesn't dry, so call it an oven. You can set the time and temperature. All you have to do is drop the shirt on the belt and get back to printing.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

very good Richard, nice and organized options post.

the "*Flat iron on cotton setting"* term we dont hear too much of on this board. But it is an option. Glad to hear it.  

thanks.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

T-BOT said:


> very good Richard, nice and organized options post.
> 
> the "*Flat iron on cotton setting"* term we dont hear too much of on this board. But it is an option. Glad to hear it.
> 
> thanks.


Any regular iron, with the cotton setting would be hot enough? How long would it need to be over the design?


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

brent said:


> Any regular iron, with the cotton setting would be hot enough? How long would it need to be over the design?


Until the ink and shirt reach 300 degrees F. 

After a few hours, that $700 heat seal press will pretty attractive.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

RichardGreaves said:


> Until the ink and shirt reach 300 degrees F.
> 
> After a few hours, that $700 heat seal press will pretty attractive.


How would I have any idea what temperature the ink and shirt were reaching while using a regular iron?

And also could you tell me a bit about heat seal presses, or suggest a brand name or model so i could google it and find out more? That's definitely out of my budget right now, but as my little business grows it may become feasible. 
Thanks for the info


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

brent said:


> How would I have any idea what temperature the ink and shirt were reaching while using a regular iron?
> 
> And also could you tell me a bit about heat seal presses, or suggest a brand name or model so i could google it and find out more?


Peter Choi at All American Supply on Erie Avenue on the east side of Philadelphia is a good bet. He sells the Stahls' and Hix brands of heat transfer presses, both made in Pennsylvania.

Best Transfer - Custom made rhinestone heat transfers, wide format printer, vinyl cutter, heat press, sublimation and more!

To measure temperature you need a contact thermometer for the best accuracy or an infra-red thermometer for pretty good accuracy.

Here is a good variety of thermocouple thermometers from Cooper Instruments with prices from one of their distributors. Look for the Screen Printers ThermoProbe kit. This used to be called the Atkins ThermoProbe until Cooper bought Atkins.

manufactured by Cooper-Atkins

You want a K Type probe. I like the model 50319-K:
Food Safety Temperature Monitoring Wireless HACCP

IR Thermometers are not as accurate as a contact thermometer.
Grainger Industrial Supply


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

thanks again Greaves, great resources and info.

btw. my insurance brookers name is Peter Choi too. Serious.


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

brent said:


> How would I have any idea what temperature the ink and shirt were reaching while using a regular iron?


You may be able to use an Infared (IR) Thermometer that has a laser pointer.

You just point the dot on the area and it tells you the temp. 

It would also tell you the temp of the bottom of the iron.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

John S said:


> You may be able to use an Infared (IR) Thermometer that has a laser pointer.
> 
> You just point the dot on the area and it tells you the temp.
> 
> It would also tell you the temp of the bottom of the iron.


It will tell you the temperature of the iron, but I would aim the probe at the shirt, not the iron.


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

RichardGreaves said:


> It will tell you the temperature of the iron, but I would aim the probe at the shirt, not the iron.


Did you miss the 'also'? 

Aim it at the shirt for ink and garment temp. AND aim it at the iron to help set the iron temp high enough to reach 300.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> Any regular iron, with the cotton setting would be hot enough?


Yes, any regular iron should be sufficient.

A typical domestic iron ranges from 150°c on the low setting to 240°c on the high setting.



brent said:


> How long would it need to be over the design?


That will partly depend on your ink manufacturer, and the information should be provided on the label of your ink. If not, the manufacturer should be able to supply it for you. That said, it doesn't vary much between ink brands I've used, so as a general guide:

2-3 minutes at 180°c *or* 5-6 minutes at 140°c *or* 8-9 minutes at 120°c

The reason this doesn't come up that much is because it's _technically possible_ - that doesn't mean it's remotely practical. Your 75 shirt order would leave you ironing shirts constantly for approximately three to four hours. It's a great feature of waterbased ink if you're doing a few prints at home, but it's not much use for commercial printing.


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

John S said:


> Did you miss the 'also'?



Sorry about that.


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

Solmu said:


> You can use a heat press to cure waterbased ink, although it's not very efficient.


Hi guys,

can you tell me more about curing waterbased inks with a heat press. What are the settings? Any additional tips, warnings? Would the finished product be as good as if done with the curing oven? Durability issues etc? Does anyone have first hand experience, if so, please tell me a little.

Thank you


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

Annushka said:


> What are the settings?


What is your ink? How are you measuring?

If you don't have a thermometer do measure the shirt and ink, you are guessing. I listed tools you use in post #16 on this page.

Each container of ink will have curing instructions. If is says 330 (F) degrees, that is the temperature your ink and shirt must be for a complete cure. Maybe it takes 20 seconds, maybe 60 seconds with your equipment - you have to test. Time is relative, but the temperature is not. 

If you set your home cooking oven to 330 degrees, you could heat the shirt for hours and it would never overheat and you would be sure the ink was as durable and cured as you could make it. The heat would penetrate every fiber of the shirt. The same is true of setting your oven to 260 degrees. No amount of time could get the shirt to the curing temperarture of 330 degrees.

If you use a heat press and set the temperature to 330 degrees, you could bring the heat platen down and walk away and have lunch. It will be 330 degrees.

People that are in a hurry make a mistake when they turn up the heat and set the temperature at 900 degrees because they want to cure for a few seconds. The heat may not penetrate, could burn the surface and the center could be ice cold, just like with a thick steak. Cooking anything dense like a turkey, low and slow is best so the heat will penetrate into every fiber.

You're asking for help, so focus on what concerns you. You may be worried about accidently burning a shirt so you want setting advice. For that, you MUST tell us what ink and what heat source and I would still tell you that you have to measure or guess.


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

I Greaves,

Thanks for the info . 

re: the inks I have for now are Pebeo and Jaquard inks I have purchased in the art store (these are just for now, I will try others later such as speedball etc.). The jars only say to heatset with an iron - no temperature. 

re: the heat source - working on buying a press very soon. For now it's the household iron. 

As far as your question re: how I measure - I'm not sure I understand. I was hoping that setting the heat press to my desired temp. sort of takes care of it. Do I need to measure the shirt the way you had described earlier even when using a heat press?

Thanks a lot


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

Annushka said:


> The jars only say to heatset with an iron - no temperature.
> 
> re: the heat source - working on buying a press very soon. For now it's the household iron.
> 
> As far as your question re: how I measure - I'm not sure I understand.


Alas, if the ink doesn't tell you what temperature you will have to improvise. I suggest using the highest setting your iron will go to. This is usually cotton and should be above 300F. If they don't publish a temperature, I assume it is a low temperature resin since they don't even say the cotton setting. Print one. Iron it and wash it in every load you do the for the next 6 months and you will know how the ink hold up. Because it's art, you will probably not mind printing another IF the ink breaks down in the wash.

Longer time under the heat is better than shorter. Try ironing the left side more than the right and wash testing the shirt to compare. Cut the shirt in half so you have a comparison of un-washed and washed, long and short iron time.

"How are you measuring?" is a rhetorical question in many ways. It is meant to engage you and I expect you to answer "I'm not measuring".

If you don't measure, you are guessing. That either bothers you or it doesn't. 

At home, making a few shirts at a time. Ironing them lovingly and keeping a close watch on doing a good job, it probably won't bother you. You will think to yourself, I don't need a thermometer ... and you won't. 

There is nothing wrong with not measuring and guessing. You just won't feel confident until after you have washed the shirts if the curing worked. A thermometer is no guarantee either.

Are you having fun? Then don't be intimidated by my kind of answer. When it starts to frustrate you and you decide to have more control, you will invest. If it works, you don't need to know.

Think about visiting the Imprinted Sportswear Show in Atlantic City March 9-11 2007, it's the only decorating show in the Northeast. You can anonymously shop and learn for the cost of a day at the beach.

*Imprinted Sportswear Show - The Premier Event for Decorated Apparel Industry*


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

RichardGreaves said:


> .
> Longer time under the heat is better than shorter. Try ironing the left side more than the right and wash testing the shirt to compare. Cut the shirt in half so you have a comparison of un-washed and washed, long and short iron time.


Greaves, once again thank you. I really liked your advice above about testing halves of the shirt, I'll try that.



> Think about visiting the Imprinted Sportswear Show in Atlantic City March 9-11 2007, it's the only decorating show in the Northeast. You can anonymously shop and learn for the cost of a day at the beach.
> 
> *Imprinted Sportswear Show - The Premier Event for Decorated Apparel Industry*


I have to work on that next. That's really my only chance to get to a show, since everything else is further south, and most likely I'd never have the time or the money to make it that far 

Take care, Annushka


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## ASAP Printing (Oct 6, 2006)

Umm I would just stick to heat transfers. This is becoming a science project. Shirts in the Oven?..


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

The best way to cure a shirt is using a conveyer dryer specifically ade for the industry. They are fairly expensive yet cure the ink properly. If your in a business any other way is either not cost effective or not very professional. I understand you only have so much oney but to be consistent and one that gurantees a great product this is the way to go.

Many sites offer used equipment for sale and getting a used one might be the best option


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## Ken Styles (Mar 16, 2006)

how do you use a heat press to cure the shirts? Wouldn't the ink get on the heat press??


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## hon623 (Jan 17, 2007)

Agree with Fluid, the only way to have the ink cure is using the Conyer Dryer. You don't want your customer complain your job and not return to you.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Ken Styles said:


> how do you use a heat press to cure the shirts? Wouldn't the ink get on the heat press??


Not waterbased ink (it air dries).

Plastisol you could try the "hover the element over the shirt" method, but personally I think that's insane.


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## HeathenPeddler (Nov 30, 2006)

Fluid and Hon623, the curing oven is undoubtedly the best way but it is not always possible. Currently I use a home iron on Linen setting and yes it's a chore. Would I like a curing oven? Of course, but a. there's nowhere to put it, I don't have business premeses (?sp) I work from home(and we ain't rich so a small home) and b. no way in the world I can afford one. I hope to get a heatpress as soon as I can, but a dryer? Not a chance. I still have to get a decent screen carousel and gear!

I know I'm not the only one here who's on a limited budget. There are plenty of ways to do everything - some good, some bad, some downright expensive. I offer a guarantee on my tees and if one fades or runs before it should I would replace it.


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## xfrumx (Jan 25, 2007)

I have been heat curing my Plastisol in the home oven for years now, it really doen't take long and I have only had problems on a few shirts in my first couple runs

I always try to make and extra of each size because 1 out of evey 75 shirts or so 1 will burn.

I think a home oven works fine, just use a big flat pan and ut a shirt or 2 on it!


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## Annushka (Jul 26, 2006)

Fot those using home ovens to cure - wouldn't that be potentially hazardous to your health to use that same oven for food afterwards? There must be some kind of fumes coming out as a result of the process, that could later be stuck to the walls of the oven. I don't know much about chemistry but I'd scared to use it in that manner. Also proper ventilation must be crucial for this as well, and an average home might not have it.


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

> Fluid and Hon623, the curing oven is undoubtedly the best way but it is not always possible. Currently I use a home iron on Linen setting and yes it's a chore. Would I like a curing oven? Of course, but a. there's nowhere to put it, I don't have business premeses (?sp) I work from home(and we ain't rich so a small home) and b. no way in the world I can afford one. I hope to get a heatpress as soon as I can, but a dryer? Not a chance. I still have to get a decent screen carousel and gear


A Flash cure unit would be better than an Iron and quicker. I understand the money issue as I was in that boat quite some time ago. Honestly you have to weigh all the options not just the price of a flash or dryer. How long will it take to iron all your shirts to cure? How much is yout time worth? (this is the big one and everyone rarely adds this in their overhead figures) You time is worth a lot more than you would think. The time you spent ironing the shirts could be used to print more shirts or sell more.
A used flash unit will run starting at the low $250. A small price to pay for quicker production.
The faster you print/cure a shirt the more money you make per shirt.

Good Luck



> Fot those using home ovens to cure - wouldn't that be potentially hazardous to your health to use that same oven for food afterwards? There must be some kind of fumes coming out as a result of the process, that could later be stuck to the walls of the oven. I don't know much about chemistry but I'd scared to use it in that manner. Also proper ventilation must be crucial for this as well, and an average home might not have it.


Yes there are fumes that are emmited when curing shirts wether its in a oven or conveyer dryer. OSHA rules are that dryers are to be vented. Also its not just the ink that emits odors its the actual dye in soe shirts that stick up the air. The are not the best to be breathing. remember plasticol inks are PVC based.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

By using the same oven to cure your shirts and cook your food you might be severely increasing your chances of cancer (and sterility and a few other things). I say _might_ because I'm not aware of any studies on the subject, but PVC has been linked to those things. I don't know for sure, but I certainly wouldn't be prepared to take that risk. It's the kind of thing where you might not notice anything now, but ten years down the line...


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

> By using the same oven to cure your shirts and cook your food you might be severely increasing your chances of cancer (and sterility and a few other things). I say might because I'm not aware of any studies on the subject, but PVC has been linked to those things. I don't know for sure, but I certainly wouldn't be prepared to take that risk. It's the kind of thing where you might not notice anything now, but ten years down the line...


Agree 100% Why chance it.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

Is it absolutely necessary to go 3 minutes with an iron on the highest setting, or is heatsetting complete once the design stops steaming? I hope to be able to purchase a flash cure unit in March, but until then, it's monotonous ironing.


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## xfrumx (Jan 25, 2007)

I have a home electric oven that i only use for this

So I figure that would be safe


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## xfrumx (Jan 25, 2007)

Oh yeah, I do screenprinting for fun also

I am a plumber as a job and we drink water that comes from PVC pipes, PVC pipes are a lot of service for underground, and most people have PVC or Cooper pipes in their homes.


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

> I am a plumber as a job and we drink water that comes from PVC pipes, PVC pipes are a lot of service for underground, and most people have PVC or Cooper pipes in their homes


Very true yet curing plasticol inks emits odors/chemicals into the air and we breathe them in. Im sure whats emitted from the pipes takes a lot longer to emit than curing plasticols.


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## troylarson (Jun 10, 2009)

So my wife and I have started doing screen printing as a hobby and would like to resell our shirts eventually... we will be getting a professional dryer, but until then we're doing them in an electric oven... how long would you need to heat a shirt with water-based ink at 330 to make sure it's set?


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## rufioeltigre (Jun 10, 2009)

If you're going to iron a shirt to cure it, do you wait til it is relatively dry and then place something over the image as a buffer between plastisol and iron. Or do you turn it inside out or something?


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## jmlampert23 (Nov 7, 2008)

plasitsol will smoke a little but the best way is to get a conveyor dryer i know it is expsensive but it is the easiest way to complete a job so you know ever shirt is cured correctly


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

It has been a long time since I was posting about curing with an iron. I have a 10 foot IR conveyor oven now.

If you're looking to cure WB inks on the cheap, get a heat gun, which you can use to flash. Dry it to the touch and then put a sheet of wax paper over it and iron it AS HOT AS POSSIBLE for two minutes, constantly and slowly moving the iron over the print. It's not fun.

The debate will never cease about curing shirts in an actual cooking oven, but I don't think it's a good idea. You won't have a constant temperature because you're opening the door continuously and I wouldn't want to eat anything cooked in there after curing shirts in it. If you're really budget minded, just save up for a flash cure unit.

And an infrared temp gun is useful no matter how you are curing.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

rufioeltigre said:


> If you're going to iron a shirt to cure it, do you wait til it is relatively dry and then place something over the image as a buffer between plastisol and iron. Or do you turn it inside out or something?


Plastisol doesn't air dry, and you can't use an iron to cure it.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

Correct me if I'm wrong, Solmu, but you shouldn't iron a plastisol printed t-shirt either, after it is printed and everything, as in your shirt is wrinkled and you want to iron it to look good for your night out on the town.

And for WB inks, there are some "air dry" inks, but I've never tried them and I do not remember their names.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, Solmu, but you shouldn't iron a plastisol printed t-shirt either, after it is printed and everything, as in your shirt is wrinkled and you want to iron it to look good for your night out on the town.


Yeah, plastisol and irons don't play nicely together.



brent said:


> And for WB inks, there are some "air dry" inks, but I've never tried them and I do not remember their names.


As far as I know they're all air *dry*. Air _dry _not being the same as air _cure_.


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## brent (Nov 3, 2006)

good point. Air dry.
There are some inks that supposedly air "cure", I should say. I think the brand name is Permaset? I am not sure.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

brent said:


> good point. Air dry.
> There are some inks that supposedly air "cure", I should say.


Yup.



brent said:


> I think the brand name is Permaset? I am not sure.


Nope, Permaset definitely doesn't air cure (unless you add the optional air cure additive). 

How about Aerotex? I seem to recall that might be one of them?

(it's obvious that they're not actually popular with professionals )


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## darticus (Aug 22, 2010)

What about drying using our kitchen oven. Im sure it w2ill work fine for water base3d inks. Ron


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