# issues with cleaning 230 mesh



## Gnarly (Jan 23, 2015)

hi everyone,

I bought a 230 mesh yellow screen and it works great. 
My dilemma now is...cleaning the plastisol off. Most of the ink came off, but still some residue of the plastisol are hanging around. 

I'm using the CCI 147 screen wash that I spayed on both sides of the screen and waited about a minute and washed the screen off with my 1600 pressure washer. 

I understand that the screen has a tighter mesh and ink might be a bit more difficult to remove. Perhaps I'm using the wrong screen wash? 

What has your experience been with cleaning a 230 mesh screen?
Thank you in advance. 


-Gnar


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

is ink physically left in the screen or are you just seeing the staining/ghosting that the ink left behind?


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## Gnarly (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks Greatzky. Yep, I think it's stained in the mesh. I don't think it's ghosting. 
I've had ghosting before and that's when the screen was completely reclaimed (ink and emulsion removed). 
It almost feels like I have to press down really hard on the screen with the brush. Granted the brush has seen better days, I'm able to wet the screen with the CCI 147 > scrub > wash down. 

Thank you by the way.


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## anthony1oo (Apr 11, 2015)

Hi
Welcome to this forum, Your question is really a good question,
sorry but i have no answer for your question, 
because i have no idea in this field.
-------------------------
 Top Ten classified website


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## anthony1oo (Apr 11, 2015)

anthony1oo said:


> Hi
> Welcome to this forum, Your question is really a good question,
> sorry but i have no answer for your question,
> because i have no idea in this field.
> ...


Hi
Welcome to this forum, your question is a good question,
sorry but i have no answer for your question,
because i have no idea in this field.

-------------------------
 Top Ten classified website


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## anthony1oo (Apr 11, 2015)

hanks Greatzky. Yep, I think it's stained in the mesh. I don't think it's ghosting. 
I've had ghosting before and that's when the screen was completely reclaimed (ink and emulsion removed). 
It almost feels like I have to press down really hard on the screen with the brush. Granted the brush has seen better days, I'm able to wet the screen with the CCI 147 > scrub > wash down. 

Thank you by the way.


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## Gnarly (Jan 23, 2015)

not sure what's happening here with the other replies but I'll just send you a PM, Greatzky.

Thanks,
Gnar


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## brandunofficial (Aug 6, 2012)

All you need is some Screen Opener. Just spray screen open on both sides and whip it down. Xylen works good too or if you could use the Tex Chem from Graphics Solutions Group it works good too but just don't get it to the sides of the screen because it will start to loosen the glue off the mesh.


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## brandunofficial (Aug 6, 2012)

And just so you know for reference: Screen Wash will only wash off emulsion not Plastisol. So after you are dont spraying off all the emulsion and you hold it to the light to make sure no more emulsion is on there. Then simply spray screen opener (not the citrus kind but the original one) on both sides and wipe down with an old cotton rag. It will clean it right up and look good and new.


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## mushroomtoxic (Sep 5, 2013)

EasiSolv 701 Screen Wash & Stain Remover


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## Gnarly (Jan 23, 2015)

I'm sorry, did I say I was washing off emulsion? My bad...I meant to say I wanna remove the ink left in the screen / stencil.


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## chuckh (Mar 22, 2008)

Even though there is a stain, most often it will not affect your next print if you inspect the mesh and see that it is fully open. You can use a haze/ghost remover if it really bothers you. We use NazDar's "Pink Stuff" as a degreaser after ink and emulsion have been removed. It is not technically a haze remover, but if we apply to both sides and let it sit for a minute or two, we just pressure wash it out and it's almost like new.
We have on that rare occasion used screen opener on stubborn areas that had been printed with nylon catalyst ink or air dry solvent inks. If so, it works best on a dry screen with plenty of ventilation.


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## Screen Medics (Feb 23, 2015)

You will be surprised how clean plastisol comes out of screens without disturbing the emulsion if you use Xylol to remove the ink. Xylol is usually less expensive than most anything else you can use and does not disturb the emulsion even after repeated cleanings.

Vastex Company calls for Xylol to remove ink from their number screens. We have number screens cleaned exclusively with Xylol going on 4 years of use with no emulsion degradation. Paint stores and box stores like Home Depot have Xylol available in the paint department.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Whatever you use to clean screens of residual ink from emulsion, it's recommended that harsh solvents be avoided if possible. May cause emulsion to lock and make reclaiming difficult. More so with emulsion that may be slightly underexposed.


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## Boxtopus (Nov 26, 2011)

chuckh said:


> Even though there is a stain, most often it will not affect your next print if you inspect the mesh and see that it is fully open. You can use a haze/ghost remover if it really bothers you. We use NazDar's "Pink Stuff" as a degreaser after ink and emulsion have been removed. It is not technically a haze remover, but if we apply to both sides and let it sit for a minute or two, we just pressure wash it out and it's almost like new.
> We have on that rare occasion used screen opener on stubborn areas that had been printed with nylon catalyst ink or air dry solvent inks. If so, it works best on a dry screen with plenty of ventilation.


I have to totally agree with Chuck. 

Gnar, it sounds like you are not degreasing your screens after removing the emulsion. We also use some pink stuff. Ours is ICC 858 Stain Remover Degreaser. After removing the emulsion, apply the degreaser to a brush, gently scrub both sides of the screen, use the pressure washer to wash out.


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