# Alternative Uses for your Heat Press - recuring bad screen printing :)



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

Here is an interesting use I found for my recently acquired heat press, completely by accident too!

In my post on the thread here (page 10) I mentioned that my silkscreen-er had made me a bunch of stretchy blouses that ALL cracked. This was right before the Christmas rush and I was pretty darn upset. 

When I asked for some sort of responsibility related compensation (I had bought all the blanks he had ruined), he insisted that it wasn't his responsibility or his fault, because this kind of material couldn't be succesfully printed on. I had suggested that it was either his inks or his curing.

So I had a stack of useless ladies blouses.

One day, I put one in the heat press just for fun. And lo and behold, the heat press re-cured the plastisol and it no longer cracked! 330 degrees, 45 seconds with a kraft paper over the ink! Amazing!


----------



## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



MayanXic said:


> One day, I put one in the heat press just for fun. And lo and behold, the heat press re-cured the plastisol and it no longer cracked! 330 degrees, 45 seconds with a kraft paper over the ink! Amazing!


This makes me think that it's possible that the ink was not properly cured in the first place.


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*

Absolutely right. Which makes the silkscreen guy a liar and all the more reason to switch my business from him to plastisol transfers!


----------



## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*

Now i was told never ever use your heat press for grilled cheese sandwiches... My friends son tried that one day when she was gone.. rofl


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

*Alternative Uses for your Heat Press - Use #2*

When you are busy and don't have time for lunch, you can bring your quesadillas to work (or buy some sliced cheese and tortillas at the market) and prepare your lunch on-site:

1. Heat Press at 200 degrees / Adjust pressure to ¨barely there¨

2. Place one tortilla flat on the teflon, protected by a sheet of kraft paper.

3. Place sliced cheese on the tortilla and lay another tortilla on top.

4. Place a second sheet of kraft paper on top of the two tortillas.

5. Close heat press for 15-20 seconds or until you can smell the tortilla sweat.

6. Open heat press, remove top kraft sheet and there´s your quesadilla.

Note: there is no difference when dealing with either corn or flour tortillas. Personally, I prefer flour.

Enjoy!


----------



## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*

Crepes, crepes, crepes!


----------



## kentphoto (Jan 16, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*

I have heard of some people making their own transfers by silkscreening them, and using the heat press to cure them. Like a flash cure type thing.


----------



## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



kentphoto said:


> I have heard of some people making their own transfers by silkscreening them, and using the heat press to cure them. Like a flash cure type thing.


some people even us a home iron when there's nothing else around.


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



MayanXic said:


> Absolutely right. Which makes the silkscreen guy a liar and all the more reason to switch my business from him to plastisol transfers!


I don't know if that makes all silkscreeners a liar, just that particular one you dealt with 

It's great that you found a solution, but I don't know if that means you should distrust all silkscreeners because one lied. You may still have a need for screen printing services in the future, you can just find a different, more reliable printer.

What kind of blouses were they? Just ribbed knit shirts?


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

Rodney - No, not all silkscreeners are bad apples, but they are very 'informal' down here as far as getting the job done on time. 

Then there is the confidentiality thing as well. Most local sscreeners will not think twice about 'borrowing' your design and printing up their own versions. Since I have created a brand and the designs are unique and popular, this is a major concern for me.

As for the blouses, they were stretchy, combed cotton. Not ribbed, which presents even more of a problem.


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



Moo Spot Prints said:


> Crepes, crepes, crepes!


Crepes of course are another matter. If you are making crepes from liquid batter, it has to be poured on the heat source, which makes the press a bit problematic. However, if you are dealing with frozen or pre-cooked crepes, just follow the instructions for tortillas and quesadillas, above.


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



T-BOT said:


> some people even us a home iron when there's nothing else around.


Hi Lucy - don't know if I can do this via this forum, but could you nudge the boys and girls in the art department at your place of business... I have a job pending there and haven't heard anything. Maybe they are snowed under or something or ???


----------



## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

The printer used the wrong inks. Normal Plasticols have a certain amount of stretch-a-bility (new word ). When the inks reaches its stretch limit it will crack. There are inks specifically design to have really good elasticity and work great with stretchy material. You found a rotten egg in the buch. He should compensate you for the poor work.


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

I agree with you; unfortunately, he doesn't.


----------



## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



MayanXic said:


> Hi Lucy - don't know if I can do this via this forum, but could you nudge the boys and girls in the art department at your place of business... I have a job pending there and haven't heard anything. Maybe they are snowed under or something or ???


 ...Lots of snow last week but the last couple of days...nice, it's melting. 

btw. its up and running. Just had a look at the production board.  ...please have a look there.


.....all this talk about food is making my mouth water.


----------



## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Alternative Uses for your Heat Press*



MayanXic said:


> Crepes of course are another matter. If you are making crepes from liquid batter, it has to be poured on the heat source, which makes the press a bit problematic. However, if you are dealing with frozen or pre-cooked crepes, just follow the instructions for tortillas and quesadillas, above.


You have to preheat the lower platen first, THEN pour the batter!


----------



## MayanXic (Jan 30, 2007)

Of course. Now why didn't I think of that.


----------



## drexebo (Feb 28, 2007)

So are the "flash cure" machines seen so often with screen printing presses basically just cheap heat presses? Can you use the heat press to cure plastisol silk screened designs, and if so, what settings would be needed for this?


----------



## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

drexebo said:


> So are the "flash cure" machines seen so often with screen printing presses basically just cheap heat presses?


No.. it is a different machine made for a different purpose.

Are you talking about curing waterbased inks or plastisol?


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

drexebo said:


> So are the "flash cure" machines seen so often with screen printing presses basically just cheap heat presses?


Nope. One radiates heat, the other heats a plate to press against the substrate.



drexebo said:


> Can you use the heat press to cure plastisol silk screened designs, and if so, what settings would be needed for this?


Some people have hovered the heat press element over the top of the shirt, but personally I think that's one of the stupidest work arounds I have ever heard of in this industry.


----------

