# Airbrushed shirt questions



## dpom (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi. This was the closest forum I found to what I was looking for help with...
I had a 60% cotton, 40% polyester shirt airbrushed and the "kid" that did it said I should heat set it with an iron. I had to PRY the rest out of him (young and a "stoner" I think, lol) but basically I would do this by putting a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the shirt, then laying a single ply of a paper bag over the shirt design (with the shirt not inside out) and the iron on a hot setting, then press hard on each section for about 15 seconds till the design was hot. Does this sound about right? Should I move the iron back and forth, up and down, in a circle, or just press and hold? I'm assuming steam should be off. Then he said not to wash it for a week and hand wash it after that. I asked in what type of soap and he said any. A lame answer I thought, since some soaps have bleach in them and I've heard "oxygenated" soaps are also bad. I have also read that Woolite is not good to use, which surprised me since I thought that was its purpose, to hand wash delicate items. He did not seem to know if my washing it in my FRONT LOADING WASHER on the gentle cycle would be ok. He said to hang it up to dry, but wouldn't that stretch it out? I would think laying it on the top of a rack for wet clothes would be better. 

Anyhow, sorry for the long prattle. Just looking for feedback on the best/proper way to heat set and wash/dry the garments. (I have more coming, they are for a waiter job at TGI Friday's, where they like us to personalize our shirts, versus the suspenders with buttons "flair" they used to wear. 

Thanks to any and all for any help/advice.


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## AdamnSmith (Dec 10, 2007)

Sounds like an awful lot to go through


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## make_edit (Jan 25, 2008)

I agree with Doug, whew. I say just throw it in the washer and be done with it.


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

The airbrush paint does need to be heatset. The guy that painted it should have a heatpress and done this for you. Get your iron hot but dont scorch the shirt so keep it moving all the time. No steam is correct and you can put a cloth over the shirt and iron. You really only need something inside the shirt if the paint bled through to the inside. You are just protecting from paint bleed. I hope that helps. If he used the correct paint and you heatset the shirt you should be able to wash as usual. Maybe the first wash inside out on gentle without anything else in the wash.


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## sharpmove (Mar 11, 2008)

I have an airbrush store in indiana, The best way to make sure they don't fade is to heat set them with a heat press. the other guys right , he should of had a press, especially if he used transparent colors . They tend to bleed more if there not properly set. Using an iron works as well, but it's not quite as hot as you could get from a press,. 100% cotton shirts hold paint the best because synthetic materials repel the paint from fully adhering to the shirt. wash it in cold water , inside out and leave it out to dry. You can blow dry it if you think it might bleed.


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## melbyj71 (Oct 1, 2007)

Heat press works best, ironing still works - all we ever did was use a piece of wax paper between the airbrushed image and the iron surface. Keep moving the iron around until you have done the whole shirt. 

Wash as normal, no bleach. 

Did this for years, actually I am wearing a shirt right now that I painted 8 years ago - still looks new.....

Melanie


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## HybridImages (Apr 21, 2008)

I agree, the work is not finished until it has been pressed. If I was a consumer I would stay away from an airbrush artist that doesn't have a press. Airbrush paints should be set with a press. I usually set them around 350 for 20 seconds though the paints call for 15 seconds at 325. 
Also for best result airbrush should be washed inside out in cold water and line dried ....no bleach


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## evilmonkey1 (Oct 18, 2010)

If the "artist" didnt heat set it, dont go back to em'. As for the iron, you can scortch the shirt and not even see it til you wash it a few times. You might take it to another shop with a heat press and see if the will set it for you, unless you have wore it. If you wore it, you will see light brown splotches appear. Best bet would be to turn it inside out and throw it in the dryer on the hottest setting for an hour.


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