# Flood Screen after every print?



## humming (May 26, 2006)

From,
http://nomediakings.org/doityourself/howto_silkscreen_posters_and_shirts.html

What does it mean, when I need to flood the screen after every print?
Do I need to wash out the ink from the screen after every print?

Also,
I'm trying to do a 2 colour print, I have a basic speedball kit. I seems like it will be difficult to line up the prints doing 2 colours. Any tips??/

thanks


----------



## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

floading the screen is when you hold the screen up from the shirt, pull the squegee across the screen and fill the stencil with the ink. you then lay the screen down on the platen/shirt and pull the squegee once again to push the ink out of the stencil.


----------



## humming (May 26, 2006)

Thanks for your reply.

Just trying to understand.

what's the purpose of flooding the screen?

why can't I just pull the squegee across the screen to push the ink onto the shirt, without first flooding the stencil?

thanks


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

humming said:


> what's the purpose of flooding the screen?
> 
> why can't I just pull the squegee across the screen to push the ink onto the shirt, without first flooding the stencil?


Flooding the screen correctly will give you a more even ink deposit.

If you are printing with waterbased inks (which I imagine you are with a home speedball kit) it will also buy you a little more time in terms of the ink drying in the screen.


----------



## Squirts (Feb 17, 2006)

humming said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> Just trying to understand.
> 
> ...


 On small to medium prints you can pretty much get away with it with no problems however of you look at the squeegee blade when you are pulling it the bead of ink built up on the front of the blade is what feeds the ink, if there was prior flooding, when you are pulling the squeegee.... The bigger the print the more likely you'll run out and have light spots or no ink spots....

sometimes i switch back an forth on a midsize print run... will flood, flood, notice bead has greatly thinkened so no flood, no flood, bead is getting smaller so back to Flood, flood, and etc...


----------



## pauley11 (Aug 6, 2008)

do you have to apply pressure on flooding or jst gently wiping? LOL


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

pauley11 said:


> do you have to apply pressure on flooding or jst gently wiping?


Think of it as a print stroke into thin air.


----------

