# Glue dots on my shirt....what am I doing wrong? I'm using teflon pillow and teflon sheet



## leapoffaith (Nov 8, 2009)

I hate to be negative, but sometimes I really hate this job......

I have a large order (large for me!) and just pressed my first shirt. **sigh** Glue dots are on my shirt.

I used a teflon pillow inside for the first press (different sized stones). Then flipped it inside out, put the teflon pillow in again, put a teflon sheet on top (to keep glue dots from getting on my heat press) and did my second press. 

The glue dots are from this project, but the letters are running perpendicular, coming out of the bottom of the design and going down the shirt.

Can you get glue dots from the teflon pillow? I thought the teflon would not be a problem, but it looks like maybe they came off of the teflon pillow from the first press when I flipped it over and put it inside the shirt for the second press? Is this possibly the problem? 

Can they be on my teflon sheet and transfer back to the shirt from there?

I thought this was the purpose of using the teflon, but I don't know where else the glue dots would have come from. 

I've ruined one shirt and now I'm afraid to keep going. Help.

I really need someone to stand by me for a couple of days and teach me how to do all of this. This teaching myself isn't really working very well. Grrrrrrrr.


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

What kind of rhinestones are using? 

If you take your bag of rhinestones and shake them do you see at least 100% glue coverage 
(usually grey on the back) on over 95% of the rhinestones. Can count or see at least 5-6 that
are > missing the back, scraped off, not fully covered, etc ??


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

Leap, 
You don't need to turn your shirt inside out. I tried that once and got the same problem. I press a ton of shirts and I always just press once with the transfer tape on and peel the tape and then press again for another 15 seconds or so.


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

This may sound like a stupid question, but why do you press a 2nd time? Do you really need to? If you think it's happening on the 2nd press, then I would omit that step.

I have not noticed any glue sticking to my teflon pillow or sheet, but I do know that darn decal material will stick to the teflon items and transfer to another project.

Try putting a pillow case over your teflon pillow and pressing it to see if it picks up any glue residue. If there is glue on the pillow, maybe you can clean it off this way.

That's about all I got


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## leapoffaith (Nov 8, 2009)

allhamps said:


> This may sound like a stupid question, but why do you press a 2nd time? Do you really need to?


 
Slick, LOL, I press a second time because when I started this business, I read somewhere (on here, I'm sure) to press 20 seconds, remove tape, turn shirt inside out, and press for an additional 10 seconds. So that's how I've done every shirt from the start. I do have glue dots occasionally when I forget to use a teflon sheet, but this is the first time I've had them when I used the teflon.

It's okay to omit the inside out step? That sure would make things a little easier. I HATE the heat press part of making shirts.

I had already tested the teflon pillow with a black Bella shirt I have messed up in the past. (BTW, I have a large and growing stack of messed up black Bella shirts.) I didn't have any glue dots show up from the pillow or the heat press, but I've cleaned all of it anyway.

So......I should just press twice without turning inside out? 

Stephanie....you press this way? And the stones stay on well through washes?

FatKat -- thanks for the suggestion, but I think the stones are good. I have come across very, very few that don't have glue.

Thanks for the suggestions. I just hate all the messed up shirts I lose. I'll try again. Fingers crossed. And I guess I'll stop turning inside out!


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

does the rhinestones look like they shifted? or like "gooey cheese" but with glue. 
What is your temperature and press time?


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## leapoffaith (Nov 8, 2009)

FatKat Printz said:


> does the rhinestones look like they shifted? or like "gooey cheese" but with glue.
> What is your temperature and press time?


No, I don't think they have shifted.

I do 20 seconds at 330. Flip the shirt inside out, and do 10 more seconds at 330. Those were the instruction I got at the start. I'm going to stop flipping the shirt, I guess. This scares me a little because I can wash and dry the crud out of my shirts and the stones stay on and stay on and stay on.  But I'm going to try it.


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

Leap, I have to say, I have never routinely pressed a shirt twice, and I have never had a problem. I press at 330-350, for about 10-15 seconds with the teflon pillow inside and the sheet over top, about medium pressure. Let cool about 5 seconds and peel warm (this helps the shirts from stretching). Haven't lost a stone yet. Well actually, I did notice that a shirt I made for my husband about 3 years ago with studs, was missing a few.

It sounds like omitting the "inside out" part might take care of the glue dot problem, but you may have to ween yourself off anything else you change about your process

Good luck and I hope it works out. I truly understand about the growing pile of "oops"!!


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

I agree with Slick, plus omitting the step will increase your productivity to get your order done.


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

Okay, there are a couple of reasons why I press twice.

First of all, when I peel the transfer tape off, it pulls up at the stones so I want them to be pressed down after being tugged at.

Second, when I peel the transfer tape, it sometimes leaves a mark like a square or rectangle where it lifted at the fibers of the shirt. That second press gets rid of that.

I press hotter and longer than you guys do. Maybe because the silicone sheet I use is a little thicker, but it gives even heat distribution so my smaller stones never have that oozing around them because the bigger stones need time to stick.

I press at 365 for 30-35 seconds and then my second press for 15 seconds.

I think it's fun seeing how differently everyone does things. I've tried pressing at 340-350 for 15-20 seconds but the glue on the ss16 and some ss10 stones doesn't have enough time to melt. Maybe because I only use machine cut rhinestones which are a little bigger than Korean? Maybe they have a little more glue?


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

Oh, and I never use anything in between the shirt unless it's super thin and I'm pressing ss20 stones. The glue never seeps through.


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

Stephanie- you have a valid point about you pressing twice which is probably something I should do but I am sure its faster to press twice then turning them inside out and press again. As seems as though defeating the purpose of pressing the stones if you press from the inside out you are re-heating what you just pressed in the
first place.


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## jean518 (Sep 23, 2009)

I press twice but do not turn inside out. Too much time/trouble/etc. I press at 330 for 20, cool, peel, and then lay it back on the press with cover sheet and press for 10. I do put a pillow in between and leave it there for both pressings. Makes me feel better if I press twice.


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

I usually only do 1 press myself...325 degrees for 12 seconds with a firm pressure. 

When I use to apply my designs with a household iron before I got my heat press I would leave the transfer tape over the design and turn the shirt inside out for my second press on the backside. Leaving the tape on eliminated the chance of the glue getting any palce else on the garment.


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## dhearn (Aug 22, 2008)

I don't do the inside out thing either. Using Korean stones, I press for 10 seconds at 330, peel the tape and press again for another 5 seconds just for good measure. Haven't had a stone come off yet!


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## SickPuppy (Aug 10, 2009)

DivineBling said:


> Okay, there are a couple of reasons why I press twice.
> 
> First of all, when I peel the transfer tape off, it pulls up at the stones so I want them to be pressed down after being tugged at.
> 
> Second, when I peel the transfer tape, it sometimes leaves a mark like a square or rectangle where it lifted at the fibers of the shirt. That second press gets rid of that.


I agree a second press is a good thing but you don't need to turn the shirt inside out. 

I press the design 330 degrees for 25 seconds cold peel and repress for an additional 10-15 seconds.
I do this because I use the Chinese stones and a second press helps.


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