# Applying Emulsion... Big screen, small scoop



## hellah fresh (Feb 26, 2009)

Hello everyone! As of lastnight i finally coated 6 screens @ 12am and i set them out to dry for abour 2 hours. I came back and saw most of the screens have dried out about 95-99%. So anyways since i do not have a screen rack where i can store screen without any light going thru i placed all 6 screen into their own individual trash bags. I strored all 6 screen into the box they came in and shut the lids and placed it onto the floor upside down so no light will shine thru the crack. So to the questions! 

The screens i coated are 25x36 and my scoop coater is around 20". The film i use for my art work are 17x22 so therefore a little but wider then my scoop coater. So when i coated the screen i had to go over it 2 times starting on one side of the screen. I coated the right side of the screen and then the leftside... then flipped it over to do the same on the opposite side. So how important is it to get the right amount of coating onto the screen? I see on a few screen i have emulsion run lines due to leaving thing emulsion on the top. Will the thick coat in some areas ruin my image buring process?




Note: i am using the CCI DCM Dual Cure Graphic emulsion by Ryonet. They say its very light sensitive so i coated my screen in the dark with the yellow safe bulb.


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## 13Graphics (Jul 20, 2009)

What could happen is that the area with the ridge where they overlapped will have a thicker ink deposit.

I had a couple screens that I just didn't apply perfectly, and had a thicker stencil on 1 side. You could definitely tell where it was thicker on the prints.


I also keep coated screens in the shipping box. I keep them in "contractor" garbage bags, and have a piece of tape on the flaps. I've had them in there for days with no problems. The emulsion I use suggests drying in total darkness, so I leave the bug light off when drying.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

hellah fresh said:


> The screens i coated are 25x36 and my scoop coater is around 20". The film i use for my art work are 17x22 so therefore a little but wider then my scoop coater.


Why not do 1 20inch swipe? So your emulsion will cover 20 inch by 30 or so, easily big enough to handle a 17X22 design. Tape off the uncoated portion of the screen before printing.


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## 13Graphics (Jul 20, 2009)

splathead said:


> Why not do 1 20inch swipe? So your emulsion will cover 20 inch by 30 or so, easily big enough to handle a 17X22 design. Tape off the uncoated portion of the screen before printing.




WOW, I must have been half asleep to not notice that. LOL.


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## hellah fresh (Feb 26, 2009)

Well i know the 20" will work but i tend to go to the max size with the art work and i wanted to just go thru it with 1 good swoop of the coater. So the uneven thickness of the emulsion will not have any effect on my image burning process?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

hellah fresh said:


> Well i know the 20" will work but i tend to go to the max size with the art work and i wanted to just go thru it with 1 good swoop of the coater. So the uneven thickness of the emulsion will not have any effect on my image burning process?


It's a waste of good emulsion and serves no purpose. Masking tape is cheaper than emulsion. 

But no, it has no effect. A 25 inch screen means you have a 23 inch coat width area. So a 20 inch swipe on one side of the squeegee side of the screen, then a 20 inch swipe on the other side of the squeegee side, will still give you a 17 inch coat of even emulsion. Right, or am I missing something?

Even then, you're still going to need to use masking tape. 

BTW, a 20 inch scoop is what most of us would use to coat a 25 inch wide screen.


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## hellah fresh (Feb 26, 2009)

splathead said:


> It's a waste of good emulsion and serves no purpose. Masking tape is cheaper than emulsion.
> 
> But no, it has no effect. A 25 inch screen means you have a 23 inch coat width area. So a 20 inch swipe on one side of the squeegee side of the screen, then a 20 inch swipe on the other side of the squeegee side, will still give you a 17 inch coat of even emulsion. Right, or am I missing something?
> 
> ...




Yes that is what i did... after coating 6 screen 4-6 times each just to make sure i didnt over coat the screens. But the reason why i wanted a 22" is because it would make my coating alot neater and then i would have to go over a side 2 times lol.


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## Leadfoot (Sep 10, 2009)

splathead said:


> Even then, you're still going to need to use masking tape.


Pardon my being new to all this, still learning things before I jump in...what would masking tape still be needed for?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Leadfoot said:


> Pardon my being new to all this, still learning things before I jump in...what would masking tape still be needed for?


Because it is not possible to completely coat a screen with a scoop coater. It can't coat flush on the sides or the top and bottom. So you'll always have uncoated screen space that you simply cover with tape.


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## hellah fresh (Feb 26, 2009)

so cover with tape before or after coating? I know people cover after coating but....


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

hellah fresh said:


> so cover with tape before or after coating? I know people cover after coating but....


 No, the idea is to cover all emulsion holes /uncoated areas right before you print. Remove it after you print before you clean the screen.

Here is a video: Screen Printing Process


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