# Metallic ink question



## durannarud (Oct 28, 2006)

Hi,

I was told by a potential printer that metallic inks (gold/silver/bronze/copper) look really bad after the shirts are washed. He said silver turns to gray, and gold to brown-ish.

He also said he'd have to order those inks... So I'm wondering if what he said is true or if he was trying to avoid having to order them.

And if what he said is true, what process should I use in order to get proper metallic prints?

Thanks in advance.

Alex


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## Creations (Mar 3, 2008)

metallic heat set vinyl an option?seems like a viable alternative...never used metalic ink.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

Union Ink (and perhaps other companies) offer Shimmer inks, which have plastic metallic flakes in the ink, instead of true metal particles. They are guaranteed not to tarnish. I've used both the silver shimmer and the gold. I print them through a 110 mesh with no underbase, and they come out great.


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## marlo45 (Oct 4, 2007)

durannarud said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was told by a potential printer that metallic inks (gold/silver/bronze/copper) look really bad after the shirts are washed. He said silver turns to gray, and gold to brown-ish.


Man, talk about not doing my homework. I just ordered metallic silver and gold inks. 

Can anyone say something specifically about International Coatings' metallic silver/gold inks? I think i can still cancel if i know by early morning.


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## mreicher (Aug 10, 2006)

tpitman is correct. I use the shimmers and have no problems at all...p/f/p thru a 110 and it's beautiful. the metallics are prone to oxidizing which looks pretty crappy after washing. think of an unpainted auto body.


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## durannarud (Oct 28, 2006)

Thank you again for the answers.

Another printer said something about silk printing... Is that a viable option?


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## broke1010 (Nov 7, 2007)

if you clear coat your metallics with a clear gel ,it will prevent the ink from tarnishing and they'll look great for years.


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## marlo45 (Oct 4, 2007)

broke1010 said:


> if you clear coat your metallics with a clear gel ,it will prevent the ink from tarnishing and they'll look great for years.


Good info there, John. I never did cancel that order although i decided to go with shimmer gold instead of metallic. The metallic silver was still ordered and i'll be looking into applying this technique.

Can you tell me if this International Coatings' clear base can work (i use their inks)? IC Series Gel Gloss Clear Quart


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## adawg2252 (Dec 12, 2007)

marlo45 said:


> Man, talk about not doing my homework. I just ordered metallic silver and gold inks.
> 
> Can anyone say something specifically about International Coatings' metallic silver/gold inks? I think i can still cancel if i know by early morning.


They are great inks. We've used them in the past. They tend to be a bit thick, but if you work it up with a paint stick or goop scoop before you get on screen it'll be easier to print. You also might want to use a lower mesh count screen, 110 at the highest, but an 86/90 would be fine. The metallic inks have little flakes in them so if your mesh count is too high you'll sift them out and it won't look very good.

Other than that I thought they looked great on dark shirts after they were cured. Never had any complaints about washing.


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## marlo45 (Oct 4, 2007)

adawg2252 said:


> They are great inks. We've used them in the past. They tend to be a bit thick, but if you work it up with a paint stick or goop scoop before you get on screen it'll be easier to print. You also might want to use a lower mesh count screen, 110 at the highest, but an 86/90 would be fine. The metallic inks have little flakes in them so if your mesh count is too high you'll sift them out and it won't look very good.
> 
> Other than that I thought they looked great on dark shirts after they were cured. Never had any complaints about washing.


Thanks, it's great to know this. I'm guessing the matellics are opaque enough to do without a white underbase, is that right?


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## adawg2252 (Dec 12, 2007)

marlo45 said:


> Thanks, it's great to know this. I'm guessing the matellics are opaque enough to do without a white underbase, is that right?


I'm going to leave that one up to you. They are definitely opaque.

Sometimes it looks fine without the white, sometimes it really POPS and looks great with the white. It's a case by case basis. I would say do one of both for the customer (at their expense) and let them decide which one they want.

Or you can just do a sample print of two shirts. One with an underbase and one without and say "it will look something like this, or something like this." but obviously one incurs more fees cause additional screens and more time printing, etc.

Sometimes the white makes the shimmers really stand out because on dark shirts it kinda "dulls" the sparkle/shimmer/metallic.

Hope that helps!


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## Steelheader100 (Jan 18, 2007)

I personally think shimmer and metallic inks look better without an underbase. Just make sure you print them through a coarse enough mesh, like a 110 or 89 would be better. Also remember that they can be harder to cure than regular plastisol inks. Might want to slow down the dryer belt or turn up the heat a little.


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## triarts (May 1, 2008)

seems wilflex has droped the plastomeric line, am looking for a replacement for their aztec gold metallic thanks


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

Old thread, but yes the metallic inks do tarnish in the wash. Triats, we use Union Ink metallics.


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## triarts (May 1, 2008)

thanks, do you use unions shimmers


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## mikelmorgan (Nov 1, 2008)

The trick to these inks is to make sure they get cured properly. We run ours through the dryer twice to make sure.


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## Rager500 (Apr 17, 2011)

You should hve no problems especially if you mix in some clear gloss and just cure a little longer...


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## 73eyes (Jan 22, 2010)

Nice random 9 month bump 

I use gold inks every day, and my experiences have been that the temp gun never seems to register them at curing temp. I know folks who have worn my shirts regularly and washed them once a week for a few years and the gold does indeed turn brownish green, but thats a lot of laundering, too. I see lots of my shirts being worn around town and the gold looks fine, so I'm led to believe that it doesn't tarnish until some serious wear and laundering has occurred.

As far as printing on black, I was using Union Ink's metallic gold cut down with about 20% clear base to make it easier to work with and it was a fussy, finicky thing... tough to get it to lay down evenly and with enough density to look solid. We recently switched to a vegas gold from One Stroke that's a tad pricier but is super easy to print with, doesn't need cut down (making it brighter) and goes on a black tee like butter on bread.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

mikelmorgan said:


> The trick to these inks is to make sure they get cured properly. We run ours through the dryer twice to make sure.


good to know. we've been having wash test issues for years with metallic inks (not shimmers, just metallic inks)

the print shops have been following the instructions from the manufacturer but they still have wash test issues. wouldn't slowing down the belt do the same thing?
does it matter if you pass the shirt through the dryer twice right away (not letting it cool down) or a day later?


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## RocketDesigns (Aug 31, 2011)

What printer is compatible with Metalic ink?


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