How hard is it to silk screen stuff?

[Sulla]

I am thinking of investing in some basic silk screen stuff. I've NEVER messed with silk screening before. I don't even know what is involved or what is needed beyond the "kits" you can buy like these:

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/...34/product/1009

I notice this all says it's for T-shirts and stuff. I would like to silk screen plastic - like small plaques no bigger than say 4" x 6"), ISO chips (approximately 1/8" plastic 3" x .75"), things like that. No more than two or three colors.

Anyone who does silk screening got any advice for a beginner? What set(s)/tools, etc to start with, difficulties, anything? How do you make silk screen patterns? Can I use Illustrator? How exactly does it work?

I was given this .pdf by surfergeek: http://download.yousendit.com/8A58F52016E9E525

And mtsbspidey said I could find small silk screening machines at the larger hobby stores. I couldn't find any on their on-linje catalogs, but if I could find one in a local store, does anyone think they would work for silk screening small and not-to-thick plastics?

Thanks.

 

[motivealloy]

I have a couple years of experience doing professional screen printing. Ready to get dirty and have the S**T kicked out of you?

For starters, that looks like a great kit.

BUT, if you are going to screen on plastic you will need completely different ink, screen mesh, and emulsion. Sub-straits like metal or plastic require an air dry printing ink, that is thinner than standard t-shirt heat cure ink. Also, 110 mesh is way to course to get fine edge detail on metal or plastic.

I'd suggest getting the kit and then upgrading to an aluminum frame with at least 200 mesh. You'll have to ask the supply place which would be the best air dry ink to use on plastics. They will probably have suggestions on which mesh and ink to use.

Making the imprint on the screen is pretty easy, just need a printer that can print on transparency paper.

Making your screen will be the hard part. Applying the emulsion is tricky if you've never done it before. It requires a smooth quick fluid movement. (yeah right. easier said than done, trust me) So much of silk screening is dependent on actually seeing it done. You will need to get screen tape and an emulsion pen. You put the tape on the inside edges of the frame so that emulsion and ink can't get into the crack between the mesh and frame. Also it makes clean up soooo much easier. Apply the emulsion with tray. let it dry in a cool dark place. Then after it dries put your negative on the back side, shine the super watt bulb on it for 30 sec or so. Get out your pressure washer and blast out the soft bits. Let it dry again. mount it on the printing jig. glop on a nice slop of ink. Squeege a couple hundred test runs, and you'll be somewhat ok.

Scared yet? :lol

 

[motivealloy]

Oh hey I found a kit for printing on flat stock that comes with most everything you will need.

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/page/350465

I can answer just about any question you may have on the process. Have fun with it.

 

[ortiz34]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Motive-Alloy @ Jan 9 2007, 02:26 PM) [snapback]1393960[/snapback]</div>

Oh hey I found a kit for printing on flat stock that comes with most everything you will need.

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/page/350465

I can answer just about any question you may have on the process. Have fun with it.
[/b]

we tried it in high school.
terribly messy,a lot of effort, i wasnt pleased with the output honestly...

 

[Sulla]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ortiz34 @ Jan 9 2007, 02:41 PM) [snapback]1393968[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Motive-Alloy @ Jan 9 2007, 02:26 PM) [snapback]1393960[/snapback]

Oh hey I found a kit for printing on flat stock that comes with most everything you will need.

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/page/350465

I can answer just about any question you may have on the process. Have fun with it.
[/b]

we tried it in high school.
terribly messy,a lot of effort, i wasnt pleased with the output honestly...
[/b][/quote]

you tried this one? :
http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/.../product/gpkit1

 

[motivealloy]

I haven't used any of those kits, as I did it professionally, but that one looks pretty good.

I don't know your budget but getting the UV exposure unit will make the process easier for you.

Do you have a vacuform rig? If so, you could modify it into a UV exposure unit.

 

[Sulla]

My budget is not that great. Buying that one kit would max me currently; and nope, I don't have a vacuform table. It's one more thing on my to-do list.. hehe

I have about $300-$375 to spend right now. I just want to do some ISO chips and some smallish plaques, and go from there, so one-color screening is right up my alley.

 

[patsmear]

I use their four color press. Works fine for small runs. It takes a bit of practice. Not too hard though. Definately get a light box to burn the screens. I got the light that the kit comes with and it burns uneven and takes a few times to get the time right.

Pat

 

[Sulla]

Thanks, what would you consider a "small run"?

 

[patsmear]

I do about 2 dz. at a time. It is a bit cumbersome only having one station. As long as you take care of the screens, you can use them forever.

Pat

 

[Sulla]

I found these "Speed Ball" kits in the catalog of a local art store:
http://www.macphersonart.com/cgi-bin/macli...NbINOjgZyskZfbU

http://www.macphersonart.com/cgi-bin/macli...NbINOjgZyskZfbU

http://www.macphersonart.com/cgi-bin/macli...NbINOjgZyskZfbU

Whaddy'all think?

 

[motman241]

I got a Speedball kit. I love it. Now, I'm quite sure that I do things the hard way, and I only do stuff for myself (usually one or two shirts).

I print out the picture on regular paper, cut it out, and tape it to the underside of the screen. Mask it all off, and stuff like normal. Just have to wash the screen afterwards. Downside - your stencil is only good for a few times. When you take it off the screen, it's ruined.

Hey, Motive-Alloy...... when you use the emulsion and stuff, does that make it permanent?

 

[motivealloy]

Not permanent, but you can get a long life out of it if you treat it well. Depending on the type of emulsion and ink you use you can easily get up to 500 pulls off of a screen. The UV cured emulsion gets embedded into the mesh as a liquid and is pretty durable. Really the only way to get it out is to use the emulsion mesh cleaner and a high power sprayer.

The other style of masking (emulsion) is a film that you kind of melt into the mesh with etching agent. It reminds me of acetone. This style of masking isn't very durable as you can sometimes rub too much film off when you rub it into the mesh and it has a tendency to lift or curl. This is similar to the paper method you described that you use.

 

[acook59]

I wonder if there's anyone on the net or businesses that would silk screen things for us, send them to us so we can stick them on?

 

[Noeland]

If you have a Michaels nearby, they sell silk screening kits.

But, you should also call around to all your local T-shirt shops until you find somebody willing to let you come in and use thier setup for a small fee. Used to do it often in the shop I worked in, and was usually very easy.

You might also ask for quotes because I think you'll find the "easiest" way is to have a professional do it for you.

 

[MattMunson]

Hey dude! I took a run at this a couple of years ago, so I might be able to save you some time and trouble. Oddly enough, I was looking to do a batch of ISO chips myself

Short version: you're better off going to a professional company and paying them what they want to do the job right. UNLESS your time is worthless to you, you have a BIG shop that can get REALLY messy and you don't mind spending LOTS of time cleaning with really caustic fluids.

Long Version: Silk screening is an art. For a beginner, it's not predictable or easily repeatable. It's hard to get something to come out the way you want. You need to learn all about what kind of screen to use, how to burn the screen, the proper inks to use, how many passes to do, how to register the design... it just goes on and on. ALL of these are VERY difficult to master, and require some significant time investment and trial & error stuff to get it right. Along the way, you're going to kick up A HELL of a mess. The stuff goes everywhere, gets into everything, and is NOT easy to clean up. You'll also end up driving all over town to pick up supplies, which are not cheap.

So while it might seem expensive to drop a few hundred bucks to get a bunch of iso chips printed up, I guarantee you that if you were to factor in expenses, frustration, and time spent, it's EASILY a way better deal. Unless you make .50 cents an hour. In that case, it might wash.

 

[juno]

I have a set from this company: http://www.ezscreenprint.com/

It's a piece of cake to use, and I went a bit silk screen crazy with it.

 

[defstartrooper]

I did screen printing when i first left school for a year or so it's not that difficult really.
You can probably find a company that will produce the screens for you that would be the best option professional printers use the liquid emulsion and to be honest i doubt it will be that costly to have the screens done it only takes a matter of 10-15 minutes to produce the screen itself.

Coat with emulsion.
Dry in oven for 5-10 minutes.
Mount the image on screen,just a clear acetate sheet with areas you want ink to go though in black print.
Expose to UV light which cures the emulsion that isn't covered by the black on the acetate.
Wash screen to remove uncured emulsion.
Mask off screen with tape around image to minimise possible leaks.
And that's it.

If you have a complicated image to print like a photo for example the componant colours need to be broken down into cyan,magenta,yellow,black and maybe white.

There may even be places that will rent screens.

 

[dropshipbob]

I used one of those kits you buy at craft stores. Was fairly easy to use, although I cheated on making my screen. Instead of developing it like a piece of film, I simply cut my design out of paper, taped that onto the back of the screen and printed that way.

Came out pretty good and I still have the one shirt I printed to this day.

 

[wannab]

For UV emulsions you don't even need an indoor exposure unit you can clamp a piece of plate glass the size of the screen to the outside to keep the film positive or hand cut rubylith stencil flat and use the sun to expose the screen (about 30 seconds) then wash it out -- voila. You ideally need to cut a piece of foam the size of the inside of the frame and be sure it is thicker than the frame wall then cover with a black piece of fabric (to reduce light bouncing back through the back creating fuzzy edges on your finisherd screen).

Here is a ground up description...

Cut a plywood board the same size as your screen set the foam on top of that, lay the black fabric on the foam set your emulsed screen on that then register your art (measure tape) then tape corners down with clear tape (scotch is fine) then put your (clean) plate glass the size of the screen on top the use spring clamps big enough close to each corner to hold together then cover with a dark cloth while carrying outside. Place the setup in a perpendicular position to the sun, set your timer for 30 seconds remove the cover cloth, time it, and carry inside to wash out your screen.

Note you will need to do your screen coating and this above setup in a light safe area, you will also need a red photo bulb in a lamp so you can see what you are doing yet not expose/haze your emulsion early.

Any other questions PM me. I still do t-shirt printing and used to do flat stock printing. I used the same emulsion for both but very different screen meshes and "inks".

Doug