Paying for screens to be cleaned

[Screened Gear]

So I am a one man shop. I honestly hate cleaning screens. I wait until the last min to do them. I am frustrated and my moral is always down when I don't have screens coated and ready to go. I honestly don't even like taking on jobs when I have no screens ready. (yes I am burned out) This week a made a deal with the girl that used to work for me. She is now cleaning my screens for $1.5 each manual and autos. I will have all the ink Squeegeed out and waiting for her. Then she will clean and degrease them. So then I just have to coat them.

Is this a good deal?

[ebscreen]

Encourages faster and possibly sloppy work. Might be illegal. And from her view, would you want to come in
to clean ten screens and make a cool $15? Probably not worth the gas. Unless you have a bunch ready to clean always....

I'd go hourly wage and hire someone to come in, maybe after hours.
At $12/hr that's 8 screens an hour. She can hopefully do more than that,
and you'd be paying more than that if you do it by the piece.

[prozyan]

The young man I have come in at times, I pay a flat rate of $3 per screen. 

[Screened Gear]

Encourages faster and possibly sloppy work. Might be illegal. And from her view, would you want to come in
to clean ten screens and make a cool $15? Probably not worth the gas. Unless you have a bunch ready to clean always....

I'd go hourly wage and hire someone to come in, maybe after hours.
At $12/hr that's 8 screens an hour. She can hopefully do more than that,
and you'd be paying more than that if you do it by the piece.

I have about 100 screens so when there is about 50 she comes in. Maybe 2 or 3 times a month depending on jobs. She has worked for me before and does good work. If they are not clean they get kicked back into the need to be cleaned pile (no pay until they are clean, she said this)  She used to clean 12 to 18 screens an hour. She even said she would clean the ink out if they needed it for the $1.5 each. She came in last night and did 25 in about 2 hours. She was a little rusty but she likes doing them. The screens are perfect.

I am just wondering if this is a good way to go. I know she can clean up to 18 an hour so $27 an hour. I don't care about what she makes an hour as long as I have clean screens. I am fine paying $1.5 per screen. I think that is fair.

What do others think?

[ebscreen]

On that side it's certainly fair. I just think a lot of employers abuse piece work. Hell, out here in CA we have to take a test
because of that stuff.

[mimosatexas]

I'm also a one man shop and used to devote almost a whole day each week to reclaiming and recoating etc.  It was a giant pain in the ass, and I only have about 50 screens total, and go through maybe 30 a week during normal weeks.  I recently got a dip tank and it has made the whole process of reclaiming take less than 2 hours for all of my screens and I'm not even close to tired at the end of that since there is barely any scrubbing.  I have started getting in the habit of reclaiming immediately after a job and just card off ink on press, take to my trash can and take off the tape, and drop in the tank.  Then I go do something else for a few minutes, come back and pressure wash off.  The whole cleanup process takes maybe 20 minutes for a 6 color job and I can be doing other things for a lot of that.  I was kicking myself for not having gotten it sooner...

[Screened Gear]

I'm also a one man shop and used to devote almost a whole day each week to reclaiming and recoating etc.  It was a giant pain in the ass, and I only have about 50 screens total, and go through maybe 30 a week during normal weeks.  I recently got a dip tank and it has made the whole process of reclaiming take less than 2 hours for all of my screens and I'm not even close to tired at the end of that since there is barely any scrubbing.  I have started getting in the habit of reclaiming immediately after a job and just card off ink on press, take to my trash can and take off the tape, and drop in the tank.  Then I go do something else for a few minutes, come back and pressure wash off.  The whole cleanup process takes maybe 20 minutes for a 6 color job and I can be doing other things for a lot of that.  I was kicking myself for not having gotten it sooner...

I have a dip tank and stopped using it. I am faster with out it. When I am really humping I can do 20 to 25 screens an hour. With the dip tank I felt like I was waiting too long on the tank to do its thing. It is easier on you with a dip tank but with the right chemicals its faster with a spray bottle. That and the chemicals in the dip tank cost me about twice what it cost per screen to do it with a spray bottle. By the way I have a CCI D2 dip tank for sale...

[sweetts]

I think it's a great deal, $1.50 a screen is easily made up in an order. If there's concerns about it being illegal tell her to bring in a scrub brush and give her a 1099.


Roger
RT screen designs
Www.rtscreendesigns. Com

[Screened Gear]

I think it's a great deal, $1.50 a screen is easily made up in an order. If there's concerns about it being illegal tell her to bring in a scrub brush and give her a 1099.


Roger
RT screen designs
Www.rtscreendesigns. Com

She will be 1099ed. If I worked a 40 hour a week job. I would do it also. Clean screens for a couple hours a week and make an extra $200 a month. I think its a win-win. The only problem is you have to find the right person.

[bsdprint]

One man shop here.  I have a high school girl come in and clean screens and pay her $2.50 per screen.  That way she can work as fast or slow as she wants to.  She does a great job.  I have had a few high school boys do them in the past and paid by the hour.  I prefer the pay by screen method.

[ebscreen]

Call me ignorant, but wouldn't using your pressure washer, sink, chemicals, etc void the 1099?

[Screened Gear]

Call me ignorant, but wouldn't using your pressure washer, sink, chemicals, etc void the 1099?

I am not totally sure. Time to call the accountant. I have worked on a 1099 for a few companies in the past using their computers.

[Screened Gear]

$2.5 or $3 a screen? Is that not a ton of money. I thought $1.5 each was being nice.

[screenprintguy]

We pay our reclaimer $15 bucks an hour, he usually rocks out around 12 screens an hour, doing the full deal himself, and his final screens are perfect. Worth it to us to have him come in, usually comes in at night or on weekends to keep us stocked with screens.

[prozyan]

$2.5 or $3 a screen? Is that not a ton of money. I thought $1.5 each was being nice.

The kid I use is 14, averages 6 screens an hour, 8 if he's really grooving.  If he was doing 20+ an hour, I'd rethink what I pay per.