building a flat stock press heres what it looks like so far

[Shawn (EIP)]

Shane thanks for info!!

These look like the jam right here but do they come any smaller, 8x11 is too small , 27 x 38 is freakin huge and expensive.

product # A0904 27X38 (4mil vinyl)
100 sheets $416.45
permanent adhesive

[Shanarchy]

Shane thanks for info!!

These look like the jam right here but do they come any smaller, 8x11 is too small , 27 x 38 is freakin huge and expensive.

product # A0904 27X38 (4mil vinyl)
100 sheets $416.45
permanent adhesive

What is your finish size? I will ask tomorrow to see if there is other options and see what kind of details I can come up with.

Shane

[ebscreen]

Dude, wrong stuff.

You want Ritrama or General Formulations or MacTac or the like.

100 sheets 20x27 is like a buck a sheet. Cut in 1/4s for 400 sheets of 10x13.5" which I've
found to be a useful size. $0.25 a sheet.  Take the parent sheets and have them cut by an offset guy.

General Formulations is in Michigan. Gloss vinyl white permanent adhesive non-top-coated.

Midwest stocks it but most don't know it.

Off contact at 1/8" or so.

Charge enough and don't sell yourself short. The margins can actually be good as people are like
"It's $250 (or whatever) but I'm getting like a billion stickers." etc.

230 mesh for almost everything.

Thin the hell out of your ink and keep moving.

[Shawn (EIP)]

Dude, wrong stuff.

You want Ritrama or General Formulations or MacTac  or the like.

100 sheets 20x27 is like a buck a sheet. Cut in 1/4s for 400 sheets of 10x13.5" which I've
found to be a useful size. $0.25 a sheet.  Take the parent sheets and have them cut by an offset guy.

General Formulations is in Michigan. Gloss vinyl white permanent adhesive non-top-coated.

Midwest stocks it but most don't know it.

Off contact at 1/8" or so.

Charge enough and don't sell yourself short. The margins can actually be good as people are like
"It's $250 (or whatever) but I'm getting like a billion stickers." etc.

230 mesh for almost everything.

Thin the hell out of your ink and keep moving.

Sweet! My local screen print supplier handed me a roll of Mactac he had in the office to try out  , I found a dealer here in Rochester but they wont return my phone calls..  A buck a sheet is deff what I'm after! I'll give General Formulations a shot.

[ebscreen]

Roll is not what you want. Mactac makes vinyl for plotters as well.
You want sheets. The rolls will be difficult to cut square, tend to curl,
and the material is really thin.

[Gilligan]

Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie? Is that a water bottle full of white ink too? man -you must have fun at your shop. we use cd's to shoot at. . . PULL. . .

Sorry it took so long to reply... I missed the post.

LOL... well, the cd is because I hadn't thought that far and needed to find something to scoop ink out of the bucket... I'm an IT guy, I have cd's and dvd's sitting around everywhere of all sorts of things I don't need anymore (but I keep because, maybe one day right ).
The "foil" is metal tape for doing air conditioning ducts... I read/saw somewhere that it would help with clean up... I'm not really that convinced but I guess it might help if the handles aren't lacquered... this one isn't.
The water bottle is actually TexTac adhesive cut 1:1 with water... what do you keep yours in? :p

See, things aren't as terrible as it might seem in my shop... now I have hotel card keys in the ink.

[Frog]

Hey Gilligan - why in the hell is there a cd sticking out of the bucket of ink and wtf is up with the foil on the squeegie?

The "foil" is metal tape for doing air conditioning ducts... I read/saw somewhere that it would help with clean up... I'm not really that convinced but I guess it might help if the handles aren't lacquered... this one isn't.


See, things aren't as terrible as it might seem in my shop... now I have hotel card keys in the ink.

You probably realize, but the most common taping on squeegees is to seal the joint between the blade and the handle.

[Gilligan]

Yeah, that's not what this guy was talking about but I do recognize that issue.  I also recognize that this solution doesn't address that and in fact may exacerbate that problem.

This tape is meant to be a "permanent" layer of protection.  Basically you can wipe ink off and not have it getting into all the grain of the wood.  It does that... but little else.

[Frog]

My non coated wooden squeegee handles have developed a beautiful patina in twenty-thirty years. The wood is generally hard and close grained enough that a simple wipe removes the evidence of it's last get-together with the ink in the screen. Essentially, no problem, at least no more than you will have when your metal tape covered handle does the same thing.

[royster13]

This link might be of interest to folks printing flat stock......

www.polytag.com

[Gilligan]

Trust me Frog... I had the wife wrap this ONE squeegee... haven't asked her to do any more.

[ebscreen]

Polytag is awesome stuff for what it is.

Around here it's only used for flourescent gun show signs and whatnot.

Most sign distros carry it.

[royster13]

I have looked at the Polytag site many times and wondered if a niche business could be done with their products....

[Shawn (EIP)]

I found what I needed locally , 145.00  for 100  18x24 permanent flex vinyl 3.4 weight with crack and peel slit. Economy Paper Supply located here in Rochester NY a  few blocks away from the shop right under my nose, go figure!

Last flat stock newb question (maybe) what durometer squeegee blade should I use?

[ebscreen]

70 will do most anything, important on large fills. 80 for finer details and halftone work.

You sure you got the right stuff? I've never seen pre slit vinyl before, and every
paper place I've ever been to only had, well, paper stickers.