Dryer recommendations for manually printing water base & discharge inks?

[local style]

Hey everyone,

I am a plastisol printer and as much soft hand base i mix, i cant get the same hand as other printers water base/discharge prints. I currently have a electric Ranar Curestar 4000, i have experimented with different temps and belt speeds but still have to run water base/discharge prints through twice for it to fully cure. I am looking into purchasing a new dryer so i can efficiently cure water based inks and i am curious if you have a dryer that has worked well for you in a similar situation.

Also is there a website for used screen printing equipment?

Thank you,
Drew

[jsheridan]

Natural gas or a propane fired dryer is the weapon of choice for production of water based printing. The hot dry forced air helps remove the moisture unlike that of an electric dryer.

Check out Digitsmith classifieds for used equipment.

http://www.digitsmith.com/f6.html

[UnderPressureSP]

We found a longer chamber helps and force air through the dryer.  For water base gas is the best way to go.   For 2 autos you need at least a 12 foot bay.  Most water base ink needs to sit in the dryer for 2 to 3 mins with air being forced in and out of the shirt.  Another secret is use craigslist.  At least one really good deal for a used old m&r dryer pops up on the market for someone who just wants it out  of the way so they can make way for a new dryer.   Also figure out if you have a tech in your area that may determine what dryer you go with.

[Screened Gear]

Really depends on the humidity in your area. I have a 7 foot chamber electric dryer that can cure 400 shirts an hour its dry here.

There is a few things that can help.

Flashing the shirt before printing and after the shirt is printed if you can. I only flash before. Not a full flash but enough to take out the moister of the shirt. This also keeps the boards and your tack sticky.

Don't over saturate. When I print manually with discharge I try to use higher mess and print harder. On the auto its much easier to control. When you start reading about doing discharge they all say you have to get as much ink into the shirt as possible. This is not true. You want 50% penetration but full coverage of all the fibers in that 50%. This is done by finding the right pressure, angle and speed.

Don't print discharge on a rainy day.