Help! I've got an ODD, One Stroke ELT issue.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I always have the strangest problems.

I sat up a 3 color transfer and ran some sheets, two inks for which were One Stroke Ink's ELT (Extra Low Temp cure, I assume) using their True Gold (Athletic Gold), and White. The third ink was Wilflex Matte Black, which caused no unknown problems.

But the 2 ELT's are "closing in" the open mesh, when left idle for several hours. I can clear this junk with ink degradant, but it isn't easy. I've not tried actual screen opener, since I don't use it.

I have a 6-color manual that I wanted to leave the job in register for a few days, to play and experiment mostly. (I'm waaay new to tightly registered, multi colored transfers.)

Well, leaving the job set up won't work at all...not with with these ELT's.  What the heck is that crap anyhow, closing up nice, my open mesh??? This art has some "triangle" shaped elements, that are about 15 X 40 thousandths that NEVER did open up completely. 

One of you ink guru's surely can at least I.D. this issue...if not solve it outright.

Thanks!

Stan

[mimosatexas]

Is the ink getting hot for any reason while in the screen?  Using any weird chems?

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Nope on the heat.

My shop tops out about 104 in July/August and now, its 85, tops...even with everything on. (Okay, 90)

I have tried diazo and straight photopolymers for emulsion, and clean and reclaim with CCI HR30 and Gemzyme, mostly. So I don't know what it might be. 

No adhesive even, since I'm using my Mimosatexas Inspired, Super Duper Vacuum Platen,  and nothing else whatsoever.

[Crazy Mike]

Since March we switched all inks to the ELT and have had no problems.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

@ Crazymike, so you could leave a job up for a few days and not experience this??

A bit more for Mimosa, I don't use any degreaser either. I have, once or twice, found some haze leftover from waterbased foil adhesive (Virus) that didn't reclaim. I hit it with HR 30 and pressure wash it and go back on press. But I can't imagine any ink degradant diluted to such a low level by a pressure washer causing trouble, and it hasn't been the case with this, because it didn't happen here.

[Crazy Mike]

We treat the ELT like the old inks just dry at 280-300. Don't worry about the poly shirts getting to hot.
No problems with leaving inks in the screens for days.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I called OSI again and got Robert to talking to Rocky and others. They are sending me FRESH samples of the inks in question to see if I can reproduce the problem starting from scratch.

On a different note.  I opened the lid on a gallon of ELT True Gold CM after a few weeks of non use and was surprised how stiff the ink had gotten. I'd forgotten about that until just now.  I stirred and stirred, while remembering how many times over the years I've seen unhappy ink turn happy during printing and just shrugged my shoulders and went to press.

Dunno....