Underbase / Flashing Question

[Hey Monkey]

Ok... I poked around in the search and didn't see much on this but please feel free to point me to any existing threads if I am rehashing too much.

All WB shop here, All Green Galaxy Inks. All manual printing as well. Lately, I have been doing a lot more jobs with white underbase and having a heckuva time getting quality prints or things that last/don't wash out. So a few bits of info and some questions...

Again, using all Green Galaxy Inks so my white is Comet White and overall I really like it. I stir it plenty, spritz with water as we go along when needed and just started experimenting with a little silicone additive to help keep things smooth and easier when printing wet on wet.

My Flash is a Vastex F1000 fairly new as well.

• UB Mesh counts. I use all aluminum screens btw. What is the general rule?
• Flashing time and temps? It seems like I have to flash it way too long to get it dry to the touch. It just always seems to be tacky unless I flash for 20+ seconds when every video I see it looks like most people flash for like 5 to 6 seconds.
• With the above question. Set my flash to high temp and as close to the shirt as possible? Is there a general rule here?
• I need to introduce a cooling station. Going to rig that up ASAP. So maybe higher heat, less time then cooling to help tackiness?
• Mesh counts for other colors? 230? I have been doing 156 and I am thinking that is laying way too much ink down thus making the final cure trickier

I'll stop here and hopefully get some conversation going. Thank you all in advance!

[abchung]

Try to heat up your platens HOT before loading your first fabric... then try to get some air flow at or after flash station to drive the steam away from the fabric to increase evaporation rate. Rememver not to direct the hot air towards the screen.

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[screenxpress]

I read your post as the prints are washing out and not lasting.  If that was plastisol, it would indicate undercured.  I suspect the same may be true for waterbase.

I was going to try out some green galaxy waterbase, but everything I see and read indicates 90-120 seconds in the dryer.  I do have a conveyor dryer (not forced air) and that would cut production down to about 40 shirts an hour at the best throughput.  So for now, I'm holding off.

I do not see any mention of a conveyor dryer.  Hopefully you are not curing waterbase on the platens with the flash unit.

If you are curing on the platens for that length of time with a flash dryer, you will warp the platens.  Been there, done that.  Then you will wonder why the ink stroke is skipping on either the left or right of an image.  It will be because the platen has a high spot in the middle from too much heat making the sides sag.  Check it with a straightedge.

 

[Hey Monkey]

I read your post as the prints are washing out and not lasting.  If that was plastisol, it would indicate undercured.  I suspect the same may be true for waterbase.

I was going to try out some green galaxy waterbase, but everything I see and read indicates 90-120 seconds in the dryer.  I do have a conveyor dryer (not forced air) and that would cut production down to about 40 shirts an hour at the best throughput.  So for now, I'm holding off.

I do not see any mention of a conveyor dryer.  Hopefully you are not curing waterbase on the platens with the flash unit.

If you are curing on the platens for that length of time with a flash dryer, you will warp the platens.  Been there, done that.  Then you will wonder why the ink stroke is skipping on either the left or right of an image.  It will be because the platen has a high spot in the middle from too much heat making the sides sag.  Check it with a straightedge.

Only when doing and underbase so that leads me to believe I am over flashing the base and then laying down too much ink on top with screens that are not a high enough mesh. I have a dryer and never have a problem with my other jobs. Things cure fine. 90sec or so at the right temps.

[screenxpress]

In that case I don't have much more to offer.  Perhaps one of the other board members will chime in.

[tonypep]

I would suspect the silicone