I am AMAZINGLY bad at coating screens

[mooseman]

Tada!!!!!
a guy goes into a hardware store to buy a saw to cut trees down...salsman says this little baby is the newest thing on the market it will cut 100 trees a day without a doubt, guaranteed.

The guy buys the saw, comes back 3 days later looking like crap and complaining the best he could do was 3 trees a day no matter how he tried. The salesman says gee i don't understand why, the salesman takes the saw to the floor pulls the chord and the saw fires up with a roar. Customer says WHATS THAT NOISE.........Tada!!!!!

glad the vid helped

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

for what it is worth have a look
mooseman

coating screens #2 DSCF0803.AVI

Sheesh Moose!

I missed your page 1 video post completely!!  My first read through was on my smartphone and the vid didn't show up on the browser I chose. (I'm a NoMoPhob. No Mobile Phone Phobic. Ie, it's always right there as my encyclopedia, ready to check texts, emails, and of course "Hook Echos" on the radar.  If you live in tornado alley you probably know what a hook echo is.) 

I'm completely impressed with your contribution.

This skill is basic to printing success. Like how to hold your violin, or suture, or your Weatherby 308--no matter. It's a skill and benefits from practice, like playing music or eating with chop stix. If I had someone in my shop that could coat emulsion I'd give them a raise, but alas....It's only me that can do it.

Having said that, my technique is just SO totally different than yours. I'm a sharp edged guy, only because I get along better with it. Most Americans use the rounded edge, I read, and most Europeans and Asians use the sharp edge.  Dunno.....

I coat at 90 degrees to your technique. in the same direction as the squeegee travel. One coat on shirt side, then I turn the the screen end for end and apply another coat in the opposite direction.  Then I rotate the screen to the squeegee side and repeat the process, one coat up, then flip the frame end for end and coat upwards for the final pass.  So all 4 passes are in opposite directions. 2 on the shirt side, 2 on the squeegee side. AND FAAAAAST .... compared to your stroke.

My travel speed must be around a second, or at most 1 1/2 seconds per stroke. Watching you was extremely instructive.  THANK YOU!  I'll bet your EOM is higher than mine.  I went all whackadoodle one day and ordered a dry film micron meter from Bill Hood for testing EOM.  I rarely get it out.  I guess I just do what works, and what I do WORKS... for me anyhow. Zero pinholes (well...nearly zero) and my plates develop just fine with ~1000 psi, wand held 18 - 24 inches from the mesh, moving constantly.  But honestly, I wouldn't know a 2% dot if it jumped up and clamped onto me arse. That is another topic for a thread sometime.  (LPI? Check.    Screen Angle? Check.    Dot percent? Not so much...)

Mulling over what I've seen over the years, most recently what you've so graciously offered, I'm left with the conclusion that there is more than one way to skin a rat.  If you get an employee on board that can learn to make perfect stencils, treat them REAL nice.

[Sbrem]

I never could get the hang of one handed coating but I didnt try to many times. I was trained to do it two handed and im used to it now. I also got away from using the sharp edge, I pretty much coat everything 2/2 now.

Funny, I learned one handed, then picked up a coating stand at an auction, really liked it, but now, on the odd occasion where I'm pressed into service in the screen room, I prefer one handed, coater in the right hand and holding the screen in the left hand.

Steve

[tonypep]

For those who require higher tolerance and consistency with the two handed method consider this: Picture an artists easel with aluminium construction. The top is wall mounted with a piece of aluminium angle iron that grips the top of the screen. The bottom has the same piece to catch the bottom of the screen. Attached to this piece is a hydraulic shock from an auto supply store. This holds the screen firmly in place and accommodates different frame sizes. Downward motion applied to the screen releases it. A quick flip and you now coat the other side.
These have been made. Some even have a swivel so you don't even have to release the screen to coat the other side.

[screenxpress]

I never could get the hang of one handed coating but I didnt try to many times. I was trained to do it two handed and im used to it now. I also got away from using the sharp edge, I pretty much coat everything 2/2 now.

Funny, I learned one handed, then picked up a coating stand at an auction, really liked it, but now, on the odd occasion where I'm pressed into service in the screen room, I prefer one handed, coater in the right hand and holding the screen in the left hand.

Steve

But what if you're left handed? 

[Prosperi-Tees]

For those who require higher tolerance and consistency with the two handed method consider this: Picture an artists easel with aluminium construction. The top is wall mounted with a piece of aluminium angle iron that grips the top of the screen. The bottom has the same piece to catch the bottom of the screen. Attached to this piece is a hydraulic shock from an auto supply store. This holds the screen firmly in place and accommodates different frame sizes. Downward motion applied to the screen releases it. A quick flip and you now coat the other side.
These have been made. Some even have a swivel so you don't even have to release the screen to coat the other side.

I have seen that and if I had the space I would get one. Load the frame , coat, spin, coat, looks like fun lol.

[tonypep]

It is and its fast and accurate

[Prosperi-Tees]

It is and its fast and accurate

I cant find that thing, I have looked at it many times online. Who sells them?

[tonypep]

The company who built them for me is no longer around. A metal fabricator could build you one if you found a picture

[Frog]

Why not go the whole nine yards and get an automatic coater?
http://www.sourceoneonline.com/item.asp?categoryID=0&sectionID=109&subSectionID=42&subSection2ID=0&subSection3ID=0&attrCatID=0&attrIDs=0&catID=42&catTab=sub_section&productID=514

[Gilligan]

Because it says "request price"... that's never good.

[Prosperi-Tees]

Why not go the whole nine yards and get an automatic coater?
http://www.sourceoneonline.com/item.asp?categoryID=0&sectionID=109&subSectionID=42&subSection2ID=0&subSection3ID=0&attrCatID=0&attrIDs=0&catID=42&catTab=sub_section&productID=514

Maybe the cost difference between $500 and 10K? that might do it lol.

[Gilligan]

They talk about people when you give them an inch they want a mile... when Gerry wants to spend an "inch", Frog wants him to spend a "mile"!

FYI, I'm on lunch break... just got all my screens burned (9 of them)... I'm fast huh?!

[bimmridder]

I remember seeing the rack that Tony is talking about. It seems like it was a Sefar piece. I can't find it though. I did see Grunig (with two dots over the "u") has a semi automatic machine for doing one at a time. I haven't seen them in person, just saw it on their site. I know I'm spoiled by having an automatic coater, but I can't imagine going back to hand coating. 

[Prosperi-Tees]

What is an entry level coater run nowadays? I know the longer I wait the better.