My first run of discharge shirts.

[Screened Gear]

So I finally had time to play with some discharge. I did alittle testing with it about a year or two ago but never ran a full job. I had a job with a large yellow front print and knew it would be a bad print to wear if it was under based and then yellow on top. I used CCI base with matsui golden yellow pigment. It took a while to get the yellow right but after that it was easy. It turned out really good. The detail was very tight and I got the color over half way into the fabric. It was on a 155 mesh, 16 eom, printed manually with no off contact. I mixed up 200 grams of ink for 35 gildan black shirts. Charged with 6%. I used almost all the ink or enough that the last few shirts didn't get a full flood. (still printed fine, looked the same as the others.)

Now for the questions?

1) Shirts smell alittle like the ink still. I ran one shirt through the dryer 3 times and no change. Is this normal? I may have charged them too much?

2) do you wash the shirts or tell the client anything when delivering them? Like make sure they wash them before wearing or anything at all?

3) What do you use for clean up? I just washed the screen out with water and wiped the squeegee down with water. i know I can use simple green also but is there any tricks?

4) What do you do with extra ink? Put in a bucket and mix into black at another time or save it and recharge it when you need that color again?

5) how much ink do you mix up for a run of shirts? I know it depends on the size of the design but do you have a base like 5 grams per shirt?

6) Does the ink bleach shirts if they don't go through the dryer? You know ink on you hand and you touch your shirt?

7) Any other tips to share?

[prozyan]

2) do you wash the shirts or tell the client anything when delivering them? Like make sure they wash them before wearing or anything at all?

We inform the customer the shirts need to be washed before being warn and have them sign a sheet stating we informed them the shirts were discharged, advised them to launder the shirts before wearing, and warned them of the possible risks of wearing the shirt before washing.

[Screened Gear]

no one else what to help me out here???

[Prosperi-Tees]

1) Shirts smell alittle like the ink still. I ran one shirt through the dryer 3 times and no change. Is this normal? I may have charged them too much?
It will smell slightly if you put your nose to it.

2) do you wash the shirts or tell the client anything when delivering them? Like make sure they wash them before wearing or anything at all?
I dont wash shirts, I tell the customers to do that.

3) What do you use for clean up? I just washed the screen out with water and wiped the squeegee down with water. i know I can use simple green also but is there any tricks?
All I use is plain ole h2o

4) What do you do with extra ink? Put in a bucket and mix into black at another time or save it and recharge it when you need that color again?
I normally spread it on a rag and send thru the dryer

5) how much ink do you mix up for a run of shirts? I know it depends on the size of the design but do you have a base like 5 grams per shirt?
Thats a tough one that I have yet to figure out

6) Does the ink bleach shirts if they don't go through the dryer? You know ink on you hand and you touch your shirt?
Yes you will ruin a shirt if you have a dab on your fingers

7) Any other tips to share?
I'd like to hear some as well.

[ScreenPrinter123]

Any tips for discharge/waterbase and you're a two man show?  I am fearful of doing this kindve printing on 2-3k piece job bc we have a 26' long Belt so to wall back and forth constantly would suck - so my concern is if a screen's emulsion breaks down and we find out 600 pieces after the fact. I'm wodering if flashing more than necessary is the only answer aside from a 3rd person checking at the end of the dryer or walking a marathon during the job.

[Prosperi-Tees]

IMO you need a person at the end of the dryer to alert you of any mishaps, even if that means you have to load, unload yourself

[ZooCity]

1) Shirts smell alittle like the ink still. I ran one shirt through the dryer 3 times and no change. Is this normal? I may have charged them too much?

They shouldn't really smell at all. What kind of dryer?  Airflow is crucial, it's totally different from curing plastisol.

2) do you wash the shirts or tell the client anything when delivering them? Like make sure they wash them before wearing or anything at all?

Recommend wash before wearing. I think it's rare anyone will be agitated by the leftover sulphurs on top the shirt but they won't be all soft and nice until you wash.  Even a plain water wash is probably enough.  Hoping to find room for a commercial washer/dryer in the shop for wash testing and offering post launder as well as to post launder our retail ready prints.

3) What do you use for clean up? I just washed the screen out with water and wiped the squeegee down with water. i know I can use simple green also but is there any tricks?

Water.  Simple green + Water.  But I love using the TW Graphics cleaner that is typically for our flatstock inks.  Liberal amounts of the S-032 at higher concentrations combat the staining you see with wb inks bit time. This stuff just slays wb ink yet isn't overly aggressive. Anyone know of a tank or hand applied solution designed to wail on both plastisol and wb ink? 

4) What do you do with extra ink? Put in a bucket and mix into black at another time or save it and recharge it when you need that color again?

Into a 5gal bucket right now.  It stinks to high holy hell after it half life ends.  If we could upcycle to reuse I would def do that but I wonder if it won't just be going to the waste disposal in the end.  For small amounts, pour it out on a few shirts, slow the belt way down and cure it, then toss the shirts.  Technically speaking, you shouldn't even be tossing the wet wipe up rags in the trash but in a bucket to be cured before disposal.

5) how much ink do you mix up for a run of shirts? I know it depends on the size of the design but do you have a base like 5 grams per shirt?

We follow Sericol's recommendations for coverage and found them to be spot on.

110 (40/cm) monofilament screens should yield up to 600-700 square feet (10-14 m2/kg).

Calculate your image area and do the math of each color and do the math.  Only activate enough for 6-8 hours at a time.  [/tt]

6) Does the ink bleach shirts if they don't go through the dryer? You know ink on you hand and you touch your shirt?

Not sure, but I believe both drying the ink and simultaneously holding it at temp is what makes it happen. It probably does a little without heat.  Print one and hang it up to dry and tell us!

7) Any other tips to share?

Dedicated catcher at back for sure.  Once you see a pin hole you not only have god knows how many on the belt and in the chamber but cannot blast any of those spots out. If solo, get your running shoes on and check.  Perfect screen prep helps here.

Do not flash discharge.  At least not all the way.  You can hit it lightly to rid the print of excessive moisture for WOW printing or to register screens but, in any case, VENTILATE YOUR SHOP THOROUGHLY.  ZFS is gross but not a giant deal if ventilated properly and dont' forget that includes makeup air. Don't screw around here, it's not worth it and it's an ethical failure to expose employees to this especially.

Use warmed water to mix your activator in a dedicated cup and then add into the ink while stirring at high speed.

Thin with water, enough to get good penetration but not so much as to dilute the ink.  Mist frequently on press.

Put a major hustle on the WOW prints.  If you break, the buildup will dry and then, upon resuming build on top itself.

That's all I got for now.

[Screened Gear]

thanks for all the info.

I have a 5217 workhorse dryer. It has air movement in it. I know its not the best but it handled this job fine. Its 7 feet of heat with air and a exhaust at the end. I also have a evap cooler in the shop that exchanges the air in the shop about 5 to 10 times an hour. The smell did not build in the shop at all. Teh evap also keeps the shop at about 50% humidity. I had no issues with drying ink in the screen or drying ink during the 35 shirt run. I did have a spray bottle ready with water if i did.

The smell is when you stick your nose to the shirts. Its not over powering in any way.

With everything when something goes so well I have to find out what didn't happen. I know discharge can't be this easy or everyone would be doing it. I am very happy with the process and the results. I think I am going to start adding more jobs discharge and see how everyone likes it.

[tonypep]

I've published more than four articles on this subject for more than twenty years explaining proper screen prep, color mixing and matching, waste disposal, curing, flashing, art prep, special effects, mixed media, sprays, washes, and the like. It always makes me smile when someone when I see someone experiment with the the process and find out how easy it truly is. For a very long period of time it was difficult to engage anyone in a discussion of discharge printing.
Interestingly enough I can recall when we trained manual printers using discharge inks. They always complained when the were given a plastisol job!

[Screened Gear]

Tony,

I would love to read what you wrote. In the next month or two I want to start doing a lot more wb. I was never afraid of it just didn't have the time to mess around with it. I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[tonypep]

I think my friend Brannon may have one on his site a spotcolorsupply.com. Other than you need access to Printwear Magazine going back to early 2000s Heres a one color white on heathered V and plack ringspun

[Screened Gear]

nice print tony. I have really held back on doing large prints like that on shirts for people. I print plastisol really thin but it still feels like crap when its that big on your shirt. Discharge is the only way to do it.

Have you tried the CCI pigment kit yet???

[Prosperi-Tees]

What percentage of yellow pigment to base did you use? Have you wash tested yet and see if there is a difference in vibrance?

[Screened Gear]

What percentage of yellow pigment to base did you use? Have you wash tested yet and see if there is a difference in vibrance?

I didn't even keep track of the amount. I added pigment 3 times to get it to the color I wanted after the shirts went in the dryer. I didn't wash test it but I will this week. I did alot of testing a year ago with my dryer and these pigments and I got really good results after washing. I would cut the design in half and wash one half. The color almost didn't change. I will do the same with this job when I have a second. Can't wait for this week to be over.