"He who marches out of step hears another drum." ~ Ken Kesey
I would LOVE to have someone come in a "show" us how this is suppoused to run or at least get some more training via classes or visiting other shops, and I have suggested that to the owners but they don't want to "pay" for stuff like that,
I've got the exact same meter. The first picture indicates that it's calibrated correctly. I don't measure tension on screens with emulsion on them, always on clean screens. I would think that emulsion would tend to give a higher reading since there wouldn't be as much deflection over the coated area. Others might know better.
Where are you located Nick.. I do consulting and have some really good rates. They may not want to pay for it, but they will pay 4 times the amount, maybe more in lost time and money should they continue to just keep 'trying' to print shirts and shucking the responsibility of how to on your shoulders.
That's a rough spot you are in. I would move on if they can't be pushed in the right direction. John is right, one day with him would be worth gold to this shop. Keep in mind that people exhibiting this kind of behavior typically aren't going to give you a damn thing in return for the help you might give them. May be better to just start up on your own sooner than later.
Quote from: tpitman on December 27, 2012, 02:29:33 PMI've got the exact same meter. The first picture indicates that it's calibrated correctly. I don't measure tension on screens with emulsion on them, always on clean screens. I would think that emulsion would tend to give a higher reading since there wouldn't be as much deflection over the coated area. Others might know better.ya I figured the emulsion would effect the reading but it's all we have right now.....being dead means we don't have many screens that need coated....Quote from: jsheridan on December 27, 2012, 02:36:27 PMWhere are you located Nick.. I do consulting and have some really good rates. They may not want to pay for it, but they will pay 4 times the amount, maybe more in lost time and money should they continue to just keep 'trying' to print shirts and shucking the responsibility of how to on your shoulders. We are located in Colorado Springs, CO. I completely understand the need for this and think it would help 10fold if not more, but this is something the owners just don't want to hear.....Quote from: ZooCity on December 27, 2012, 02:54:44 PMThat's a rough spot you are in. I would move on if they can't be pushed in the right direction. John is right, one day with him would be worth gold to this shop. Keep in mind that people exhibiting this kind of behavior typically aren't going to give you a damn thing in return for the help you might give them. May be better to just start up on your own sooner than later. Tell me about it, I'm not even going into details about this place because I don't like to bad mouth people behind their backs, even when it's the honest truth. This is honestly one of the most difficult places I've worked in a very long time. I do tons for this company, I was hired for the Graphic Design position, but because I love to work on/build cars as a hobby the owner sees me as a "handy guy" and I get to do all repairs and maintenance on all the equipment, manage the two screen printers, chorale the sales people, keep track of orders.......ect.....ect.... all that on an unpaid interns hourly rate......If things go right I should be doing my own thing by the end of summer......Nick
I'll throw another vote in for john. Knows what hes talking about, can get your issues sorted and get you set on the right track, im sure for a more than fair price.Good luck there, it is a tough spot to be in.
I would print this thread out and put it on their desk and be as open and honest as you can with them. Let them know that you're in it with them, not just to spend their money. Sometimes it hurts to put down some serious cash when you can't physically see results. Taking some advice on a discussion forum for people who don't "get" them or realize the wealth of knowledge that is available on them is not an easy thing for them to do either. That's why I always like to throw out those stats and especially those with our shop because I witnessed that with my own eyes and have been through all the weird issues you are having right now. I've been at the shop all night trying to print 1000 4-color job on navy while having one issue after another after another that when we print something like that now, only twice as difficult we are setup, printed, boxed and teardown in less than 2 hours. I've been there for all those double stroking and using revolver mode on a 4 color job and there is no need to do it. Like Mike said, more than half the battle of this screen printing stuff is having the right tools for the job, and 8-12 newton screens are not the right tools for plastisol printing. If you can talk them into a consultant, I think John would be perfect. There are, for the most part, two types of consultants out there right now, the production heavy guys and then the high-end/award winning printers who will share a lot of the secrets. There are obviously a few more things to it than that but what I'm getting at is you need a production guy, not an award winning sim process guru. A local shop around here recently made a mistake in the type of consultant they hired, they got a guy who wasn't all that well versed in running a 4 auto shop and was more into getting a 3%, 85lpi halftone out of a 330/30. A world class printer no doubt but they needed production inhancements and knowledge on mesh count selection for a spot color school mascot job for example. I'm not bitter about losing that gig , but seriously they got plenty out of the visit I'm sure but they got a lot they didn't need and missed out on things they did need. Then there are a rare few that have managed to blend the two types of consultant into one guru and you get the best of both worlds, but those guys are really expensive or rare, or both.
Nick, not to take anything away from John, but you guys also have Doug Grigar and his Grendel classes in Denver.http://www.thegrendel.com/train.html
Tell me about it, I'm not even going into details about this place because I don't like to bad mouth people behind their backs, even when it's the honest truth. This is honestly one of the most difficult places I've worked in a very long time. I do tons for this company, I was hired for the Graphic Design position, but because I love to work on/build cars as a hobby the owner sees me as a "handy guy" and I get to do all repairs and maintenance on all the equipment, manage the two screen printers, chorale the sales people, keep track of orders.......ect.....ect.... all that on an unpaid interns hourly rate......If things go right I should be doing my own thing by the end of summer......Nick