Potential Disaster........Help Please!

[middletownink]

This job came in and I need recommendations on how to run it or if it can be run successfully.  Total of 200 pcs of this crap 3.7oz 65% poly 35% viscose black off the shoulder shirt.  Gold color has to be metallic.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[jesterapparel]

You may want to outsource this if you think your over your head on this.  There are a few on this board I'm sure who can help you out.

[Screened Gear]

3.7oz 65% poly 35% viscose: This material sucks. It will not stay down. I have printed 2 color very large prints on them.  They turned out great but you have to be very careful. If the boards get too hot your waterbase tack will not hold them down. I printed a job of about 100 one time and about 10 came off the board. That was the first run I ever did with them. Then the second run I was super careful and still lost 4 or 5. Keep in mind the print I was doing with thick block letters that took up almost every inch of the material 13 wide by 17 tall. Another tip make sure you put on fresh pallet paper and tack. They are so thin that any built up lint will show in your print. With this design I would order extras. Don't get me wrong it can be done but you will have some shirts jump off the boards. That material just does not stick well.

[dave58]

You may want to outsource this if you think your over your head on this.  There are a few on this board I'm sure who can help you out.

that was my very first thought....

[middletownink]

Awesome!  Let me go turn the oven on so its nice and ready for my head to go in!!  The non sticking issue, don't you think a nice fresh coat of waterbase adhesive on the pallets would help?

[jsheridan]

Awesome!  Let me go turn the oven on so its nice and ready for my head to go in!!  The non sticking issue, don't you think a nice fresh coat of waterbase adhesive on the pallets would help?

Jon is right.. even after a fresh application of bond that would rip the mesh from a screen won't hold these shirts down.

Order extras and take your time

[Screened Gear]

Awesome!  Let me go turn the oven on so its nice and ready for my head to go in!!  The non sticking issue, don't you think a nice fresh coat of waterbase adhesive on the pallets would help?

John is right... I have applied fresh tack on one run about every 24 shirts and it didn't help. The boards were so sticky if you leaned on them it would rip the skin right off your hands. The only thing that did help is not letting the boards get too hot and adding a delay after the table goes down just in case they stuck a little. I was not able to find a solution. Honestly I just wanted those FN shirts out of my shop.

[ScreenFoo]

Hmm... if these are the Bella number of these garments, I didn't have any problem sticking and flashing these with regular old spray tack. 

They are definitely not an easy garment to print, however.  I'd agree they are difficult, although I didn't think they were too bad, I've only done short runs of them on the manual. 

The other thing that's a pain with these is placement--do they expect you to make sure the design is level once they're wearing the shirt crooked like your mock-up?  Which shoulder are they going off of?  Our customer was fine with it straight, don't think I'd want to do them otherwise...

[Lizard]

Yeah they suck but we print them all the time. Let me know if you need some help.

[middletownink]

Good news is I got customer to change garment. Bad news the new garment option sucks almost as bad. AA 50/25/25. Anyway fronts are done. Head 1 - 230 mesh underbase Head 2 - 110 Mesh Gold Head 3 -Flash Head 4 - smoothing screen  Head 5 - 150 Mesh Blue Head 8 - Pink. New pallet cover a fresh coat of adhesive.  Only lost 2!!!  Thanks for the help on this one. The intention was never going to be sub it out. Needed advise on the most horrid fabric to screen printing viscose.  Just wanted to up date everyone!! 

[Sbrem]

Some shirt materials do suck, don't they? We have a customer who uses a similar product, and fortunately, they understand the problem, and always order an extra 20% of shirts. If we don't need them, they get held for the next run.

Steve

[jsheridan]

That's great to hear it worked out for you!