Xenon Nova with Diazo emulsion

[screenprintguy]

Hey guys and gals, I  know I had a thread on this emulsion a few months back, but with the recent addition of an I-Image CTS and extensive testing and actual on press day to day data, we have really found that the Xenon Nova, with Diazo out performs a few of the emulsions that we were favoring. We really want to lock down 1 emulsion for the shop that can handle everything, from simple spots with plasitsol, to detailed halftones for sim process, and any type of water based printing. With that, we also wanted to find that one emulsion that we could image, expose, rinse and go right to tape and press. Not needing to block out, post expose, harden ect. As easy as all those steps are, it comes down to time. I know everyone has their faves and thats all cool, I followed every single person's advice and tried what they say works for them and so on. Recent data, image and expose a 2 over 2, 3 color, wet on wet discharge job, using Ulano 925 wr, 1,000 shirts, double strokes all screens, 40 lbs pressure. Screens all held up well through the job, but wouldn't re-use the set ups for a re-run. These screens also required, post exposing, full block out on the shirt side with Kiwo blue wr block out, and then hardner which equals quite a bit of post imaging time before they are ready to go on press.  Same job, new screens with Murikami Aquasol hvp with diazo, 1,000 shirts, double strokes, wet on wet discharge, screens started to break down near end of job and only because of the kiwo block out did they hold. These screens also, post exposing in the sun, full block out on shirt side, and hardner. Re-order of the same 3 color wet on wet discharge set up, 1,000 shirts, new screens with Xenon Nova with diazo, image, expose, rinse, dry in the rack, tape go to press, the screens lasted through the same 1,000 shirts, double strokes at 40 pounds of pressure, wet on wet. After job, washed out screens pulled tape, inspected, not even a stain on the emulsion from the pigment in the white, black or red discharge inks, this emulsion, and those screens will go on the rack and re-run the next order, they were in perfect condition. They took 25% of the time to create and go on press as the other emulsions. Now, I have used the CCI wr emulsions, the Chromaline wr emulsions, the image mate wr emulsions, and the Saati wr emulsion and they didn't perform nearly as well as the Ulano 925 or the Murikami, but none of them took the beating that the nova with diazo did and neither held up. I know it's a little more money than the others, but the time invested in creating a set up and all that goes into it, FOR US, is where it's obvious that it's the right choice for US. I wanted to give this , honest, work tested testimony for Sonny since he put himself on the line for this emulsion. The reclaiming is a whole added time saver too, dip 1 minute in the tank just enough to saturate and get the juice working leaving the emulsion still on the screen, rinses right off, no beating on the mesh for double the time to get the hardened emulsions off with the other brands we have put to the test. I have 2 gals of Ulano 925 wr still in their box that if someone would like to buy at a discount I'll sell and 3 un-opened gals of Murikami HVP that I'd sell at a discount as well. Nova with Diazo is no joke. Hope everyone is keeping busy.

Mike

[mk162]

shoot, sonny was trying to talk me into that.  I might give it a whirl on the next run of shirts.]

How's the detail?

[Nick Bane]

interesting, might have to see about trying some of the nova here as well.

[3Deep]

sonny mention the nova to me as well but I'm a cheap azz, the best bang i,ve found so far is image mate DC 521....Jay turned me on to Valleylitho best prices so far...from what Sonny said and your paid statement Mike just jokin I might have to try some.  I really need to get down to one emulsion I can stick with.

Darryl

[screenprintguy]

sonny mention the nova to me as well but I'm a cheap azz, the best bang i,ve found so far is image mate DC 521....Jay turned me on to Valleylitho best prices so far...from what Sonny said and your paid statement Mike just jokin I might have to try some.  I really need to get down to one emulsion I can stick with.

Darryl

I know what you mean about the price and that , at first, made me skeptical, but, when calculating the time it takes to do all the other crap to have successful screens for discharge, not to mention the added materials needed on hand, and the possible pre-burning of a back up screen, it's not really that much considering most of the other emulsions are right around that 60 bucks a gallon mark any way. I'm not trying to miss lead anyone, the proof is in my pudding everything was put through the exact same test and like I said, the nova screens are on the rack and will be used again for the next run of this design. Had it been on another emulsion, they would be reclaimed and go through the gambit of time and materials again. For me, that time and labor for someone doing all the extra steps, and the time, time time, adds up beyond 20 bucks a gallon difference. For Me that is. Some folks like what they are doing and using and that's cool, but if you are still in the trying phase, try this stuff, you won't regret it. Oh, did I mention, for some reason, I can actually get more screens out of a gallon of this stuff than a gallon of other brands, not sure, must have something to do with it's density. Sonny also told me when I mixed in the diazo, only to put 1/4 of the water in the diazo bottle then recommended, it didn't water the emulsion down as much and doesn't effect the activation of the diazo either. And, since I bought this gallon a few months ago, tried a couple screens, went through using other stuff, then back to it, it actually has a better shelf life once opened then any other diazo I've used as well. I really thought the HVP would be our end all, but when I ate up a bucket of it, and went back to use up the rest of this nova, HVP just didn't perform as well to justify cheeping out. I'm a penny pincher man, but one thing Sam has taught me, log your data and reflect on that data to see if you are really saving or losing because something costs a few bucks less. In this, the labor and time, and added materials to do the same job costs more. I don't work at someone else's shop, I have to pay for this stuff myself like some of you guys here do, so every penny does make a difference to me in all directions.

[RICK STEFANICK]

what is sonnys price per gallon?

[mk162]

it's around $80

[Printficient]

what is sonnys price per gallon?

$82 per Gallon

[RICK STEFANICK]

Ok. That's workable. This stuff really works straight out. Regular exposure times. How about after a couple on press image washes when my printer stops for a smoke and dries in the screen?  Does it have a quick dry time or get really soft?  We coat pretty thin when running waterbase so alot of those things are worked out but I would like to hear about this emulsion.  That darn Sericol 916 is tough to beat.

[ZooCity]

I'll take those buckets of Hvp!

The nova sounds excellent but I'm not getting the same results you are with hvp. Many of our Hvp screens go through color changes, long runs, etc with zero breakdown.  We don't add diazo but do harden on some screens.

My question: can nova build a high eom plastisol stencil as well?  That's what keeps Aquasol in my shop, it does everything very well.

[screenprintguy]

I can say that the nova exposes just like any other diazo emulsion, it obviously takes a little longer than straight ppp emulsion, but like I said, expose, rinse image, dry, NO post exposing needed, NO hardner needed. The only block out ill do besides the normal taping is if I had a fisheye from a poorly reclaimed screen, dab of Kiwo blue w/r block out, but I don't need to paint the shirt side of the screens anymore with water resistant block out just to be safe like I was having to do in the past. I'm not sure why HVP performs different in one shop than another, but screen after screen, same results so, I'm sold on the Nova for sure. Zoo, if you want to pick these HVP buckets from me let me know.

mike@evolutionaryscreenprinting.net

[ericheartsu]

sorry to bring this post up from the dead, but this is the best emulsion i've ever used. not only does it hold incredible detail, it withstands several thousand discharge beatings, without even breaking a sweat!

[screenprintguy]

Told ya man it's a great product!

[ZooCity]

Nova users:

• does this emulsion exhibit the same brittleness/cracking issue along the squeegee edge on the stencil as Aquasol?
• Does it adhere well enough to resolve with a press washer on fan spray?

The cracking is the one and only issue we have with Aquasol HVP. Our screens hold up over 1000s of DC 2x stroke prints, auto or manual, without flinching. No diazo but we do post expo (got to in any case since we emulsion block out) and use hardener for over 100pcs. 

[ericheartsu]

so far, no cracking on our uses, but we do tape up the eges of our screens.

Also the only post exposing we've ever done, is block them out with emulsion, stick em outside for 20 mins, and done.

running a 2 color 400pc now, with no hardner, or post exposing, aside from the sun.

I will say i've found that trying to expose screens, if they are not fully dry, pulls emulsion from the screen, onto the film, instead of the other way around!