GLITTER INK IS NOT INK????

[mooseman]

Hey gang,
Recently purchased a brand name quart of silver glitter ink that is privately labeled to use on royal blue cotton tees.
Opened the ink yesterday for the first time and thought it looked kinda thin , weak.
OK mixed it up completely and absolutely no change looks like soup.

Since I have only used shimmer inks previously, they worked OK I thought I should at least give it a try.

POURED yes POURED the glitter ink from the container onto the screen and tried to print it, 110 mesh 80 duro, manual. Guess what it doesn't work, it actually looked like I was printing with water, absolutely NO color transfer onto the shirt let alone any glitter. I flashed / printed still looks like water. The color and glitter look great in the container as far as color and sparkle go but a total zero color transfer on the shirt.
This stuff would make a great transparent underbase but that is about it.

Went to the brand name web site looked at the data there fior the specific ink and there were no "special instructions"

I will call my supplier on Monday but I would appreciate any thoughts prior. Am I am missing something and whay is this stuff so much thinner than the shimmer inks I have.
Thanks for your guidance
mooseman

[aauusa]

if it is a true glitter ink then you might have to go to a 35 mesh count or a 55.  I use 35 mesh count on or glitter but it has very large flakes.

but then also my glitter ink cannot be poured out of the container. 

[Binkspot]

The glitter we use is like a thick plaster paste. Shimmer we run through 81 mesh, glitter through a 25.

[Frog]

Yeah, like everyone else says, those flakes need some big holes to go though! Looks like window screening.
Whether the base is thick or thin, it's just the medium and stickum for the relatively large flakes (which, btw, will haunt you for weeks!)

[Inkworks]

As above, it sounds like you're siftingthe glitter flakes out with a too fine of screen and just printing the carrier.

[mooseman]

Thanks guys for the help, sounds like I need some fiberglass screening or better yet chicken wire fencing from home depot
mooseman.

[Homer]

yup. a 110 'taint no good for glitter, sounds like your printing just the binder.... we use a 24....or a window screen if the 24 isn't available  . it's funny how some inks are so stiff to print but run down the screen, like silver inks. stiff to stir, stiff to print, yet you can't keep it on the damn ink knife!!....you so much as mention the word glitter and a collective groan is heard through out the shop...it gets on EVERYTHING...like a damn strip club in here....

[bimmridder]

We use a 26 mesh and buy dry glitter and mix our our with a base we keep on hand. We also flood and print with (ready Sonny?) double bevel squeegees. The base we use aloows the glitter to look dry after curing. Just what works for us.

[Rockers]

We did use some 40 mesh with good results. No need to go lower, you might even get away with a 60.

[bimmridder]

Keep in mind, glitter flakes come in different sizes and shapes.

[Sbrem]

The first time I printed glitter was in the '70's, through a 16T nylon mesh. Great glitter, and completely bulletproof. We don't do much glitter lately, but we use a 36 mesh for it. For shimmers, we use an 81SDE mesh from Saati I think; it's an S thread, sometimes 110S Murakami, but it usually needs a double stroke.

Steve