Author Topic: Reducing Fibrilation  (Read 1287 times)

Offline ScreenPrinter123

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Reducing Fibrilation
« on: April 30, 2013, 08:46:46 PM »
What tips do you all have for reducing Fibrilation?  Finished a 5 color back/2 color front using a mix of 180S and 225S mesh on silver shirts (plastisol). Print was popping but then I washed it - one of the worst post wash prints I've seen given the Fibrilation. Was asked to print 72 more and decided to double stroke - post wash look was acceptable but not perfect.  What tricks are in your bag to avoid having to double stroking to fight fibrilation?  Just more pressure? Maybe they were just a bad batch of shirts?


Offline ZooCity

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Re: Reducing Fibrilation
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2013, 09:32:20 PM »
It's all about matt down with plastisol.  Bump the mesh down to avoid the double stroke, it's not helping.  Sounds crazy but a 150 s, coated thin like for WB will lay down a perfectly acceptable film of plastisol on lights and if that 150 doesn't clear in one hit well, shoot, something else is wrong.  That said, we do 180 s for WOW on lights and don't see unacceptable fibrilation.

Next biggest thing is ink type or rather the type of base.  It's tempting but no good to use straight soft hand type bases for dark plastisol on light Ts.  Just like you said, they'll look tight out of the shop and potentially like crap after a few washing as that ink is just driving right past the top fibers, even more so with the 2x stroke. Better to start with a full bodied, standard ink and cut some soft hand type bases into your ink.  In fact I have implemented a rule of no soft/fashion base at all in any WOW ink.  A little is ok for single color.  A good standard ink will have a rubbery, soft finish to it without the modification.

Offline Rob Coleman

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Re: Reducing Fibrilation
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2013, 08:38:37 AM »
Here are links to a coupe of old articles on this topic.  Nothing earth shattering but a good refresher.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i4ou94n0idsdkmw/Fibrillation%20Printwear%202008.pdf

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4uvmewuvaauuwag/Fixing%20Fibrillation%20SGIA.pdf
Rob Coleman | Vice President
Textile Business Unit | Nazdar SourceOne | sourceone.nazdar.com
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