Flash cure for dryer question(s)

[Frog]

What, no segue?
Where did photo transfers suddenly come into this? And what do they have to do with plastisol? I assume that you mean digital laser or ink jet when you say photo transfer.

We have a whole section for heat seal.

[Gilligan]

LOL

Sorry... Remember the screen printed part was large and in two sections because of an image to be transfered later in the middle.  That's the one!

Yes, inkjet transfer.  It sits with plastisol words on top and bottom.  So we throw the teflon sheet down and go.  After we press it, it all looks fine but a small "ghosting" of some of the text remains on the teflon sheet.

[Frog]

If your transfer paper is anything like mine (Neenah Jet Soft Stretch Pro), it presses for 25-30 seconds at 375-390 degrees. That's hot and long for plastisol, so it's not crazy that some plastisol is offsetting.
Just make sure to rub the sheet clean to prevent it offsetting right back to the next shirt .

Now, you could also be using this step as your final cure for the plastisol, and getting double duty.

[Gilligan]

That's what I figured (yeah, basically same stuff).

Definitely wiping it off and yes, I figured any failure to cure properly will be taken care of here.  I was concerned that this was possibly a tell that it wasn't curing completely before.

[Gilligan]

I picked up a "meat thermometer" w/ alarm from Target today.  Does anyone see anything wrong with putting the probe down on my curing station and having it alert me to 300 degrees. 

That would be the temp under the shirt so I would know it would be 300 throughout the ink.

What do you guys think?

[Frog]

fine except that "under the shirt" is not the same as "under the ink layer"

[Gilligan]

*sigh* why do you guys have to make everything so complicated. :p

So... are you saying that because it will take longer to heat up under the shirt or possibly under the shirt will reach that temp BEFORE under the ink?

Either way... if my ink cures at 300 what should I set the temp alarm for if I'm putting it under the shirt (essentially two layers of fabric).

[Frog]

I'm saying that heat will most likely go through unprinted fabric faster and easier than through the same fabric with an ink layer, possibly a rather thick one from your p-f-p white.

I would love to say a reading of 310 would insure a cure but I'm not sticking my neck out with your set-up. It's just nothing like I have ever done.

Bottom line, wash a shirt three or four times to truly check cure.

As a quick check, you can check for some stretch without cracking.

[prozyan]

*sigh* why do you guys have to make everything so complicated. :p

Because everything is actually complicated?

If you want to get your setting dialed in, or at least as much as possible with your setup, get some temperature strips, place on on the shirt, and print over it, leaving the portion you read visible.  This will by far give you the most accurate reading.

And then, of course, you have to consider all the variables, such as garment color, ink color, drafts, etc, and compensate for those.

[Gilligan]

But even if you print over the temp strips the part that you can read isn't what is covered in ink.  So that really wouldn't tell you what the bottom layer of ink is.

Great, now you guys have ME complicated the issue. :p

[Gilligan]

BTW, if it makes you guys feel better I'm feverishly searching for a real dryer.

I have my eyes on a 12' chaparral that is 2 hours away and I'll be going there this coming weekend and my moms-in-law will be coming back from there with a big Budget rental truck after the weekend is up with room to spare!

Got my feelers on a few items in that area and hope to at least get to be picky.

That Chaparral has 3 elements and 2 are bad but they have a replacement (not installed) for one of them.  Elements aren't too expensive ($300?)  and I'm figuring right now 2 elements would probably be plenty of heat for me.

[prozyan]

But even if you print over the temp strips the part that you can read isn't what is covered in ink.

Temp strips are like a stick thermometer.  They have a bottom part that takes the reading and a top part that you read.

[Gilligan]

Waiter says "ok sir, I'll taste the soup... where is your spoon"
Old man "Ahh haa!"