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screen printing => Ink and Chemicals => Topic started by: alan802 on December 21, 2011, 12:10:19 PM
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I got some of this on Monday and printed up a few samples yesterday on various colors. I'm impressed. It's not as bright of a white as our plastisol PFP on dark garments, but it's damn close. Not to mention it's so soft and has no hand after a wash, with 1/3 of the total effort it takes to print white plastisol on darks. No flash needed, no second stroke after a flash, just one quick stroke and a long trip inside the dryer.
These were printed through a 156/64 sefar, 6% activator 35 newtons, 2/2 coating with CCI WR-25 emulsion and I'm guessing here, but a 30 micron eom stencil, 70 duro double beveled blade from xenon, 30 psi, straight up angle, ONE STROKE @ 8"/sec. I used a little bit more print pressure than I do for most of our plastisol white to make sure I encapsulate the shirt threads.
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/Tshirt%20Pics/748E2BE2-880C-47EA-9BF9-0D15AEA4F834.jpg)
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/Tshirt%20Pics/5ECA6652-C7BB-4AF8-A120-4B933096079A.jpg)
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/Tshirt%20Pics/5ECA6652-C7BB-4AF8-A120-4B933096079A.jpg)
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/Tshirt%20Pics/2374A87E-2311-4A73-B4B7-24298C477A25.jpg)
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/Tshirt%20Pics/C445E253-0095-4EA9-B64B-7C672341692C.jpg)
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I noticed in some of the pics there is a reddish tint in the print but that's not on the shirts, only the bad pics.
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I to am impressed with that ink. Very easy to use can even use high mesh counts. I used a 230 mesh on it and discharged some cool looking halftones. Does not smell as bad either.
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I heard cci swr-3 is a great emulsion too. Anyone use it. Would be ideal I guess along with their discharge
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I heard cci swr-3 is a great emulsion too. Anyone use it. Would be ideal I guess along with their discharge
The WR-25 is better. Holds better detail and is easier to reclaim. The SWR-3 is satanically hard to reclaim.
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Alan, alittle off topic, but 2/2 coating, is that with sharp edge or rounded?
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Yes, we switched over to them from Matsui awhile back. Great ink, brighter, less smell, less activator, and it is cheaper as well. We still use the pigments from Matsui though. We just use the CCI Discharge White and the CCI Clear Base.
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Alan, alittle off topic, but 2/2 coating, is that with sharp edge or rounded?
Rounded. I never coat anything with the sharp edge.
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I heard cci swr-3 is a great emulsion too. Anyone use it. Would be ideal I guess along with their discharge
The WR-25 is better. Holds better detail and is easier to reclaim. The SWR-3 is satanically hard to reclaim.
CCI sent me a sample of CCI Prochem HXT. I haven't had time to mess with it but they said it was a good match for Auqasol HV. I am starting to think WR-25 is what they should have sent me. Anyone know about CCI Prochem HXT and why they sent that one??? And why do they have so many products do the same thing with the same exact descriptions???
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The WR 25 worked fine but damn did it take a long time to expose. The first one I did at 23 light units, for context a chromablue in that mesh count would have been at 7 light units, and it was extremely underexposed to where I couldn't use it and had to burn another one. I did the next one at 30 light units and it was still underexposed but I was able to use it. After I washed it out successfully, I post exposed it for another 30 light units so it would hold up on the press.
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WR-25 uses diazo, so it's not a pure photopolymer like Aquasol.
Try the ProChem TexCoat. We used to use Aquasol but switched to this stuff.
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WR-25 uses diazo, so it's not a pure photopolymer like Aquasol.
Try the ProChem TexCoat. We used to use Aquasol but switched to this stuff.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the dual cures and have used them a little here and there so I was basing my exposures off of what I've done in the past with other duals. The WR 25 seems to be significantly longer than any other DC I've used though. Does anyone have experience with many different dual cures that have noticed such a difference in exposure times between different emulsions? Almost all of the different pure photopolymers expose really close to each other as long as the stencil is the same thickness, so all these dual cures are new to me.
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Sorry Alan, I was replying to Gear above you. Should've quoted.
Differences between dual cure exposure times may be as simple as the ratio
of diazo to photopolymer in each.
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The WR 25 worked fine but damn did it take a long time to expose. The first one I did at 23 light units, for context a chromablue in that mesh count would have been at 7 light units, and it was extremely underexposed to where I couldn't use it and had to burn another one. I did the next one at 30 light units and it was still underexposed but I was able to use it. After I washed it out successfully, I post exposed it for another 30 light units so it would hold up on the press.
What cell speed do you use for the light units on your Richmond? ..out of curiosity...
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WR-25 uses diazo, so it's not a pure photopolymer like Aquasol.
Try the ProChem TexCoat. We used to use Aquasol but switched to this stuff.
Do like it better than Aquasol? I've been pretty happy with HVP for the last couple of years. Not for discharge, just plastisol/wb.
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The WR 25 worked fine but damn did it take a long time to expose. The first one I did at 23 light units, for context a chromablue in that mesh count would have been at 7 light units, and it was extremely underexposed to where I couldn't use it and had to burn another one. I did the next one at 30 light units and it was still underexposed but I was able to use it. After I washed it out successfully, I post exposed it for another 30 light units so it would hold up on the press.
What cell speed do you use for the light units on your Richmond? ..out of curiosity...
It's set at 2. I have no idea what is optimal for that and I've never messed with that setting. Any recommendations or comments on cell speed?
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I dont process enough screens to have a gallon of dual cure sitting in the shop. I did get a gallon of the Ulano 925WR and really do not like the way it coats, maybe its my technique but I could not get a nice even screen with it. The ones I did held up well to CCI discharge though. I tried a pure photopolymer hardened with CCI harden-x but the discharge still broke it down after about 50 prints. What am I doing wrong with the hardener?
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Likely not the hardener, but an underexposed screen. Even a non-water resistant emulsion without hardener
should holdup to at least 50 impressions.
Post expose in the sun or exposure unit, wipe hardener on completely dry screen, let dry completely.
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I tried to overexpose the screen and post exposed and then did the hardener. I dont know whats up with it.
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Likely not the hardener, but an underexposed screen. Even a non-water resistant emulsion without hardener
should holdup to at least 50 impressions.
Post expose in the sun or exposure unit, wipe hardener on completely dry screen, let dry completely.
Does the hardner make reclaiming harder??? I have never used it and it just sounds like it would.
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Yes it does, just a little bit. If you're doing any kind of production with waterbase
it is well worth the extra effort at the end. A screen de-inked well (immediately after use,
light scrub with Simple Green or the like) and a dip tank and you probably won't notice the difference.
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The WR 25 worked fine but damn did it take a long time to expose. The first one I did at 23 light units, for context a chromablue in that mesh count would have been at 7 light units, and it was extremely underexposed to where I couldn't use it and had to burn another one. I did the next one at 30 light units and it was still underexposed but I was able to use it. After I washed it out successfully, I post exposed it for another 30 light units so it would hold up on the press.
What cell speed do you use for the light units on your Richmond? ..out of curiosity...
It's set at 2. I have no idea what is optimal for that and I've never messed with that setting. Any recommendations or comments on cell speed?
I was wondering because the LU's you are using seemed a good bit lower than mine, but I use cell 1. Basically the lower the cell speed the shorter the unit, so you can fine tune the exposures more with the shorter unit. I'm using Textil PV at the moment.
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In my experience, most manufacturers dual cure or pure diazo emulsions branded as "water resistant" or "highly water resistant" seem to take much longer to expose.
Ulano 925WR (which I used for years) has excellent water resistance and can hold up to discharge quite well. It reclaims very easy. I stopped using it in favor of other emulsions that could hold fine detail better.
CCI's WR-25 and SWR-3 - these hold much better detail than the Ulano, and expose in approximately the same time. (and have a similar exposure latitude). Both have very good water resistance, but not quite on par with the Ulano (in my experience anyway). Both, but especially the SWR-3, are a royal pain in the ass to reclaim. I tried a few different fluids, including the dip tank (Easistrip Supra), and some CCI ER-80, and even some Franmar. Nothing worked very well aside from pressure washing for what seemed like hours.
I try to avoid any emulsion that requires hardener at all. IMHO, a properly exposed stencil should hold up to discharge ink or it's useless. Hardener just makes the reclaim more of a chore.
I've been having good luck with the WR-6 emulsion, but the reclaim still takes longer than I'd like. I may start using the same emulsion as the bottle printer I do screens for, this would reduce the different pots of emulsion I keep around. That one is Kiwo's Polyplus HWR. It's pricey ($100/gal) but the stencils it produces are astonishing. I'll report back on it's discharge friendly-ness.
BTW -
My new one-color press is almost here! After I toss a grenade in my garage to clear it out, I'll post pics of the new setup once I have it sorted.
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I heard cci swr-3 is a great emulsion too. Anyone use it. Would be ideal I guess along with their discharge
The WR-25 is better. Holds better detail and is easier to reclaim. The SWR-3 is satanically hard to reclaim.
This is good info. Thank you.
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I'm going to do some more experimenting today. I will try to do a few things with it as an underbase and various plastisols on top. I've already found that for white designs on most dark colors, this is going to be great, but there are some colors that need a little bit more so using this as an underbase instead of plastisol white will probably yield great looking prints. I am slowly moving to the discharge spot colors so once I get used to the in's and out's of this discharge white I'll make that move.
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Printing plastisols on top is great Alan but it is kinda nerving at first because the plastisol does not look right until it comes out the dryer.
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I did some plasticharge the other day for the first time (the smell!!!) turn out great, this would be the idea base white for me as I would not have to go around twice for my whites. You guys keep the thread going on this I,m learning alot, thanks.
Darryl
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Darryl, I tried to buy some plasticharge base yesterday to get in here for today but nobody close to me has any in stock. I tried the wilflex plasticharge with white plastisol and it was ok. I'm gonna go dig around in the back to see if I have any more of that base. I'd be interested in seeing how bright the plasticharge is with reds and yellows and blues on black shirts. From what I've read, the plasticharge isn't as good as straight discharge colors but I'd have to see it for myself. I want to test is out here because I've heard lot's of things that other shops have said about a product and when I've tried it, I've had completely different results. Plus the $10,000 worth of plastisol ink sitting on the shelves would be great to be able to use.
You brought up the smell, and this CCI stuff is sitting on my desk a few inches from me as I type this and I don't even smell it. There is no odor with this unless you get right up on it, or let it sit in a bucket for a few days.
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Alan, I did some black 100% cotton with a brite blue ink plasticharge and it looks great very bright...I'll try to post a pic, my samsung is taking crappy pics for some reason...reason could be me LOL
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Alan, I did some black 100% cotton with a brite blue ink plasticharge and it looks great very bright...I'll try to post a pic, my samsung is taking crappy pics for some reason...reason could be me LOL
I'd like to see that pic D, even if it's a little blurry I can still get a good idea of the opacity.
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Alan, I posted a short vid on my facebook if you would like to see the print (3deepscreenprinting)
Darryl
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I just wash tested the shirts with the CCI D-White as an underbase with plastisol on top and they are fantastically bad. The ink cracked and the prints are ruined. I kind of figured that it could happen since the base was a completely different makeup than plastisol and the white pigment just doesn't allow the print to stretch at all. Oh well, straight discharge as an UB works great. I'm still going to use this product on all white designs on darks so all is not lost. This really is a great ink and it's going to make us a lot of money and save us a ton of time and energy. Now it's on to discharge spot colors, wish me luck.
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I just wash tested the shirts with the CCI D-White as an underbase with plastisol on top and they are fantastically bad. The ink cracked and the prints are ruined. I kind of figured that it could happen since the base was a completely different makeup than plastisol and the white pigment just doesn't allow the print to stretch at all. Oh well, straight discharge as an UB works great. I'm still going to use this product on all white designs on darks so all is not lost. This really is a great ink and it's going to make us a lot of money and save us a ton of time and energy. Now it's on to discharge spot colors, wish me luck.
Yep!
Pre-mix discharge white should only ever be used as a "top" or highlight white. It is astonishingly bad as an underbase, and it's total hell trying to make top colors work other than for Easter egg pastels.
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I just wash tested the shirts with the CCI D-White as an underbase with plastisol on top and they are fantastically bad. The ink cracked and the prints are ruined. I kind of figured that it could happen since the base was a completely different makeup than plastisol and the white pigment just doesn't allow the print to stretch at all. Oh well, straight discharge as an UB works great. I'm still going to use this product on all white designs on darks so all is not lost. This really is a great ink and it's going to make us a lot of money and save us a ton of time and energy. Now it's on to discharge spot colors, wish me luck.
Just take the D-white and mix it into dis base about 80/20 base to wht and the durability of the prints will be fine. Use straight base if you want, we prefer that white percentage in our UB's to help the plastisol colors pop. Watch out for plastisol top colors that can shift in value without flashing. Make sure your dwell in the dryer is set for discharge for full cure.
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I was gonna buy a bunch of CCI discharge white but I just asked my CCI rep what the shelf life is and he said its only 4 weeks. Has anyone had it longer than 4 weeks and it work out fine still?
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you really should try that sericol discharge white.. works KILLER as a underbase. i have had it 6 months with no problems. that cci white didnt wash well for me either. i tryed it and personally i dont think its in the same league as the sericol. as far as non discharge but super opaque waterbase try that rutland hs-a
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I was gonna buy a bunch of CCI discharge white but I just asked my CCI rep what the shelf life is and he said its only 4 weeks. Has anyone had it longer than 4 weeks and it work out fine still?
Maybe with the lid off. We use it. Great product. Go through a 5 gallon bucket every two months or so. So 8 weeks there and no problem.
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you really should try that sericol discharge white.. works KILLER as a underbase. i have had it 6 months with no problems. that cci white didnt wash well for me either. i tryed it and personally i dont think its in the same league as the sericol. as far as non discharge but super opaque waterbase try that rutland hs-a
Is that the sericol TC-311?
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yes, thats the high opacity white. sericol also has a pantone formula guide you can download ans match virtually any color using 13 rfu colors. really makes matching easy. as you know discharge and waterbase colors are tough to match as they look totally different in the container than printed. another thing about sericol is they will sample you in gallons which really helps if testing on your auto and gives you enough ink to really check it out on multiple jobs. i have expierienced some of the same issues with color balance and yellowing using plasticharge as a underbase running wet but never this product. just my .02
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I was gonna buy a bunch of CCI discharge white but I just asked my CCI rep what the shelf life is and he said its only 4 weeks. Has anyone had it longer than 4 weeks and it work out fine still?
I've kept the CCI white and base unactivated for months. Leave the lid on and try to keep it in a room that is air conditioned in the summer
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yes, thats the high opacity white. sericol also has a pantone formula guide you can download ans match virtually any color using 13 rfu colors. really makes matching easy. as you know discharge and waterbase colors are tough to match as they look totally different in the container than printed. another thing about sericol is they will sample you in gallons which really helps if testing on your auto and gives you enough ink to really check it out on multiple jobs. i have expierienced some of the same issues with color balance and yellowing using plasticharge as a underbase running wet but never this product. just my .02
Good info, thanks
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hey tony..hope your getting settled. give me a ring when you get a chance..
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Rick send me a PM with your # thnx tp
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I just had ran my first print with the CCI D-White, 6%ZFS, 70 Duro, 156 Sefar (Looooow newtons) Manual press, various colored substrates--including 90/10 hoodies.
This stuff prints like a dream, at least on a short run of 70, one color prints.
In fact, I'm so pleased with the printability as compared to Matsui Bright Discharge White, it's like a completely different system to me. I did mix in a little water via spray bottle once during the (short) run, but it's very nice--no other reduction necessary. (I wonder if Fixer N is necessary---or even works with CCI bases.)
To be fair, it was a rainy day Friday, and cool temps in the shop. Not 110 degrees at 28% humidity like I fought for weeks and weeks last summer. But I can tell, for a guy with no autos, this stuff is gonna be a sweet relief. I'm about one year in to discharge, and honestly kinda dread using the Matsui Bright White Discharge on long, multi-colored jobs.
I'm still about an 80/20 shop at this point, so I don't discharge every day, and I can't yet imagine ZERO plastisol. But this CCI stuff is a game changer for my discharge thinking, being all manual.
I'm ready to print some pigmented discharge, but I've read good things about their base also. I haven't found a distributor handling this product with one day UPS ground service to my area yet, but that would seal the deal.
For straight waterbased jobs on whites or pastels with no discharge agent, I'm guessing the D-Clear would suffice, using my Matsui PC pigments. I've heard Matsui is discontinuing their PC tint system. YIKES! I'm hooked on that stuff! Hope that it's not true.....
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I just got some sericol discharge in, hoping to test it soon. I really like the cci stuff though.@ itsa ryonet carries the cci white but it's private labeled for them or just go cci direct
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Please say someone has luck with cci d-white with plastisol on top! Testing their product tomorrow.
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Please say someone has luck with cci d-white with plastisol on top! Testing their product tomorrow.
I know Alan didn't like it but I have done a few jobs with plastisol on top. The hand could be better though. Someone said they mixed white and clear for a better hand but I have yet to try it
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Please say someone has luck with cci d-white with plastisol on top! Testing their product tomorrow.
It did not work at all. The print cracked horribly.
Please say someone has luck with cci d-white with plastisol on top! Testing their product tomorrow.
I know Alan didn't like it but I have done a few jobs with plastisol on top. The hand could be better though. Someone said they mixed white and clear for a better hand but I have yet to try it
How did you get it not to crack? I just did the D-White with a short flash then white plastisol on top. I also did one with red union ultrasoft and those cracked as well, but it wasn't as noticeable.
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I'm not sure Alan, I used QCM as the plastisol in a 230 on the manual. I did several wash tests and they came out fine. I have used a red and a green as well, I also flashed for about 6 seconds.
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We've found that dryer dwell time must be longer than for discharge when there is plastisol on top.
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what about if you use the clear discharge, does that make a difference?
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what about if you use the clear discharge, does that make a difference?
That's how I've always done it. I can't see the d-white working as an under for plastisol, it's to thick and meant to be a stand alone white.
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The hand is heavy for plastisol, I am going to try 80/20 clear/white next time I put plastisol on top and see how that works.
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I finally broke down and ordered some things to play with Discharge this week. I ended up with a gallon of the Ryonet Discharge White, which could just actually be the CCI D-White. The results were very impressive. after one wash the hand is great. I was pretty impressed with the entire process. I would love to perfect this and get away from the P-F-P with simple white ink prints.
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I finally broke down and ordered some things to play with Discharge this week. I ended up with a gallon of the Ryonet Discharge White, which could just actually be the CCI D-White. The results were very impressive. after one wash the hand is great. I was pretty impressed with the entire process. I would love to perfect this and get away from the P-F-P with simple white ink prints.
that is what I have done for the most part, if your dryer can keep up I think it's a no brainer
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My 2 gallons plus activator were dropped off by my local CCI rep yesterday 8)
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Mine came today, 4 gallons of white, 4 gallons of base and 4 gallons of emulsion!
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Now moving up from my old 24 inch AWT dryer to the 54 inch Vastex is really going to pay off!
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I just printed with the d white, it's bright but thicker then I thought it would be maybe. What mesh count did you guys use? I used a 110 then a 156 but think 200 would good
RT Screen Designs
www.rtscreendesigns.com
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I just printed with the d white, it's bright but thicker then I thought it would be maybe. What mesh count did you guys use? I used a 110 then a 156 but think 200 would good
RT Screen Designs
[url=http://www.rtscreendesigns.com]www.rtscreendesigns.com[/url] ([url]http://www.rtscreendesigns.com[/url])
We have found 150S to be the best compromise when doing one stroke and still getting good penetration. A 200 would work but based on my experience it would likely require 2 strokes. Have you washed it yet? That will help with the hand as it will lose its chalkiness.
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We are a manual shop, but we like 156 for D-White, 6 or 7% ZFS, and we PUSH with a sharp 60 duro in those ERGO Force handles. (Love those! They barely deflect under firm printstrokes.) A couple of firm strokes should do it, once the ink fills the mesh.
200 is too fine a mesh in my shop, but if you have an auto, or use S mesh, then maybe. It won't be as bright, but depending on the job, it might work okay.
Sweetts, you just prolly won't get the soft hand you are expecting, until after a trip through the washer...at least we dont. That's where managing customer expectations is paramount.
For max brightness, you can print D-White full strength, but we usually base it down a bit with CCI Premium Base. For ease of printing, we keep a bottle of water nearby, to mist the ink occasionally and then "cut it in" a little, in whatever "inkwell" is available-before the next print.
I usually start out by adding some water before even going to press, after activating with ZFS--say...5%.
With a FULL cure, you barely lose any brightness after the first wash, but the "hand" improves dramatically.
Stan
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Any body try Magna Super white and Rutland discharge white?.
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Any body try Magna Super white and Rutland discharge white?.
Rutland and CCI are comparable in my opinion. Rutland smells a little more fragrant.
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magna super white is IMO the very best, but stinks the very worst!
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magna super white is IMO the very best, but stinks the very worst!
Hey Diggles, do the Magna DC inks seem to get along with CCI and/or Sericol? I've noticed that CCI/Sericol share similar chemistry (stoddard or "white" co-solvent based) and are fully compatible in a WOW situation whereas Matsui does not seem to get along with CCI/Sericol type of inks. For example, I tried to overprint some of Matsui's metallic binder on CCI DC and it freaked out and gummed up in the screen. After seeing this, I've tried hard to stick to one ink brand. Rutland seems to get along but is clearly a very different chemistry, more like latex paint than CCI/Sericol.
I do see some things from Magna I'd like to check out, this super white being one of 'em. But it would be a major bummer to get hooked on their white only to find it won't play nice with the rest of our inks in a WOW and/or overprint situation.
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I use Magna pigs in CCI base with ZERO problems. I prefer CCI base over all of them. As far as pigments, they all work, its just what you get used to. Magna super white though, far smokes the competition IMO. Diggles, I like that!
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I use Magna pigs in CCI base with ZERO problems. I prefer CCI base over all of them. As far as pigments, they all work, its just what you get used to. Magna super white though, far smokes the competition IMO. Diggles, I like that!
Yeah, anyone's pigs + CCI Base seems to be universally OK. So you can run that Magna super white, say, last in a 6color WOW DC/WB print and any overlap or intentional overprints are copacetic with the CCI inks in the run? Sorry I think my question was confusing.
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I use Magna pigs in CCI base with ZERO problems. I prefer CCI base over all of them. As far as pigments, they all work, its just what you get used to. Magna super white though, far smokes the competition IMO. Diggles, I like that!
Yeah, anyone's pigs + CCI Base seems to be universally OK. So you can run that Magna super white, say, last in a 6color WOW DC/WB print and any overlap or intentional overprints are copacetic with the CCI inks in the run? Sorry I think my question was confusing.
Probably, but why would you not butt register 6 color DC? I do.
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Me too. It's the over prints I would be concerned about mostly.
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I just printed with the d white, it's bright but thicker then I thought it would be maybe.
That's what I thought too, it was a real squeegee climber for us, so we'd have to mix much more than we'd have to with a runnier ink and we ended up throwing a lot away at the end of the day after a run. I'm using the Image Technologies white now, which is very runny and we're really loving it.
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The runnier inks don't play nice out here in CA. Rheology changes to much in the screen and it's
a losing battle from there.
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I can't imagine our climate is that much different in the summer. 90-105F everyday and usually dry as a popcorn fart, Yes I know it's Frozen Canada, but where I am it's the northern tip of a pocket dessert, complete with sage brush, cactus, rattlesnakes and scorpions.
I actually had a very hard time getting the CCI white to flood properly because it was all stuck to the squeegee. We'd have to mix 600-700grams of ink just to have enough to get a full flood. With the IT we can get away with 300grams or less. For us it was just as white, had way better fabric penetration and was locally available, in fact it cleared so well we often don't leave heads in the flood position as there is no ink left in the mesh to dry in.
Maybe I got a bad batch of CCI? it was through Ryonet.
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CCI D-White is way too thick out of the bucket, not even close to press ready IMO. Needs about 6-10% water added.
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We tried the IT and we super un-impressed. Hmmm. Maybe we got a bad batch of it?
It's what my main suppliers carry so I wish it worked better for us.
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CCI D-White is way too thick out of the bucket, not even close to press ready IMO. Needs about 6-10% water added.
Tried that, didn't seem to affect it much at all. It was as bad or worse than an athletic white plastisol.
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CCI D-White is way too thick out of the bucket, not even close to press ready IMO. Needs about 6-10% water added.
Tried that, didn't seem to affect it much at all. It was as bad or worse than an athletic white plastisol.
That's weird, could be a bad bucket. Ours looks fine out of the bucket but is just thick, runs fine after thinning and activating. I typically add as much water as activator and then additional as needed.
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I shy away from adding water to water base inks. My understanding it will change the "ph" balance... not good. Thinning the white with base is an option. We just finished a run of navy Gildans using 50 percent dwhite and 50 percent premium base with 3 percent activator. Gets rid of that stiff, chalky feel that the dwhite has at full strength.
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That's weird, could be a bad bucket. Ours looks fine out of the bucket but is just thick, runs fine after thinning and activating. I typically add as much water as activator and then additional as needed.
Yeah, that's been on my mind. I tried it after hearing so many rave reviews here, but it was underwhelming to say the least. I even posted a thread about it being a squeegee climber, but didn't get much in the way of replies. Then when we had a big run of discharge come through I bought the I.T. 5 gallon because it was the only stuff I could get quickly, at first we were put off by how runny it is, we actually use a ladle for it, but after getting used to it on screen we really like it over the gallon of CCI we tried. We are WB/DC newbies, so factor that into my review, but as it stands we'll be looking at the IT bases and super strength pigments as our need for the inks grows.