Reducer / Retarder to Discharge Ink

[Hey Monkey]

I've got some white mixed up discharge agent already added and it's a bit thick. Can I safely add some reducer / retarder or water to have it las a bit longer on screen?

[Underbase37]

Yes. Don't go overboard. Stay within the manufacturer  recommended %. Water works but, is watering down the base, not as much base, not as much adhesion to the substrate.   

Murphy37

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

This actually is a concern of mine as well. 

We often still do complex (for me) discharge jobs with PFP foil on my manual. We "back flood" each screen to keep the mesh open and flash each color a little...to avoid the dreaded Zombie Skin effect. And my inks predictably dry out and thicken during an hour or more run.

I collect the ink that is "coagulating" with a 3" putty knife (smoothed corners and edges) and mix it back into the cup with a few squirts of water from a spray bottle.

In my twisted mind, it is mostly the water component that evaporates out. So adding water back must be okay.  I never add more Printgen MG after the initial 2 to 3%. I figure by doing this, I can almost always finish the run with the original ink and adding more water as needed.

IS THIS OKAY?!?!

I should add that on these jobs, I'm the inker, catcher and quality control and I've always got another printer on the manual press for those jobs.

More and more on my simpler WB DC jobs I move over to the Gauntlet. I'm gaining confidence with the auto and as I'm more in my comfort zone I may try some more

I've never had WB DC adhesion problems watering it down during a run.

Do you think we're Dancing With The Devil?

[Rob Coleman]

To be on the safe side, you can make a 1:1 blend of water and binder and use that in the spray bottle.  That was you ensure that you are not decreasing the binder ratio needed. 

[Rockers]

This actually is a concern of mine as well. 

We often still do complex (for me) discharge jobs with PFP foil on my manual. We "back flood" each screen to keep the mesh open and flash each color a little...to avoid the dreaded Zombie Skin effect. And my inks predictably dry out and thicken during an hour or more run.

I collect the ink that is "coagulating" with a 3" putty knife (smoothed corners and edges) and mix it back into the cup with a few squirts of water from a spray bottle.

In my twisted mind, it is mostly the water component that evaporates out. So adding water back must be okay.  I never add more Printgen MG after the initial 2 to 3%. I figure by doing this, I can almost always finish the run with the original ink and adding more water as needed.

IS THIS OKAY?!?!

I should add that on these jobs, I'm the inker, catcher and quality control and I've always got another printer on the manual press for those jobs.

More and more on my simpler WB DC jobs I move over to the Gauntlet. I'm gaining confidence with the auto and as I'm more in my comfort zone I may try some more

I've never had WB DC adhesion problems watering it down during a run.

Do you think we're Dancing With The Devil?

I honestly would be more worried about the fumes/gas being released form the discharge after each flash. Do you have something to catch the fumes above the flash? Or at least very good air circulation in your shop. Positive pressure etc?

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

This actually is a concern of mine as well. 

We often still do complex (for me) discharge jobs with PFP foil on my manual. We "back flood" each screen to keep the mesh open and flash each color a little...to avoid the dreaded Zombie Skin effect. And my inks predictably dry out and thicken during an hour or more run.

I collect the ink that is "coagulating" with a 3" putty knife (smoothed corners and edges) and mix it back into the cup with a few squirts of water from a spray bottle.

In my twisted mind, it is mostly the water component that evaporates out. So adding water back must be okay.  I never add more Printgen MG after the initial 2 to 3%. I figure by doing this, I can almost always finish the run with the original ink and adding more water as needed.

IS THIS OKAY?!?!

I should add that on these jobs, I'm the inker, catcher and quality control and I've always got another printer on the manual press for those jobs.

More and more on my simpler WB DC jobs I move over to the Gauntlet. I'm gaining confidence with the auto and as I'm more in my comfort zone I may try some more

I've never had WB DC adhesion problems watering it down during a run.

Do you think we're Dancing With The Devil?

I honestly would be more worried about the fumes/gas being released form the discharge after each flash. Do you have something to catch the fumes above the flash? Or at least very good air circulation in your shop. Positive pressure etc?

No, I don't have a vented flash, nor a positive pressure system. Circulation is decent, depending on the day....but the flash is very short on DC inks. Just enough to stop the problem. However, I DID have one shirt today--on a WB DC job that picked up some Zombie Skin. Turns out, I upped the temp on my shuttle flash (Omni Flash) from 7 to 8 and it cleared right up.

Some days, nobody can smell the discharge ink even when we are utilizing the flash multiple times. Other days, it seems pretty stanky.