Ghost busting my screen!

[ABuffington]

Try dropping the tension 1-2 newtons in the narrow direction of the screen.  The location of the rip could have been caused by a medium sized squeegee that did not have the corners rounded off.  Also avoid having the squeegee wider than the pallet you print on, probably not the case, but it just crushes the threads and wears them out over the edge of a pallet.  Lower tension slightly overall.  Avoid putting S mesh in the sun for too long, especially in summer, the expansion of the frame can raise tension as well.
Soft brushes, or sponges to apply chems.  Softened plastic goop scoops or softer plastic cards.  Move up to 200S, or 225S for a stonger screen.


Al

[abchung]

Who you gonna call?
Pierre

I don't think, I will call the Ghost busters.
I believe the mesh is "Force Sensitive" (sorry, just been waiting for the Star Wars movie for the past few months).

I have given up on the path of extreme high tension. I now stretch all my thin thread to 20N then tighten the nuts and the tension will go up to around 25. No problem ever since. I retention before applying mesh prep.

[Frog]

Who you gonna call?
Pierre

I don't think, I will call the Ghost busters.
I believe the mesh is "Force Sensitive" (sorry, just been waiting for the Star Wars movie for the past few months).

I have given up on the path of extreme high tension. I now stretch all my thin thread to 20N then tighten the nuts and the tension will go up to around 25. No problem ever since. I retention before applying mesh prep.

What mesh prep?

[abchung]

oops. Sorry. proper name is Degrease... I use "Macdermid Mesh-Prep" for my halftone work.
http://www.macdermidautotype.com/products/70-universal_mesh_prep

[Frog]

oops. Sorry. proper name is Degrease... I use "Macdermid Mesh-Prep" for my halftone work.
http://www.macdermidautotype.com/products/70-universal_mesh_prep

Whew, I was afraid that you meant the abraders from the days of old. They would be deadly on these thin-threaded meshes!

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Whew, I was afraid that you meant the abraders from the days of old. They would be deadly on these thin-threaded meshes!

I have used the SAME wooden handled shoebrush for 7 years. I read about using them in Sign Business Magazine close to 20 years ago. Rick Williams was writing in his column about setting up to screen print signs on a budget. I even made my own scoop coaters! (not very good, but they worked...sortof) I had sheet metal tools for my sign building. Used the sun for my exposure unit, and cut vinyl on clear plastic sheeting for film positives, sprayed with spray tac instead of a vacuum table.

I mostly use static S-mesh screens and if they break, I figure did it myself with a corner, or too long with dehaze on the mesh. No ghosts in my shop. And I've never had a screen break on press either, but I rarely use my roller frames.

[TCT]

I had a screen pop the other day that had been sitting coated undisturbed for probably a month. Then all of a sudden, POP!! It happened when I was in the screen room coating screens. Startled me so much I dropped the coater, emulsion all over the floor, also dropped the screen I was coating, landed on the coater and popped that screen too!

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Wow what a bummer!

Alex, your story is better, but I did 3 static S-meshes once, all in one swell foop. O had my press indexing under flash  one morning, to warm up the platens. I had laid my platen spacing "stick"...a chopped off 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" wooden baluster....on the top of the control panel, and my Gauntlet doesn't run smooth enough to do that. 

I left the room for a minute, and when I returned the stick had dropped onto a platen and rode around popping each screen. I grabbed the emergency stop button just before it crashed the last screen or it would have broken the entire set, a job of 4 screens. 

Stan The Doofus

[Gilligan]

Try dropping the tension 1-2 newtons in the narrow direction of the screen.  The location of the rip could have been caused by a medium sized squeegee that did not have the corners rounded off.  Also avoid having the squeegee wider than the pallet you print on, probably not the case, but it just crushes the threads and wears them out over the edge of a pallet.  Lower tension slightly overall.  Avoid putting S mesh in the sun for too long, especially in summer, the expansion of the frame can raise tension as well.
Soft brushes, or sponges to apply chems.  Softened plastic goop scoops or softer plastic cards.  Move up to 200S, or 225S for a stonger screen.


Al

I'll see what my guy THINKS the tension was, but I doubt it was very high.

We ONLY use natural sponges on our screens.  We don't touch anything to the screens but business cards when carding ink on or off.  We are printing on an auto and this screen hadn't seen any youth or sleeve plattens in a while if at all.  I forgot what mesh this was, but my guy will likely remember.

We do leave them in the sun for extended periods but this one had been inside for over a week.

I'm not arguing with anything you are saying, it just doesn't apply to this particular screen is all.

[SoccerMom]

I had a screen pop the other day that had been sitting coated undisturbed for probably a month. Then all of a sudden, POP!! It happened when I was in the screen room coating screens. Startled me so much I dropped the coater, emulsion all over the floor, also dropped the screen I was coating, landed on the coater and popped that screen too!

  Omg... Gotta find some amusement in that right?