older Lawson HD Max question

[Jhtitan]

So the wife and I have been getting set up for screen printing. We actually just finished our first largeish order @200 shirts in single color with front pocket print. I also decided to make up my own design to try out multi color before we actually got a multi color job. I got a ton of good info on my emulsion issue I had so I thought it was time to look in this next.

So I designed a 3 color print of an anvil shaped USA flag. What we found when we first set up was that on or 6x6 press only 3 of the screen arms line up flat with the pallets. The other 3 are various degrees of high in the front. I ended up putting about 1/4" of shim on one when we set up to run the pockets as I didn't want to remove my 3 color screens yet. I used 2 3.8-16 hex nuts taped to the bottom part of the clamp to level out that screen.

I have looked and the only connection between the clamp bar and the arm os the 2 locking screws for the micro registration.

My question is does anyone have any tips for getting these arms leveled? Do I find the ones in the middle of the range and level the plates to those and hope that gets them all into a range I can use? I am open to any suggestions. I am currently thinking I will have to tape in some shims to get the one that are out to be useable. Right now I have a 6 color press that can only do 3 colors.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Jon

[RICK STEFANICK]

Call steven at lawson in service. He is a great guy and will help out . the other guys you may get will try to charge you for phone help if you didnt buy it new from them 

[mimosatexas]

That was my experience with Lawson when I had questions about a used piece of equipment: they were zero help and wanted to charge $75 for a digital version of a manual.  Said, no thanks and havent bought a piece of their equipment yet.

[RICK STEFANICK]

That would be the owners. CALL steven direct. If they ask who is calling tell them his brother.

[mk162]

Sad you have to do this...I shop lawson here for some supplies and they are great.  Dated as heck, but great.

[RICK STEFANICK]

The HD max is a excellent manual press. I would recommend that press but add aluminum rubber top pallets over  all others in the same catagory. I know they have registration instructions they can email you. Very simple to do if I remember correctly

[tonypep]

Do not expect an immediate response but Steven is a good guy. Apparently many irons in the fire. I respect that.

[Frog]

I was also going to mention, you could still satisfy that itch it sounds like you got. You could still be trying out your three color design.
If indeed, the problem is only with three stations (and not the heads), then you could be running up to six colors, wet on wet on just one (good) station.
If on darks, a little slower load the only three good stations and rotate under the flash, but still up to five colors with an undebase.

[trebor]

So the wife and I have been getting set up for screen printing. We actually just finished our first largeish order @200 shirts in single color with front pocket print. I also decided to make up my own design to try out multi color before we actually got a multi color job. I got a ton of good info on my emulsion issue I had so I thought it was time to look in this next.

So I designed a 3 color print of an anvil shaped USA flag. What we found when we first set up was that on or 6x6 press only 3 of the screen arms line up flat with the pallets. The other 3 are various degrees of high in the front. I ended up putting about 1/4" of shim on one when we set up to run the pockets as I didn't want to remove my 3 color screens yet. I used 2 3.8-16 hex nuts taped to the bottom part of the clamp to level out that screen.

I have looked and the only connection between the clamp bar and the arm os the 2 locking screws for the micro registration.

My question is does anyone have any tips for getting these arms leveled? Do I find the ones in the middle of the range and level the plates to those and hope that gets them all into a range I can use? I am open to any suggestions. I am currently thinking I will have to tape in some shims to get the one that are out to be useable. Right now I have a 6 color press that can only do 3 colors.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Jon

Jon,

If you send me your phone number via message, I would be glad to try and help you over the phone. I was a long time Lawson customer and still have multiple Lawson presses that I am looking to sell.

Bob Smothers

[Jhtitan]

I was able to get my shirts done. The issue is the screens not the shirts. All 6 shirt pallets line up great to three of the screen locations.

To give all the info we bought 2 presses; a 4x4 and a 6x6. We only had room for one at this point in time so we chose to go with the 6x6 because it had micro reg. However the 4x4 had aluminum pallets so we did swap those 4 out for warped wooden ones and kept the 2 best wooden ones on the press. I had to adjust the aluminum ones to match the wood ones but that part was easy. I had a screen loaded up and used the wood one as a reference. reset and leveled the height on the aluminum ones to match in about 30min. We ran a couple single color jobs with no issues at all. It wasn't until we set up the 3 color job that we even noticed a problem. I was having a hell of a time with the second color, red on this job. White went on fine, flashed and red was bleeding out on every 2nd-3rd shirt. 3rd color, blue, went on perfect. after a few shirts I moved the red to another location figuring the off contact was the issue and due to the angle of the screen it was as good as I could make it. The second spot was worse than the first and this was the arm the previous owner had written GOOD POSITION on with tape and sharpie. I used the last spot to get it to work and even it was out a little bit but was close enough to get the shirts done.

I was kinda hoping for someone to say Hey you have to adjust that with "X". The only thing I can see at all that may make any adjustment to the angle of the screen would be the eye bolts that it hinges on. the have some room for adjustment but I am not sure that would be the correct spot. I am kinda wishing we would have went with a start up package from someone. While we wouldn't have gotten all the ink I would have new equipment and I wouldn't have to store all that ink... so much freakin ink ROFL!

Thanks again, I did also get a PM with an offer to help over the phone. which I will most likely be taking them up on.

Jon

[Frog]

Every Manual press I ever worked on, including those without microregistration, had a simple way to adjust screen angle.
I thought that you were talikg about the arms that support the platens. Though adjustable, these are usually factory set, and then marked with numbers to be re-installed in the correct locations.
Your problem should be easily solved.