No Tape Screens

[richard@national]

Does it really help or do you still tape the inside?
How does the block out hold up?
Do you spend more time in reclaim and cleanup?

I understand the idea of saving tape cost and screen prep time.
But I want some real feed back on if it really helps or if it's just a FAD!!!

[Homer]

haven't used tape in a few years. we only block out on long wb runs. tape is wasteful and spawn of the devil. no fad here....

[Rockers]

I`m actually more interested if anyone tapes up the area where the mesh has been glued to the frame. I constantly get mesh "curling" up at the outer edge of the frame. After a few weeks of continued use the mesh has "peeled" off the frame by at least 1 cm.

[richard@national]

New frames or re-meshed frames?

[ericheartsu]

I hate tape so much. We had a GREAT run where we only needed to put tape at the very top of the screen where the squeegee/flood bar landed, but i'm not sure when it changed, but we are back to doing full inner taping.

[kingscreen]

No personal experience.  But from what I’ve been told, if you use a dip tank the permanent block out wears out quickly. I’m not sure I would trust it.

[mimosatexas]

I cant handle the spray back from the pressure washer when the glue overlaps the frame.  Everything gets caught in there as well, ink, emulsion, chemicals.  Rinsing the screens is a bitch.  Tape is simple, quick, and have no reclaim related issues (unless you use crap tape).

[mk162]

take out the time it takes to tape and untape a screen, plus the cost of the tape...and Im not talking $60 a year.  Our screen tape is around $5 a roll or so.  It's several hundred dollars per year for us in tape, and take out labor, it's a huge savings here.

I hate tape.  We don't use blockout, we just us a wider coater and make sure we go all the way to the edges on the top and bottom of the frames.

[richard@national]

Thanks for the feed back.
I have used them in the past and was riding the fence back then.
But now that I am re-meshing frames as a business. I just want to make sure what I am offering as no tape screens is really helpful and is going to hold up long term. I do not want to sell someone a product that eventually leads to a bad exp.

[Stinkhorn Press]

I cant handle the spray back from the pressure washer when the glue overlaps the frame.  Everything gets caught in there as well, ink, emulsion, chemicals.  Rinsing the screens is a bitch.  Tape is simple, quick, and have no reclaim related issues (unless you use crap tape).

Block U not block O. leave the "bottom" edge open.
Still get sprayback, but you leave an exit for ink and chemicals and water while reclaiming/rinsing.

[Nation03]

I still use tape on the tapeless screens. I get the tapeless ones because I like to think its extra protection against tears near the frame. Think my power washer might be to strong because I'm getting way to many holes in these s-threads. Might just start reclaiming them with a garden hose.

[screenxpress]

haven't used tape in a few years. we only block out on long wb runs.

That poses a question.  The block out I have always used is water soluble.  If yours is the same, doesn't the wb ink start to dissolve it? 

Same question of the effect on water soluble block out on screens to be used for discharge printing?

[Homer]

haven't used tape in a few years. we only block out on long wb runs.

That poses a question.  The block out I have always used is water soluble.  If yours is the same, doesn't the wb ink start to dissolve it? 

Same question of the effect on water soluble block out on screens to be used for discharge printing?

we actually use emulsion for block out when we do it. it resolves so much easier than that purple CCI waterbase blockout. We simply set the screen in the sun or back on the starlight and bob's your uncle.

[screenxpress]

Thank you Uncle Bob

One more question though.  You find a pin hole, you dab it with emulsion.  I follow the sun thing for quick expose, but the emulsion is wet.  Do you hit it with a heat gun or something to quick dry before the sun?  Or does the sun do both the quick dry and quick expose job?

[Homer]

Thank you Uncle Bob

One more question though.  You find a pin hole, you dab it with emulsion.  I follow the sun thing for quick expose, but the emulsion is wet.  Do you hit it with a heat gun or something to quick dry before the sun?  Or does the sun do both the quick dry and quick expose job?

what's this pin hole business you speak of?.....very rare to have those, i think they tag it with a piece of masking tape. but with dts and no glass, that's really a nonissue...and really clean screens...