Noob askes question about water based ink

[BartJY]

I'm a total noob, and for that I apologize. I have a simple question, I hope it does not offend. Here it is:
If the ink has dried overnight on the shirt, how long and at what temperature do I need to flash dry it?

Thanks and sorry for wasting your time.

Bart

[Frog]

Bart, that was asked, and unfortunately only answered by me a week ago right here. http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,24088.msg213994.html#msg213994

Hopefully, someone with a little experience curing waterbased ink with only a flash dryer will chime in, but I suspect that there is no real definite answer, as the dwell time to fully drive all of the water out of the ink could vary.
Is this the Speedball ink, or another? What do the instructions or tech sheet say?

[Frog]

Ryonet's Screenprinting.com site has this article about using a flash dryer to cure inks.
https://www.screenprinting.com/pages/flash-dryer-faq. I've also seen references to using a hand iron like I told you I used on yardage.

Bottom line, whatever you try, make sure to do a wash test on a sample by laundering it a few times to check for full cure.

[brandon]

Aquo makes a hybrid series that is low cure / air drying. Think of printing umbrellas, windbreakers and such. We do use Aquo as we like the ink but we have a gas dryer so we use their normal cure range of ink most of the time. But you could use this, do a quick flash I assume, and give the 24 to 48 hour cure time. However, I would test test test and document.

[BartJY]

Frog,

Thank you for your patience. What I need are temperatures and duration for curing dry ink. For example: 250 degrees for 2 minutes. I'm aware that wet ink takes longer, but what about dry? No one seems to be able to provide me with that sort of information.

Once again thanks for your help.
Bart

[Homer]

Frog,

Thank you for your patience. What I need are temperatures and duration for curing dry ink. For example: 250 degrees for 2 minutes. I'm aware that wet ink takes longer, but what about dry? No one seems to be able to provide me with that sort of information.

Once again thanks for your help.
Bart

because you're supposed to cure it while it's wet. what ink did you use?

[Frog]

Frog,

Thank you for your patience. What I need are temperatures and duration for curing dry ink. For example: 250 degrees for 2 minutes. I'm aware that wet ink takes longer, but what about dry? No one seems to be able to provide me with that sort of information.

Once again thanks for your help.
Bart

because you're supposed to cure it while it's wet. what ink did you use?

Actually Homer, a trip through the interwebs on the subject of waterbase curung without a proper dryer reveals more than one reference to spreading shirts out open around the shop for air drying first, to remove the water vapor. Then, like with plastisol, it's down to bringing the ink layer up to cure temp, I think 300 or so generally, but could change with different inks.

Bart, it may be tough to find folks here with those specifics, as frankly, at a commercial level, this method is rare. You may need to experiment a bit to see at what height, at what temp, and for how long it will take. Your dryer could well be different than another.
Are the temp numbers on your dryer accurate for the surface of the panel? Or are you talking about the readings on the surface of the ink layer? Also, do you have a way of measuring these temps?

If I were you, I'd put the dryer panel four inches above a test shirt, and at whatever setting you have, note how long until it scorches.
Then back off a bit on another test shirt with a print, and do a wash test. Adjust as needed and document the differences.
Also, don't do this on the platens of your press, but rather a dedicated drying platen or table.

[Colin]

Andy:

Please let me know if I will need to change this post below.  I can copy paste the directly relevant part of the article I am linking

Bart:

I wrote this article recently about a shirt I did for one of our events.  At the bottom there is a write up about the "how and why" you want to cure waterbase inks.

https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/feed-your-brain-overview-of-screen-printing-event-design

Curing WB inks is all about the length of time at "cure temp". 

[Frog]

Andy:

Please let me know if I will need to change this post below.  I can copy paste the directly relevant part of the article I am linking

Bart:

I wrote this article recently about a shirt I did for one of our events.  At the bottom there is a write up about the "how and why" you want to cure waterbase inks.

https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/feed-your-brain-overview-of-screen-printing-event-design

Curing WB inks is all about the length of time at "cure temp".

Good stuff, but our noob is especially hoping for some specific guidelines for optimal results with minimal equipment. He may be stuck with my suggestion.

[Colin]

Andy:

Please let me know if I will need to change this post below.  I can copy paste the directly relevant part of the article I am linking

Bart:

I wrote this article recently about a shirt I did for one of our events.  At the bottom there is a write up about the "how and why" you want to cure waterbase inks.

https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/feed-your-brain-overview-of-screen-printing-event-design

Curing WB inks is all about the length of time at "cure temp".

Good stuff, but our noob is especially hoping for some specific guidelines for optimal results with minimal equipment. He may be stuck with my suggestion.

A heat press or iron is also a good option. 

There are "air cure" catalysts also available on the market for future prints.  Curing WB inks can be problematic without a good dryer and the correct additives

[Frog]

Andy:

Please let me know if I will need to change this post below.  I can copy paste the directly relevant part of the article I am linking

Bart:

I wrote this article recently about a shirt I did for one of our events.  At the bottom there is a write up about the "how and why" you want to cure waterbase inks.

https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/feed-your-brain-overview-of-screen-printing-event-design

Curing WB inks is all about the length of time at "cure temp".

Good stuff, but our noob is especially hoping for some specific guidelines for optimal results with minimal equipment. He may be stuck with my suggestion.

A heat press or iron is also a good option. 

There are "air cure" catalysts also available on the market for future prints.  Curing WB inks can be problematic without a good dryer and the correct additives

Yep, I've already mentioned both the iron and the catalysts.

[Colin]

Ahh, they joys of skimming through the responses and realizing long after that you missed something....  Thanks Andy.