Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
Quote from: Crazy Mike on November 07, 2019, 01:27:17 PMHave you tried One Stroke Watercolor Series plastisol?I've never heard of that series from One Stroke. I looked it up, but there isn't much info. Is it an RFU system? Or pigments and bases?
Have you tried One Stroke Watercolor Series plastisol?
It presents itself with more challenges... But Im Sooooooo happy im not a 1 man shop anymore. Eff that...Like someone long ago once said...." i want to own a business, not own a job"LOL
I'm just spit balling here because I don't know enough about Discharge to know if this is a solution for your situation, but perhaps try switching over to hybrid prints (DC under base with soft hand plastisol over print). You'll still be in a rush to print the jobs I'm sure, since that one screen would have DC, but at least it's less time mixing other DC colors and over all less problems that could arise, maybe?
I tried the OSI Watercolor white against a couple other whites that had been based back. My conclusion was that they had a really good mix... but not good enough to warrant buying into the system. And that conclusion was solidified by the fact that it cures @ 320. Since most of our soft hand ink goes on heat-senstive high poly shirts, lower cure inks have been essential. But good plastisol + fashion bases/reducers + low cure additive/inks has been a good combo for us.I'm also a "1+" shop. (I'm the only one FT, run everything but the books, with some family help when I need it.) I considered WB & DC carefully, but chose & stuck to plastisol b/c of the convenience factor. And I haven't seemed to lose customers over it. There are a lot of times when it's helpful to be able to walk away from a job, and start up again later - phone calls, lunch, just enough time to set up before quitting but not printing, etc. Plus other conveniences like mixing custom colors for repeat customers once then storing them; cleaning up/reclaim in batches; less concern over stencil durability, shorter cure times, etc.You might consider getting a starter pack of something like Wilflex Rio + a fashion base, and giving it a shot. You might need a couple of chemicals, like ink remover, too. But it shouldn't be a huge investment to try it.
Definitely interested to hear your opinion from a smaller shop with real world issues regarding your testing on the 20th.
Wilflex is definitely being considered. Either that or the C3 system from Rutland. I heard from a few printers that they use Rutland's Chino base and the end result feels like HSA, which is what I'm looking for.
Quote from: Cole on November 10, 2019, 12:55:40 PMWilflex is definitely being considered. Either that or the C3 system from Rutland. I heard from a few printers that they use Rutland's Chino base and the end result feels like HSA, which is what I'm looking for. I mentioned Wilflex Rio because cure temp is 260-280, and we've found lower temps to be a huge benefit. For awhile, we had some terrible experiences with certain styles (Next Level poly blends + others) discoloring as temps as low as 340. Low cure additive & low cure inks have been a lifesaver. BUT I have not used RIO, I just like the specs & know it gets good reports from other users here.Rio is an ink-to-ink system, comparable to Rutlands M3, which we currently use. I like the M3 matches, but cure temp is 320. C3 is a pigment based system, which also cures at 320. While I haven't tried it, I brought in the Wilflex PC sample kit, which is also pigment concentrates, and did NOT like how touchy it was for mixing small batches - very hard to get accurate matches when you don't need much.As others have said, you might do well to try hybrid prints using soft hand plastisols over a DC base. I decided to forego DC/WB entirely to keep things streamlined, but that combo has always had an appeal to me. Could eliminate some of your challenges while retaining a great feel. (Still no stopping a run for lunch, though!)
Since you are doing all plastisol, maybe you can offer some advice. I tried doing a simple three color print the other day (american flag) and had a horrible time with it. I printed the base through a 150s mesh, then printed the red stripes and blue of the flag wet on wet (single stroke) with 230s mesh screens. Ink would build up on subsequent screens pretty much immediately and it was really hard to get nice, crisp lines. Do you have recommendations on what mesh counts are normal for spot color plastisol work? I have an especially difficult time with large blocky areas.