S (thin thread) mesh

[Printficient]

Chris I was informed by Brent that we can indeed do what we discussed.  Let me know if you want to proceed.  He did recommend wood.

[alan802]

Chris I was informed by Brent that we can indeed do what we discussed.  Let me know if you want to proceed.  He did recommend wood.

I hope it wasn't anything to do with thin thread mesh

[Printficient]

Chris I was informed by Brent that we can indeed do what we discussed.  Let me know if you want to proceed.  He did recommend wood.

I hope it wasn't anything to do with thin thread mesh

Actually forgot to mention that to Brent   His main concern is the amount of "buy in" we would have to do.  I am trying to impress on him the desire for us to do this.  Not to hijack the thread, but how many are interested in Xenon supplying "S" thread mesh?

[Gilligan]

If its as good as murikami and cheaper then I'm interested... That is ALL we print with in my shop.

[alan802]

I hope you guys that have never used thin thread or gave it a half-assed try will take this in a light hearted way, but get your head out of your anuses and get some thin thread mesh and use it the way it's supposed to be used and never look back.  Especially those manual shops still using standard mesh counts...I'll remove your head for you and send you some mesh to stretch up a screen and see for yourself.  Once a month I put an image on a standard mesh and a thin thread mesh and I put it on the manual and I show people who have never printed or have very little experience the difference between the two screens.  I've never had one person say they thought the standard mesh count was even close to as good as the thin thread version.  I've had numerous people who have never ran a squeegee across a stencil in their lives get a one hit white on their first print through a thin thread mesh.  Thin thread gives you more opacity a thinner ink deposit and allows your press to print at maximum speeds while standard mesh counts fall far behind their thin thread counterparts and the competition isn't even close.  There are more benefits than those I just mentioned but there is nobody reading this that wouldn't want those three that I mentioned and over the course of several thousand imprints (which you'll certainly get out of a thin thread screen) the cost is virtually the same.  You print with less pressure, you use one stroke to get the job done, less wear and tear on your body and press, eliminate pallet deflection, use less pallet adhesive, use less pallet tape, use less ink, use less emulsion, good lord that's a ton of advantages.  And the only drawback I know of is durability.  And if you handle the screens correctly they will last forever just like standard thread.  They don't spontaneously combust like some people around here think, they bust from mishandling them and that's it. 

I know thin thread mesh has been around a long time which makes it even that much more insane that 99% of screen printing shops don't use thin thread mesh and about 97% of them have never heard of it.  And that's on the suppliers mostly, they make more money selling standard counts, make more money selling more emulsion and more ink so unless the customer starts demanding the product that actually works for what we are trying to print on, nothing will change.  And I challenge Xenon to be second in line to push textile printers to use thin thread mesh, since y'all are the leader in mesh sales you could have the most positive impact on the industry and help a lot of shops out.  Who knows, you might actually sell more mesh and make a lot more money doing the right thing.

[abchung]

yeap. i only use thin thread now.
for process work i use 305/31 with 2 to 5% hd-clear on a manual press.

[blue moon]

this was split from a different thread. . .

pierre

[screenprintguy]

embarrassed to say, I have not tried the thin mesh yet, and from that informative post by Alan, I want to try it. Sonny, Xenon mesh has been really good to us. So far, out of the last batch of stretched Newmans, the Xenon mesh has out lasted the Saati mesh we had been using and was a fraction of the cost. How do the double beveled squeegees work with the thin mesh. Sonny sent me two double beveled squeegees and we use them for anything with tiny details, or especially discharge ub, and nice halftone white discharge. Next month I need to order a few more of those for sure, but really would like to try the thin mesh. Email me if you guys pick it up Sonny!

Mike

[TCT]

Alan- what are you guys stretching your S-mesh to?  We always seem to have issues and it rips once we get to maybe the mid 20's...

[screenprintguy]

that's a good question. I'm happy with holding 30-40 newtons, but is this stuff too brittle for even that, I guess if it's that thin, the newtons might not be an issue, theoretically speaking.

[Printficient]

that's a good question. I'm happy with holding 30-40 newtons, but is this stuff too brittle for even that, I guess if it's that thin, the newtons might not be an issue, theoretically speaking.

The answer to the question is to tighten until the opening is perfectly square.  To tight and you have a distorted opening.  To loose and you have a closed opening.  20 - 25 ncm is perfectly acceptable. 
It should also be noted that the tighter the screen requires more control of the other variables.

[ScreenPrinter123]

Alan- what are you guys stretching your S-mesh to?  We always seem to have issues and it rips once we get to maybe the mid 20's...

I know I wasn't asked, and I knew right away who posted that LOOOOONNNG thread on s mesh without even reading the name :-), but we run all S mesh and we run them all right around 28-33 newtons with the exception of 310 - that's more like 19-24 newtons.

[JBLUE]

We have been running it for a long time now (years). Glad you saw the light Alan. Took long enough. The days of 83 mesh and a stencil as thick as the roadway are over for you.......

Seriously though for you manual guys you need to get on the band wagon. If you want to take your printing to a new level of quality it is the only way to go. 

[TCT]

Alan- what are you guys stretching your S-mesh to?  We always seem to have issues and it rips once we get to maybe the mid 20's...

I know I wasn't asked, and I knew right away who posted that LOOOOONNNG thread on s mesh without even reading the name :-), but we run all S mesh and we run them all right around 28-33 newtons with the exception of 310 - that's more like 19-24 newtons.

Stupid question here, I assume I already know the answer, but are you stretching yours on roller frames?

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

wish I knew about S Mesh 2 weeks ago. I ran 110 black shirts, with underbase (3 color front - 4 color back) and the print looks good but has the a little bit of the bullet proof feel going on with it. I used 156's for the underbase white...200's for the highlight white and golden yellow and a 230 for the scarlet red....The scarlet red is what killed me...I had to do multiple hits (2 sometimes 3) of the red to cover the white properly. I should have used a lower mesh for the red but it was the only screen I had left to use.

For now on any frame I buy (i buy the aluminum 23 x 31's) I will buy with S Mesh on it.