Maxopake Question

[screenxpress]

I've got an order to print one color (yellow) on Military Green Gildan shirts.  I use mostly Union Inks and currently have Lemon Yellow and Maxopake Golden Yellow.

I use Lemon Yellow for WOW and I don't think it would do the job without an underbase and the quantity is too small for that. 

So my question is for any Maxopake users.   Maxopake is always thick no matter how much you stir.  So do you add either a curable reducer or 'soft hand' to your Maxopake?  If so, what are the rough percentages of mixing?

TIA

[Frog]

My answer would be similar to Union's advice on whites ten years ago. Even though it's counter-intuitive to reduce an ink and still keep its opacity, if one adds just enough reducer (or soft hand base) to help it clear the screen, it also actually helps opacity.

Why are you finding a need to reduce it? Will it not print through the mesh you have chosen? What mesh are you using?
Union's tech sheet still expects a fairly low mesh for printing on darks, 125 I seem to remember.

To tell the truth, I have very little Maxopake in the shop right now, and the few I have, I believe that I may have been able to use a 160 straight out of the bucket (lime green I think)

[tpitman]

The only Union "-opake" inks I have anymore are the Mixopake system inks, which I still use occasionally. That stuff is a mixed bag, as far as printability goes. A mix of blue 311 is really gummy. A mix of 361 lime green is thin, prints great, and is really opaque. As for their straight Maxopake inks go, their Royal Blue was always too thick. I've thrown out more than I ever got use of.
If you find yourself buying new opaque ink, Wayne, get QCM XOLB inks. I use their royal, golden yellow, and bright red frequently, and they'll print through any mesh count.

[ScreenPrinter123]

We print maxopake lemon and golden yellow here and there and have had no problem printing either straight out of the bucket.  I know we have printed them through 225-S with no problem and seem to recall printing one of them on a 310-S as well (lemon if my memory serves me well).

[ScreenFoo]

We've had really thick golden yellow gallons before, but not lately.

+1 Andy though, reduce if you have to, no more than you have to and you should be OK...

[whitewater]

What i have done is put a little of the yellow mixo in and stir..it shouldnt lose to much opacity, but made it much more easier to use.

[shellyky]

I have golden yellow maxopake and had to buy a new bucket because it was literally like concrete...switched to plus and it still seems pretty opaque.  HOWEVER, last week i did add some golden yellow PLUS to the MAXO  in a 50/50 ratio and it still held the maxopake coverage but you were actually able to stir it.... 125 or lower mesh is what i'd use...thick coated or still PFP it. 

[screenxpress]

Hmmmmmm,

Mike, I called the supplier and told him i wanted QCM XOLB yellow and that it was going on Military Green shirts.

Wife was the pickup person and he gave her WOW-201 instead of XOLB.  Will that be opaque enough for PFP on Military Green?  I was going to print tomorrow.

Anyone?  Anyone?  Buehler?  Buehler?

[tpitman]

Unlikely. The WOW inks are regular opacity. Probably going to have to underbase.

[Frog]

I'd return the QCM, and reduce and use the Maxopake if you can.

[screenxpress]

Status update. 

The Maxopake with 10% reducer would have worked, but.  It was Golden Yellow and not the right color. 

The supplier has been moving away from the XOLB on certain colors due to some complaints from their auto users of the ink climbing the squeegee and keeping the WOW.  Turned out the WOW Yellow sold to us did just fine on a P F P.  End of story.  Thanks to all that spoke up. 

[Inkworks]

We run QCM W.O.W. for about 95% of our plastisol needs. Too bad they keep discontinuing many of the colours.

[tpitman]

Glad it worked out for you, Wayne. Yellow ink is so damn translucent to begin with, even in the high opacity versions, that I pretty much always underbase them.

[Frog]

Glad it worked out for you, Wayne. Yellow ink is so damn translucent to begin with, even in the high opacity versions, that I pretty much always underbase them.

Probably not a coincidence that Union's Golden Yellow is thicker than some of their other colors.
btw, I use IC for my Golden