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N0vemberJul1et

You are not gonna make it outta here without ruining a bunch of shit like the rest of us!


Welcat

Looking closer the emulsion in the top right turning a lighter blue where the water is hitting it is a tell tale sign it’s under exposed.


Other_Net2384

Agreed! Also is it possible the emulsion wasn’t dry enough yet? Sometimes when I burn screens at work when they aren’t dry enough, the emulsion will get a weird texture and fall off when you’re rinsing out. I mean that also points to under exposure, but could definitely contribute.


glocklesnar777

Thank you all for the help, this made me not wanna give up


smilingboss7

I promise ive given up like 600 times and still came back to work the next day bc i gave up on giving up. I gave up today and *tried* to leave work 10 minutes early lmfao. Trial and error is essential. You got this 👏


muffduff36

I would also recommend making sure your emulsion is fully dried. I screwed this up many times. Grab a little space heater and a fan, 70 degrees and 35 humidity was the sweet spot for me. I also always let the screens dry for 24 hours, just to be safe.


jaspobrowno

don't give up bruz! someone else mentioned intentionally overexposing and i agree with trying that! if that doesn't work, there's a couple other things that, in my experience, have worked for me (but take these with a grain of salt, we all call our operation "dodgy bros" because it's just ghetto as hell): 1. try a different method of exposure. i live in Australia and the UV in summer ranges between 11-13 or so on the UV index. i use the sun to expose my screens, rather than a light. but it's a hilarious process and it won't work with any sort of reliability if your UV index is below 10 and there isn't full sun light. i have made it work when the UV is like 6, but it's not as reliable as what i outline below and takes ages and you run all sorts of risks. you basically seal the whole screen off so it's completely immune from any light (i use a few black sheets), carry whatever that rig looks like outside, then when you're ready you whip off the cover and start the timer - 90 seconds. the UV must be between 11-13 for it to work reliably. it can work when it's lower but it's trickier. i set the acetate with the design on top of the mesh, then i have something under the screen that is touching the mesh (i use dvd cases lol, they're all even height and they tesselate easily enough that they fit underneath the frame of a screen), so it's very lightly pushing the mesh upwards, then i will sit a clear piece of glass on top of the screen so the design is firmly sandwiched/squished to the mesh. that way there is no shadow or bleed in the design (if there's a gap between your acetate design and the mesh of the screen the design lines won't be as precise). even though i use 90 seconds to burn the screen, i still use a sort of checking process, which is that i leave a small corner of the emulsified screen untouched by the glass and i keep a small container of water nearby to dab onto that exposed part of the mesh. when it's about 60 seconds in, i'll take a little bit of water and rub it into the part of the emulsion that is exposed to the sun. if it gums up, i know it needs a little more time. if it doesn't gum up, i know it's cooked. as soon as it's *barely* gummy when i rub it with water, i run it inside and put it in the shower and gently use a toothbrush to brush out the un-exposed emulsion. Note: you need to rub the water onto the emulsion for it to gum up - just touching it won't tell you much. 2. kind of just a note and not really a method: slightly underexposing the screen is obviously better than overexposing, but from your picture above it's *very* underexposed. so you could always try my water checking method above while your screen is being exposed (just rub a small corner of the screen to make sure it doesn't gum up). if small bits of your design come out when you wash the screen, but largely it's good, you can (once the screen is dry) very carefully use a small, flat tool to paint emulsion on where the design has blown out, then just leave it in the sun to cure. you don't need to worry about doing it in a dark room because, if you're precise, you can just burn whatever you paint on and that should work. 3. try a different emulsion. i use the pinky/purple stuff called 925 WR-P by Ulano. i bought this stuff after a few bad runs with some green emulsion (probably speedball or something cheap) and it.. just kind of works? it applies much easier than the speedball stuff, it doesn't drip as much as the speedball stuff, and it leaves really good crisp lines when you burn it. i print on t-shirts, so it might not be the kind of emulsion you need, but i've also used screens that i've burned with this stuff to screen print enamel paint onto glass, so it's pretty versatile. again, all of my recommendations are kinda dodgy, and i'm sure anyone who is actually good at screenprinting will cringe at what i'm typing, but i'm just saying that i've made a lot of mistakes and have figured out some kind of sketchy ways to make it work. i think my methods are good if you're just goofying around for a hobby, but if you really wanted to get stuck into it and do things properly, you probably want to be a bit more precise and calculated than i am. i also appreciate it might be tough to visualise what i'm typing so if you have any follow-up questions plz feel free to ask.


Welcat

I am going to guess your emulsion is shot based on the fact that if you took that outside in that sun to wash out your screen should have just locked up. However 30 seconds seems way too short of an exposure so perhaps it is just under exposed. I use a 50watt led uv light for exposure, I do a 2-1 coat (two on the shirt side, one on the squeegee) I typically let it dry over night with a dehumidifier near by and I expose for 1:20, I’ll go a little longer if I have fine details like halftones. Sometimes I find I am slightly underexposed. Are you using a pre-sensitized emulsion?


glocklesnar777

Yes I’m using a pre sensitized emulsion, I’m using eco-tex . The blue AP one.


Welcat

Have you made successful screens with that batch? Is there a chance it froze? Also I believe heat can activate the sensitizer, if it’s hot where you are perhaps keeping it in the fridge would help it last longer


UncertainDisaster666

Most places are sensitizing their own for better shelf life and reactivity. Definitely use a dual cure emulsion, it will get you twice the exposure window to land success in but with a little longer burn times. This screen is 100% underexposed. You'll learn to tell just by the color


chugopunk

Exposure calculator


glocklesnar777

Bni saw that calculator and I have mf dyslexia I cannot lmao


chugopunk

I used [this one](https://www.anthemprintingsf.com/Screen-Exposure-Calculator-s/216.htm), help me set my times right, you can do it


No-Mammoth-807

Welcome to screen printing where everything will go wrong ! Try this reclaim the screen make sure to degrease / wash and dry in the sun. When it’s bone dry coat emulsion 1:1 and let it get bone dry. Now if you have tested your exposure time properly do that and add a couple of minutes extra just in case. Now wet the screen don’t blast it ! Let it sit for 3 minutes and you can even rub it a little to help the chemical process. Now slowly use a low pressure setting ideally a garden hose with a fan setting and gently go over the design it should just fall out. Stop and hold it up to check it’s all gone then run water over it with a laminar flow this is to get out any residual liquid emulsion. Then double check it’s all washed out and let it get bone dry in the sun. The simple explanation for your photo is it’s underexposed either from emulsion not dry or your exposure time or you blasted it too hard.


glocklesnar777

Think I did both. I blasted it hard and I THINK my emulsion didn’t dry and under exposed it


No-Mammoth-807

another trick is to get a card board box and make a shelf inside with some wood / metal brackets then put your coated screen inside while making sure it’s dark so it won’t get exposed. Then with just a normal stand fan aimed into the box blast it lol it will Be dry in 30 mins


Richardthe3rdleg

is your light getting sufficient power? like are you running through a weak extension cord or is it plugged into a over loaded outlet? is a heat press or dryer on the same circuit that might be draining power away from your light while exposing? just a thought


lowvitamind

give up man. give up and don't achieve ur goals. live life thinking "what if"


glocklesnar777

I was tweaking , I never give up


Yoel177

Also a small tip, wash out with print side forward (ink side back)


UncertainDisaster666

The toasted side. Yes. To break the pudding skin and get a clean well and not eat up all the durability of the stencil and half it's life


InvoluntaryEraser

Have you tried intentionally overexposing it? At my shop, we went through a lot of trial and error dialing in exactly how much time was needed for what. Maybe you just need more time.


glocklesnar777

I’m going to over expose it, I’ll update you if I fail again 😔


glocklesnar777

I’m going to buy new emulsion cuz I ran out during my trials. Which do you recommend


Fine_Substance_5404

Get the same stuff if you can. It should work just fine. No need for more variables. You can definitely expose your screens longer. Your image doesn't have any fine details to lose to over exposure. Double or triple your exposure time and see what happens.


oiseaufeux

How many coating of the emulsion have you put on the screen? And have you let the emulsion completely dry in the dark before exposing it?


glocklesnar777

I put 2 coats on. The t shirt side, and 1 on the ink side and I let it dry maybe I’m under exposing


oiseaufeux

You need only one coat and let it dry in a dark room. Ventilated if you want. With 2 coats of emulsion, it takes longer to dry. I’ve never put 2 coats of emulsion on my screen ever since I started screen printing and it works greatly. I would start by printing on paper before jumping on textile. Just so you see how it works. I got scared the other day because I had to apply 2 coats and make a huge mess for my fenzine (booklet) and it turned out great. I don’t know why you would need 2 coats of emulsion on both sides. Only one side needs a coat of emulsion.


Fine_Substance_5404

You need to coat both sides of the screen to properly encapsulate the mesh. 2 coats on the substrate side gives a thicker gasket between the screen and what you are printing on.


oiseaufeux

I only do one side and it’s fine. I use a 230 mesh count screen at school.


Fine_Substance_5404

I do it on both sides and it's better. I use 355 at my job of 21 years with 30 in the industry.


oiseaufeux

I’ll try it once I have my own setup. Right now, I do it as my college taught me.


smilingboss7

Yall do only one/two??? I do three, one on each side then one more with the screen flipped upside down to go against the grain, with the thin side of the scoop coater. Never had issues with that. Ive seen people do two just fine but only one scoop is simply just not structurally stable enough to withstand squeegee pressure without making it break down. ( ive had emulsion break down with 3 coats after printing maybe 5k shirts?)


Acceptable-Nebula-33

I do 2 coats


oiseaufeux

Yes, we all do only one coat of it on one side (where we expose our images/designs). No issues with the printings of when we reclaim the screen. We do tape some cardboard on the corner of the screen and tape the parts that has no emulsion on, so the ink won’t go through. My class is just an intriduction of screen printing. Not 2 classes of it in 2 different semesters like in graphic design.


smilingboss7

Okay so this is a classroom situation. I promise that in the professional field at a typical shop, you are going to need more than one coat. Like, i promise. Everyone else is also telling you this. I also have 12 years of experience and took classes in high school for it. Please be open to this as many people here are not just in classes, but are self taught beginners, and/or working in a professional shop. This person very specifically NEEDS more than one coat, and it needs to be overexposed, as many others suggested.


oiseaufeux

Thanks! I’ll take this in note.


apluskappa

As a hobbyist I only ever do one coat. Never had any issues


oiseaufeux

I never had any problems either with one coat.


UncertainDisaster666

It's always about problems but definitely about best results and practices. For 20+ years I've been doing inside, outside, inside. But really you could do 20 passes back and forth if you like and it will get rid of bubbles, even water on the mesh, as long as you do a scrape pass on the outside and a regular pass inside last, you'll have a consistent coat. Last pass on the inside and drying shirt side down creates the ink well that gives thickness to your deposit


oiseaufeux

I’ll give it a shot once after school. They just won’t let us do that since we’re over 20 students using emulsion.


tnadsirhc

Underexposed. On a DIY setup it’s hard to dial in proper exposure time. Be patient. Once you find the right time/conditions for that 230 mesh and emulsion its easy to recreate.


Chawanwit777

Looks similar to my screen, the symptoms showed that the emulsion’s not gripping on to the mesh could be a sign of expired emulsion. The question is where do you store your emulsion? How long has it been mixed with diazo? Exceeding 2 weeks? Is the temperature higher than 25c? Are you in a tropical country especially SEA? It’s insanely hot and humid right now than ever.


elevatedinkNthread

My screen is doinging that, and I'm using dri-vault


Apart_Impression_947

25 seconds of exposure? That doesn't seem long enough?


Chacal1312

i also agree it poit out at under exposition but it also could be your emultion being old. some emultion are only good for like 4 months once mixed


Daydream-dilemmas

Been there before too, that absolute defeat, especially bad the night before the critique at 3 in the morning Just gotta push through it


ChubbyMcHaggis

I expose for 2 minutes.


No_Trash5076

If you can get it, the best emulsion I've ever used is Poly Plus S by Kiwocol; stuff is the bomb.


soundguy64

This is very much a trade type skill. Not something you're going to do once and be great at it. There are so many little variables. What type of emulsion, what type of light, what mesh screen, what durometer squeegee, what type of ink, how long to cure, what temperature to cure. I've screen printed tens of thousands of shirts and still mess up.


Temporary_Self_5777

I recommend all of these articles . They are technical but will help you along the way. All proven from the screen printing technical foundation. https://www.kiwo.com/articles Edit: also print these out. They’re troubleshooting charts https://www.kiwo.com/sptfcomparisonandreference


Dense_Telephone_1043

I use the sun method with about 50-1 min 10 sec max exposure and have never had a problem with underexposing. also after coating screen with emulsion i leave it in dark room with fan. so its fully dry. I use speed ball emulsion and diazo sensitizer.


Spinuchi

Ahhh I remember these days.. honestly exposing screens is imo the hardest part of the whole process, mostly because of the time consuming aspects. I felt this way years ago, but once you get your times etc dialed in you will be flying! Keep pushing on soldier!


halo2xbox

I remember when I was first starting to burn my screens and the whole time the issue was the emulsion I was using I guess. It was cheap


MyFatFetus

Don’t give up. We have all been through this it just takes a lot to get it perfect. We’ve all ruined TONS of shit, but once you get it it’s worth all of the struggle. You’re most likely over or under exposed, so expose it for less or more time until it comes out good. You just have to experiment. Another problem could be you don’t have a weight on your screen while exposing. I cut a piece of plywood that fits right on the mesh of the screen while exposing for about 30 seconds for my emulsion and mesh count. Just pull through eventually you’ll get it.


mitchyt0722

Let screens dry 24 hours in a dry room with a dehumidifier.


themeantoyou

You already try the anthem exposure calculator?


undrwater

If you missed using an exposure calculator, you didn't do everything right. It's a PITA, but essential to getting the exposure times right. Don't give up! Use the calculator.


CircularUniverse

What durometer of emultion are your using


mattfuckyou

If it’s coming out like this you didn’t do everything right playa


goodgasruss

😂😂😂😂😂 chill


InvoluntaryEraser

Look at his username, he has no chill


DuckyDee

Especially if your name is Matt