cheapy silk screening...

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lauren
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cheapy silk screening...

Post by lauren »

so i was randomly looking up info on silk screening (btw, if anyone has a link on a good how to site i'd be much obliged) and found this link:

http://www.desiredcreations.com/howTo_PhotoEZ2.htm

is there any reason that wouldn't work with glass paints and glass? looks like a good way to get some really interesting shapes and effects...
lauren
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Post by lauren »

o and actually i might as well ask the question i'm researching - i don't know much about the processes for either so i could be totally off - is it possible to use a vinyl cutter to cut a design to be used for silk screening?
charlie
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Post by charlie »

lauren wrote:o and actually i might as well ask the question i'm researching - i don't know much about the processes for either so i could be totally off - is it possible to use a vinyl cutter to cut a design to be used for silk screening?
no. you aren't cutting the image out when doing silk screening. somehow, the image gets burned through a resist layer that's on the silk. you get rid of the resist on the image, leaving the porous material that the ink gets forced through. the ink won't go through the resist layer that's left.
lauren
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Location: Naples FL

Post by lauren »

interesting...

so i found a couple sites with some info, let me just make sure i'm getting this - to make a screen you prep the silk with the emulsion, when that's dry place a transparency with a reverse of your image printed on it on top, expose it to light let it cure, then silk screen away? two colors would = two screens. are screens reusable? or just one session and it's done?

thanks
Last edited by lauren on Wed Mar 17, 2004 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
charlie
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Post by charlie »

yes, you've got it.

the site you referenced uses silk with light sensitive emulsion on it already, and is not reusable. you can get the emulsion seperately, and use it on your silk material in a frame. when you're done, you can strip the emulsion off, and the silk and frame is reusable.

if you want multiple colors, you have to use multiple screens and overlay them. it's possible to do it using one screen, but really hard to keep the colors straight and non-overlapping.
Brock
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Post by Brock »

lauren wrote:o and actually i might as well ask the question i'm researching - i don't know much about the processes for either so i could be totally off - is it possible to use a vinyl cutter to cut a design to be used for silk screening?
Yes, you can, Newy Fagen demo'd this technique at a Bullseye Teacher Forum a few years ago. We were drawing on resist and hand cutting, but a vinyl cutter would work more exactly, of course. You weed the resist, (remove the parts where you want the pigment to got through the image) and apply the resist to your screen. Then squeegee as normal. Brock
My memory is so good, I can't remember the last time I forgot something . . .
Barbara Cashman
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Post by Barbara Cashman »

okie dokie...Arrowmont April 4-10...Silk-Screening on Glass. http://www.arrowmont.org - Barbara
Barbara J Cashman
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charlie
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Post by charlie »

Brock wrote:
lauren wrote:o and actually i might as well ask the question i'm researching - i don't know much about the processes for either so i could be totally off - is it possible to use a vinyl cutter to cut a design to be used for silk screening?
Yes, you can, Newy Fagen demo'd this technique at a Bullseye Teacher Forum a few years ago. We were drawing on resist and hand cutting, but a vinyl cutter would work more exactly, of course. You weed the resist, (remove the parts where you want the pigment to got through the image) and apply the resist to your screen. Then squeegee as normal. Brock
does the cutting go through just the emulsion, or through the whole screen too?
lauren
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Location: Naples FL

Post by lauren »

lol barbara, keep pushin the class...

if you can arrange a way for me to get there, i'd love to go ;) walking sadlt isn't an option, but the only one i have right now.
Brock
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Post by Brock »

charlie wrote:
Brock wrote:
lauren wrote:o and actually i might as well ask the question i'm researching - i don't know much about the processes for either so i could be totally off - is it possible to use a vinyl cutter to cut a design to be used for silk screening?
Yes, you can, Newy Fagen demo'd this technique at a Bullseye Teacher Forum a few years ago. We were drawing on resist and hand cutting, but a vinyl cutter would work more exactly, of course. You weed the resist, (remove the parts where you want the pigment to got through the image) and apply the resist to your screen. Then squeegee as normal. Brock
does the cutting go through just the emulsion, or through the whole screen too?
There is no emulsion involved in this process. Just resist. Brock
My memory is so good, I can't remember the last time I forgot something . . .
Robyn Alexander
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Post by Robyn Alexander »

The screens referred to in the original post are PhotoEZ (tm). The standard is 100 mesh, with their high-res being 200 mesh. The screens come already coated, so there is no fooling around with emulsifier solution. Once developed, the finished screens are easily reused after rinsing well with water and allowed to dry.

I have used them extensively on polymer clay with standard artist's acrylic paints and on silk using both fabric paint and dyes. I've also used them to apply black acrylic paint as a resist to copper plates that are then etched in acid to create texture plates for use with PMC and polymer clay. I will experimenting with mica on glass over the next two weeks.

(I'm told they can also be used with etching creams on glass, but I have yet to try it.)

The sole distributor is Gwen Gibson, a polymer clay artist. Much of her work uses PhotoEZ, and can be viewed at http://www.gwengibson.com . You'll find a link to her PhotoEZ site there as well.

For details on PhotoEZ, including examples, tutorials and online ordering, go directly to the PhotoEZ site at:
http://www.photoezsilkscreen.com


Robyn
Avery Anderson
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Post by Avery Anderson »

This type of resist is different than photo emulsion. Ulano makes one called Sta Sharp S3S screen printing film. You cut your design in the resist and then use Ulano Sta Sharp Adhering Liquid to apply it to the screen...then squeegee your enamels as with photo resist film.

Avery
Ralph
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Post by Ralph »

The vinyl sign-cutting machine is a quick way to make silkscreen stencils. No coating or adhering, no positive transparency, no exposure, no washing out. Yes, there is a resolution limitation but still plenty of room to work wonderful designs.

One downside (other than set-up cost) is the time spent weeding - removing the unwanted parts - of intricate stencils. Some designs require hundreds of little bits of vinyl to be removed and there comes a time when you start to wonder…

But there are compensations. Once you have the stencil, ready-to-use screens are so quick to make and recover that one or two screen-frames go a long way. And you can forget the whole exposure/chemical/washout/screen-recovery thing. Two rarities – time and space – are saved.

You don’t really need the machine. Use translucent vinyl over your design and trace with a fine blade on a light-table. The vinyl cuts easily and the backing paper keeps the design together (avoid cutting the backing paper too much). Use “application tapeâ€
Bert Weiss
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Post by Bert Weiss »

It's been a long time since I used these, but there is silk screen resist that is translucent and comes with a plastic backer. Like Ralph said, you cut the design yourself with an exacto knife and then weed it. The thin layer of emulsion, is then adhered to a stretched silk screen by rubbing it with alcohol, as I recall. It sticks to the fabric and then you are ready to screen. The emulsion is on the opposite side from the one which the squeegee is dragged along on. I think that more alcohol will remove the resist so you can start all over again.

You can use this technique to screem any material from finely ground enamels up to 80 mesh frits, as long as your screen is the right mesh size relative to your resolution and frit size.

In more recent times, I always have a friend of mine shoot photo screens as he is set up to do this routinely. He also has a lot of experience printing on glass. He always uses squeegee oil based enamels which can be bought premixed from either Ferro or Reusche.

I recently did a pull with water miscable medium. It worked well for a single pull, but we noticed that each time we pulled the ink, more air bubbles were formed in the ink. This could be a problem on more delicate designs or runs with lots of pulls.

When we print on glass, we always seam the edges of the glass to be printed and use the same thickness of glass as a border on both sides of the glass to be printed. This way the squeegee is riding on the same plane all the way across the pull.

The screen is loaded with ink before the pull is made by pulling the squeegee across the screen with the screen out of contact with anything. Then the pull is made. It takes quite a bit of practice to learn how to apply pressure to the squeegee during the pull to get a perfect result. The screen is set up to be a bit above the glass to be printed so after the pull, it pulls up off of the printed glass.

Making decals simplifies the process in that you are printing on paper. Then you have to deal with the water slide process. 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other.
Bert

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PaulS
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Post by PaulS »

Ralph wrote: Anyone aware of other related processes used in industry?
R*

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Ralph
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Post by Ralph »

Timely reminder - I hadn't checked Screenweb for a while

Thanks Paul
R
PaulS
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Post by PaulS »

good one. u r welcome

don't forget http://www.signweb.com too

good to keep uptodate

for a few minutes, anyways!
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