Emulsion & exposure · 7 of 7 · 1 min read
Reclaiming screens
- Card off as much ink as you can.
- Apply ink degrader or remover.
- Apply emulsion remover, and don’t let it dry on the screen.
- Pressure-wash from the shirt side, bottom up, about 12 inches away.
- Use haze or ghost remover if needed, dwelling up to about 3 minutes.
- Degrease, then dry dust-free.
Source: ScreenPrinting.com. Some ghost images won’t come out 100%. Keep ink and chemicals out of the drain; see the safety notes in Equipment tiers.
Sources for this guide (22)
- Davis International, Emulsions
- Vastex, Emulsion information
- Dalesway, Screen printing emulsion
- Murakami, Emulsion coating tips (PDF)
- Murakami, Successful emulsion coating
- Ulano, QT-750 tech data sheet
- Screen Printing Magazine, Stencilmaking in the age of CTS
- Screen Printing Magazine, An update on UV LED screen exposure (2014)
- ScreenPrinting.com, Compression vs. vacuum exposure units
- Printavo, Exposure calculator
- ScreenPrintingNow, How to use an exposure calculator
- ScreenPrinting.com, 4 steps to consistently reclaim screens
- Chromaline, Causes of pinholes during screen making
- Chromaline, Underexposed screen tech tip (PDF)
- Chromaline, 10 common reasons for stencil breakdown on press
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do I figure out exposure times?
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, Over- vs. under-exposure
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, Which emulsion should I use?
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, How long do screens need to dry?
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, Making a darkroom at home
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, Do I need a pressure washer?
- ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do you reclaim screens?
Ranges are starting points from these sources. When a source and your ink’s tech data sheet disagree, follow the tech data sheet.