Emulsion is an ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive chemical, so unless you’re coating screens under direct sun-light, you should be fine indoors. Is a dark room necessary to coat my screens? This can cause blockages in the emulsion once it hardens. But make sure your area is clean because sand, dust and dirt can circulate in the air and get stuck on wet coated screens. I personally keep two fans running in my darkroom at all times. Dehumidifier (skip if your environment is dry).They have the perfect setup for quick drying which are But I know printers who wait only 30 minutes before moving on to exposure. Most manufacturers suggest a good 24 hours for a completely dried screen. How long should I let my coated screen dry? I also suggest using a smooth rounded edge scoop coater on these screens instead of the sharp edge. As long as you’ve taken the proper screen prep – clean, de-haze, degrease, etc., and your exposure times are perfect, you should have no problems. Unless you’re making a ton of prints (more than 100), you can get away with coating only one side (the ink side). Can I coat emulsion on only one side of the screen? Prepare yourself mentally so you don’t get too discouraged too quickly in the beginning. You should remember that nobody gets it right the first time. Test 3: 2/2 (1 coat print side, 1 coat ink side, 1 coat print side, 1 coat ink side).Test 2: 2/1 (1 coat print side, 1 coat ink side, 1 coat print side).Test 1: 1/1 (1 coat print side/ 1 coat ink side).For starters, use these coating combos for your starting point: Since there are many factors (ink type, emulsion type, mesh count, etc) that come into play, it’s up to you to find your balance. How many coats of emulsion should I have on each side of the screen? It’s more expensive than the diazo, but in my opinion worth every penny. ![]() The dual-cure emulsion, which is a combination of diazo and SBQ-based emulsion, cures faster and creates a thicker stencil. ![]() However, it’s a little more forgiving when it comes to practice and getting your feet wet. I would go with the diazo emulsion which is cheaper but will react slower, increasing your exposure times. What kind of screen printing emulsion should I buy?Ī diazo emulsion, which you need to add a water resistant sensitizer to the mix, or a water resistant dual-cure emulsion. Using a photopolymer emulsion (compared to a diazo-based emulsion) when you have a low UV light source will make a huge difference toward success or failure when making a stencil.My design has some fine details, which emulsion is right for me? Emulsion and screen preparation Photopolymer liquid emulsions (and photopolymer capillary film) work well even with poor light sources. Manufacturers developed photopolymer emulsion products because they know that many screen printers use an exposure light source that is less than ideal. It exposes very quickly and has a wide exposure time range. Photopolymer emulsion is very sensitive to light. If you think of emulsion (or capillary film) as the “photographic film” used to make your stencil, think in terms of speed and light sensitivity. While the light source will determine what kind of art you can use to make a stencil, the type of emulsion or capillary film that you use is actually more important. ![]() ![]() Most people who want to build their own exposure unit mistakenly think that the light source is the most important consideration.
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