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| masonmayhem |
 Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:17 pm |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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we have been running into a problem lately. it started about 2 months ago. we have had customers returning their orders because the graphic washes out of the t shirt/hoody after it's been washed only one time.
immediately i thought that the ink isn't fully cured which leads me to our conveyor dryer. we have it set at 350 F but my trusty laser gun tells me it's only hitting 320 F. is that hot enough to cure ink on fabric? my boss says that 285 F is hot enough. that makes me think that it isn't the dryer.
i don't think it's the ink, we've been using the same ink for quite a while and have had no problems with it at all.
any ideas what could be happening? |
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| Fool's Gold |
| Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:12 am |
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Joined: 10 Mar 2005
Posts: 284
Location: Ontario Canada
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Your boss is completely wrong and should take a minute to read the labels on plastisol ink containers.
everything that leaves my dryer leaves it at t least 350 degrees. 320 is the cure tempurature of plastisol ink (300-320 dependiing on colour and type) and it has to cure 100% through the entire ink film, if it cures the top part it will still be went underneith and wash off.. Laser guns will measure the top of the ink, but not the bottom; your best bet is to get an Atkins donut probe, they are about $400 and will measure the entire ink film. Remember that you will probably have hot and cold spots in the dryer, and sometimes between cycles the temp will drop. That's why we have everthing hit 350 so if the dryer is slightly cooler the shirt still cures.
If your shirts are badly washing out then you need to increase the heat in your dryer, or keep the shirt in there longer. |
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IRONCLAD GRAPHICS: Custom screen printed posters, apparel and stickers. |
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| masonmayhem |
| Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:18 am |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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that's what i thought. i knew that it had to hit 350F to cure but for some reason he thought different.
if we set our dryer to 350 sometimes it'll be at 330. right now i think it's at 340 and it's been on for an hour or two. hopefully we get our new dryer by the end of the month because i HATE redoing work, especially for free. our busy period is coming up (we do 1/3rd of our yearly business between november and december alone) so i'd hate to do 600 shirts and have them come back to me. i'll be working 12 hours a day as it is. |
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| Fool's Gold |
| Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:59 pm |
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Joined: 10 Mar 2005
Posts: 284
Location: Ontario Canada
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| You have a problem if the dryer is droping temp by 20 degrees. Are you sucking out the heat with the exhaust? Are you using too much forced air? First thing in the morning I turn the exhaust and forced air off, and start the dryer, wait until it gets hot as hell inside (I wait until the element indicator lights start staying off, ie. the elements don't need to turn on to keep the heat consistant) and then add the forced air and exhaust. Then I run a cure test at those settings and print. I find after 1-2 hours all the air inside is hot enough that as long as I don't suck it out with exhaust the elements will hardly turn on, if fact my dryer was set at 320 today and spent most of the day at 327 . . . |
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IRONCLAD GRAPHICS: Custom screen printed posters, apparel and stickers. |
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| sheltered |
| Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:06 am |
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Joined: 16 Sep 2005
Posts: 86
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| Any changes in the shop? Seems to me years ago at one of the many shop sI worked at we had an issue with a draft that made a beeline for one of the conveyors when the right combo of doors were open. |
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| masonmayhem |
| Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:00 pm |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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fools gold...i'll give that a shot tomorrow and see what happens. never thought about that.
sheltered...we do have a problem sometimes with a draft. only when the back door is open. i keep telling my fellow employees to keep that door shut because it sucks the heat out of the dryer. they are learning. slowly. |
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| mattman |
| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:54 am |
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Joined: 17 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
Location: UK
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Can anyone advise on how I could print on hoody or T's for a one of occassion and then wash out the inks with no staining etc?
I want the shirts to look like they had never been printed on after washing.
Any thoughts appreciated. |
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| masonmayhem |
| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:12 pm |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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maybe some SR-97
spot remover for cured/uncured plastisol ink
that's the only thing i can think of right now. it does take ink off of shirts but i'm not sure how it would work on a large scale. i use it to take off fingerprints and smears (when i'm working to fast and don't wash my hands...). |
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| Fool's Gold |
| Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:37 am |
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Joined: 10 Mar 2005
Posts: 284
Location: Ontario Canada
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mattman wrote: Can anyone advise on how I could print on hoody or T's for a one of occassion and then wash out the inks with no staining etc?
I want the shirts to look like they had never been printed on after washing.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Not possible. At all . . |
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IRONCLAD GRAPHICS: Custom screen printed posters, apparel and stickers. |
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| Herosk8 |
| Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:07 pm |
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Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 147
Location: Springfield, MO
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mattman wrote: Can anyone advise on how I could print on hoody or T's for a one of occassion and then wash out the inks with no staining etc?
I want the shirts to look like they had never been printed on after washing.
Any thoughts appreciated.
impossible...... i guess you could use magic ink! |
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