TW Inks

[ohdanielsan]

Oh, do have a question about TW though -

What are the fumes like? Pretty harsh? Wondering because 2700 fumes are obnoxious.

[James flames]

TW S-034 screen cleaner, diluted 50-50 with water.
for me anyway.

That's before I start printing, or after for cleanup....or both? (probably both, huh)

[Nicholas Wilson]

I just use straight tap water to wet the screen. never had an issue. TW fumes on the 5000 series are non-existant. Smells sugary to me.

[crosshair]

James- both. It's nothing special, basically soap.

Daniel San - not as stinky as 2700.

[James flames]

Awesome, thanks again guys - I really appreciate it.

[windflame]

My school uses TW and I gotta tell you, sometimes I love it other times I hate it.

Anyone know why even when thinned so thin, with a splash of retarder and dish soap it STILL dries in. I print fast enough, I just don't understand. Corners and thin lines.

[crosshair]

If it does that, you're doing something wrong.
Dull squeegee, uncured emulsion on the squeegee side of the screen...

I'd avoid the retarder. You're only supposed to use a tiny amount. Use too much, and it can cause blocking.
A splash = too much. A drop is more like it.
I never use it. It causes more trouble than it solves.

[windflame]

by a splash i mean a 5 drops in a full red cup of ink.

Probably a dull squeegee since I'm using the labs, and they probably haven't sharpened theirs in years.

I only coat the print side, could that effect anything? The exposure is good and fully cured.

None of the techs at the lab know what to do about it since no one but me really prints runs over 50.

[crosshair]

Dull squeegee.

As for coating just the print side- I don't know because I've never done that.
But if I'm guessing, I'd say that it could leave a less smooth, unsealed surface on the squeegee side, where solids and gunk will dry, accumulate and get into your image.
Try coating both sides. Remember to adjust your exposure.

And get some new lab techs, wtf.

[windflame]

They hire "artists", not printers for the tech spots. Some are better than others.

I'll pick up a personal squeegee and see if that helps. I'll also ask them if they know what kind of time our unit would go for with a coat on both sides.

I think last time I mentioned that they said that it would be fine with the same exposure time and I didn't believe them.

Thanks again.