Found some emulsion...

[satuyrn]

Hey-

I was cleaning out my garage the other day, and found an old container of some Ulano QTX Emulsion. It has to be at least 2 or 3 years old. I know it is supposed to only last 6 months to a year... but what are the chances of it still working??

I used to manage a photo lab and you would be surprised how some really old, undeveloped film (or even unexposed film) would come out good... that's why I'm asking. I would love to use it, if I could get away with it.

Also, I found an old screen with a stencil still on it (about as old as the emulsion)... is reclaiming it an option, or should I just get a new screen.

Thanks, in advance for saving me some time and a potential headache.

(P.S. - I'm finally getting my vacuum table and shirt jig set up... I'll post some photos in a new thread when it is done, for those who are interested.)

[Nicholas Wilson]

has the emulsion been activated yet? If so, just chuck it and save yourself the headache, or drink it, and get a really big headache.

take the screen to the car wash and blast the shit out of it, most likely won't come out, but give it a try. (put the emulsion remover on there before blasting)

[satuyrn]

has the emulsion been activated yet? If so, just chuck it and save yourself the headache, or drink it, and get a really big headache.

take the screen to the car wash and blast the shit out of it, most likely won't come out, but give it a try. (put the emulsion remover on there before blasting)

Yeah, it's been activated, so I'll just chuck it. Thanks! Hopefully the screen will reclaim, because it is pretty new. Is it cheaper to get it restretched, or just a hassle?

Thanks for your help!

[jayryan]

qtx doesn't need to be activated.

you might as well try using it - if you already use QTX, you know the exposure times, and it would only be a waste of burning and reclaiming one screen if it doesn't work.

[Andymac]

agreed. You will know quick enough if the emulsion doesn't work, and then you can just
reclaim the screen with the other one. Stencil remover and a pwerwasher will make it all new again.

[satuyrn]

cool, thanks, guys.

I guess that shows how old it is... if I can't remember if it has to be activated or not

It's been a while since I've done my own printing, and even then I had some troubles with exposure times. I think I need an exposure calculator. My set up is different now, so it might take some experimenting. I just remember last time it took me several burns and I never got my exposure right and I got REALLY frustrated (but I was less educated in the process than I am now).

I remember not liking the QTX... we used a green Ulano emulsion at my last job for printing with enamel (I forget the catalog code...), and I never had an exposure problem with that emulsion.

Jay: I think I read that you use QTX in one of the posts earlier this week, am I remembering correctly? Have you had any problems with it, and would you recommend it??

[jayryan]

it's the only emulsion i've ever used. works great for me. no problems. i am told you can cope with activation and refrigeration and crap for less money with other emulsions, but i'd rather have it work the way it always has for me.

[fantasygoat]

I have several buckets of QTX over a year old, all have worked just fine.

At $70 a bucket, it's worth testing.