How To Screen Print: Getting Your Art To Screen

[pukawlord]

Thank you catspit for answering every question we post on your videos..

I would like to ask if how many hours should an emulsion to dry to be ready to be exposed and how many minutes should it be exposed.. i only have a DIY exposure unit.. 4 florescent bulb.. cause i always failed to make a perfect washing.. tnx in advance.. more power..

[CatspitProductions]

@pukawlord Thank you very much for noticing! You are welcome; it’s my pleasure to help out in any way. Emulsion can dry in as little as an hour depending on thickness and relative humidity. Exposure times depend on the type of emulsion, film positive density, and the UV output in your light source. I have a couple of videos that will help with this but you will have to do tests to get the exact time for your situation. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[freedomsouldier]

how long do you suggest setting the time for?

getting ready to do my first set!:)



[CatspitProductions]

@freedomsouldier I’ll send you a message about this. A bit much too answer here. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[bojogon]

sir, can i use the SUN to transfer my pattern to the screen?

how long it will take, when i expose it to the SUN??

[CatspitProductions]

@bojogon Yes you can use the sun to expose your screen but your exposure will depend on your geographic location, the weather, and your film positives as well as your emulsion. I would recommend using a 1000 W work light instead. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[zhivagoleon]

doubling the sheet of the design could make further trouble if not aligned... edges of exposure come dull... what i do is print the same sheet twice or even 3x, it works, but be very careful in feeding the printer...

[CatspitProductions]

@zhivagoleon Wow, I could never get my printer to print film in exactly the same place feeding it through twice. And actually photographically speaking if your exposure is accurate any slight misalignment of film should be unnoticeable in the stencil. It seems to work out when the emulsion is fully cured however you can lose resolution. But I don’t have any problems lining it up once in a while when I do that. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[flondora]

Great videos, thanks for posting them. Is there a reason why the film is placed on the bottom of the screen? Somewhere I saw about the screen laying on a piece of black fabric and then laying the film in the inkwell of the screen and laying a piece of heavy glass over it. Does it matter? I am just getting ready to do this for the first time and have several films made, and for light got a 500 watt halogen work light, so trying to plan my first setup.

[CatspitProductions]

@flondora You are welcome; it is my pleasure to help out. The emulsion should be thickest on the substrate side. That’s why it’s traditionally placed there during exposure. Light tends to not travel completely through the emulsion layer. So it’s best to expose the thickest side directly. But many people expose their screens with the film on the ink well side. I would suggest the traditional method if you can do it. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[AngryDraftsman]

where is the best place to buy aluminum frame screens?

[link6913]

Do you need a lightbox or could you use something else?

[CatspitProductions]

@link6913 You can use any light source that has a high UV output. You can make your own exposure unit with industrial black lamps if you can build a box and switches for it. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[SayidShazeen]

@CatspitProductions Yes. At my school we use two unfiltered blacklights that works perfectly. Wont even need the vaccum, just use a couple of weights on the frame to keep it down. Weights might not even be neccesary. :)

[CatspitProductions]

@SayidShazeen Sounds good if it works for you all. Nice job. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[SayidShazeen]

@link6913 We use two unfiltered blacklights at my school. We hang them from above, so you will need to make sure you reverse the motif. Won't even need weights or vacuum as long as you make sure they are taped flat. :)

[boogski]

What if you leave your screen in longer than usual. Worst case scenerio approx 30mins?

[CatspitProductions]

Unless your film is wicked opaque, then 30 minutes in the exposure unit will most likely cure all of the emulsion leaving you without a stencil. Just solid cured emulsion. If the film is 100% opaque, then over exposure begins to affect the resolution and bridging characteristics of the emulsion. Thanks for the comment!

[rodnisimo]

Could you # these videos in sequence?

[CatspitProductions]

The videos are not numbered because each one has a self describing title. And more importantly, if you go to the Catspit website, there is an overview article from start to finish and the videos are linked to each appropriate step. It is on the Printing Articles main page. Link is in the side bar and on the channel page. Thanks for watching!

[bajaben]

Thanks for the video's, they are very helpful.

I have one question. A few videos I have seen, they say the emulsion process and burning should be done in a "dark room." Is that necessary?

[CatspitProductions]

Youre welcome. Thanks for watching! It is recommended to work with unexposed emulsions and screens in yellow or red light. Some emulsions are slow enough that subdued light is sufficient. It really depends on the emulsion you are using. But a complete darkroom is not necessary in all cases. But again, it is recommended. My motto is eliminate all variables so working with emulsion in the darkroom is a good idea. You can use any dark space with a red or yellow light.

[CatspitProductions]

Check out my website for information that supports and supplements the videos.

[Doddsey]

How do you work out the exposure time ? and ioce you take the screen out of the machine, if you discover when washing out that it wasnt long enough and the emulsion comes off can you re-use that screen?

[CatspitProductions]

The exposure time may be calculated by different methods. When I test a new emulsion I start at a 30 second exposure and adjust from there. Most emulsions are very fast today. The vendor of the emulsion should be able to dial you in to a starting point for their emulsion based on your mesh count and your light source. If your screen gets messed up, the screen itself may be reused but it would have to be reclaimed and re-coated with fresh emulsion.

[tocadiscos5]

what is the name of the paper u used to create art

[CatspitProductions]

It is a clear inkjet film. You can get it from Integrity Print Supply. They have a channel here on YouTube. You will have to call them to place an order.

[LOVEUGML]

thanks

[Tolrias]

That is some loud vacuum table d0_ob

PS: awesome video :D

[CatspitProductions]

This one is a bit loud.