Problems with the edges of the design coming away

[No more boss]

Hi Jon, firstly love your work, really want to learn this craft- but it can be difficult starting from scratch- and your videos have helped more than anything or anyone else

Recently I've been having problems with the edges of designs coming away at washout, during printing and when cleaning after printing.
Very depressing as I then have to go through exposing it all over again .
This is probably because of something I'm doing wrong during exposure, right?
Here's a quick summary of what I do-

2 coats of emulsion on each side- scraping off any excess.
Lie the screen near a fan heater to dry ( takes ages- like at least half an hour or something) turning it around and over every few minutes.
Expose for 17 mins under a 250W HQI floodlight.
Washout in my shower and set next to the fan again to dry...

Help me OBJon you're my only hope (little Starwars joke there). But, yeah, if you can think of something I'd be very grateful and my quest would get a little easier, if not thanks anyway!
All the best!

[Catspit Productions]

Thank you for the kind words there. I’m glad I could be of such assistance for afar. That means a lot to me and I appreciate your posting on the forum as well as watching my videos. Thanks for the support!

Without being there this could be a very similar problem another person is having right now. From the little detail you told me I would guess this is a mesh adhesion issue. If the stencil is burning and washing out pretty well but small portions of detail or fine line want to wash away during washout then we need to look at mesh prep.

The emulsion may also come off the mesh even if you make it through the washout and begin working with it. Poor emulsion to mesh adhesion can cause the stencil to come away from the mesh at any given time during usage.

This article may help:

http://www.catspitproductionsllc.com/me ... ation.html

And this forum thread should also help:

http://www.catspitproductionsllc.com/fo ... f=6&t=2341

Make sure to abrade new screens when you first use them. Once you abrade the polyester mesh some once, the emulsion will have something to bite onto. Then each time you reuse a screen you need to clean it of grease, oils, dirt and debris.

If the emulsion is underexposed you would have most issues when washing out but if the emulsion is peeling away when printing or cleaning then I would say this is simply a mesh prep problem most likely caused by new mesh that has not been abraded.

Bu then again I don’t know if you’re using new or old screens. Either way if the stencil burns and then portions begin to peel away during washout or afterwards I would still guess it’s an emulsion to mesh adhesion problem.

Check out some of the above info and let us know if it makes any sense for your situation.

[No more boss]

Thank you Jon, very much. They are indeed new screens so you're probably on to something there.
I did degrease them, but actually noticed only yesterday watching your video that you soak them and scrub them longer than I do.
Thanks again buddy, I'll be taking your advice

All the best!

[Catspit Productions]

Ah yes, new screens. I think that no mesh abrasion is your culprit more than naything else.

Yes, I do take my time with mesh prep and I attempt to clean my screens very, very well. That can save time and emulsion. This seems to be a topic that needs some discussion so look for a video on the 2 types of mesh prep you should be doing in your shop coming up Monday.

You’re very welcome and thanks again for using the forum. Make sure to check out the video tomorrow

[OffsetnScreen]

Aha!..mesh prep...i missed that...new screens also..i can expect my next washout to do the same cause i didnt abrade the mesh...back to study hall....thanks jonathan

[Catspit Productions]

You're very welcome OffsetnScreen. It was apleasure to speak with you this week. I'm here for you whenever you need me