Washing out emulsion

[tee stooge]

I am using Ulano orange ultra fast emulsion and having problems washing out the screens. I currently use a 500 watt lamp at six minutes. when washing out the screens with cold water it takes a long time before the emulsion starts coming out. if I use warm water it starts to come out in about 30 seconds. I was watching the catspit videos and he stated that you should not use hot water. am I doing something wrong? thanks for your help in advance...

[Catspit Productions]

Not necessarily, if it works well. I am unfamiliar with this specific emulsion. But generally you are correct, I do not recommend using warm or hot water. If it is extremely cold however that could be an issue as well.

I would guestimate a washout water temperature of about 60 to 75 degrees F would be ideal.

With a 6 minute burn I would make sure your film positive is very dense and opaque. Also make sure the heat from the bulb is not affecting the emulsion. Ultimately if you can get a good stencil off easily with the warm water and there are no issues then go with it.

Here are some general tips:

Make sure the emulsion you are using is good. If it is a photopolymer use it at about 70 degrees F or room temperature. If it is a dual cure make sure the sensitizer has been mixed in and the emulsion is no older than a month after mixing. If it is a dual cure and you mixed the sensitizer in over 1 month ago, get fresh emulsion.

If the emulsion washes out completely then the emulsion is either not exposed or very under exposed. Or there is no sensitizer in a dual cure. If the emulsion does not washout at all you have completely over exposed it. If some of the stencil washes out but parts do not then this is an over exposure.

If the latent image appears but does not wash out easily the film positive could be the culprit combined with too long of an exposure.

[tee stooge]

hey jonathan thanks again. I built a light table using black light bulbs and I was able to get the burn time down to one minute and continue to use warm water. I think I am going to try the blue emulsion that you are using. thanks again

Moe

[Catspit Productions]

Excellent, you’re welcome but you did all the work. It is hard to assist form afar but a better light source is a great way to improve your stencil making. Great work.

Get the Saati emulsions I use here:

http://www.catspitproductionsllc.com/sa ... icals.html

Thanks for your support and good luck!

[upperhandprinting]

The Ulano Orange just takes a long time to wash out. Compared to Saati or Chromablue, it seems like an eternity, but it should wash out details if the exposure time is correct. Have you tried an exposure calculator on a screen?

[tee stooge]

I have built a light table that has cut the exposure time to about 1 minute or less. I need to purchase a exposure calculator for an accurate time to burn the screens. thanks for all the help..

[Catspit Productions]

Excellent. I’m happy to hear you are making progress. I have MacDermid Autotype exposure calculators if you want one. I can sell them for $35 delivered anywhere in the continental US. Contact me through the website if you would like one:

http://www.catspitproductionsllc.com/co ... ctions.php

I’ll be doing a video on it sometime soon I hope