can someone give me a list of supplies I will need to screen print on clothes. preferably on a budget but I don't mind paying more for shit that will actually help.
Screenprinting
can someone give me a list of supplies I will need to screen print on clothes. preferably on a budget but I don't mind paying more for shit that will actually help.
bare minimum you need a 'screen' (mesh), fabric paint/ dye, squeedgie.
then you need some way to make a pattern.
you can do something complicated like paint the mesh with uv curing liquid, cover it in the inverse of the pattern, expose it to uv light (or incandescent lamp/sunlight for longer) then wash off the unexposed liquid to leave the holes where paint will go through.
another way to do it is just cut your pattern out of paper and put it between the mesh and shirt but this wont last many prints and the print isn't as good but its less faff.
you need to do this at least for each colour in the print you do, mabybe twice or more for one colour if its on top and you can't index/align well. you might want to use a different mesh per colour if you are doing more than one or two.
you most probably want some kind of clamp or frame to hold the shirt in place and you can push the mesh against to line up if you do multiple colours.
thats the very basics anyway.
thank you friend that is a good ass reply. I was wondering if you would also recommend just buying emulsion and making the screen that way? (if so what emulsion would be the best to purchase cause i cant find a definitive answer or one that is used the most)
yeah you could do that if you were confident you could get it onto the mesh in the pattern you waned, depends what you are making really, the resolution and detail you need and how skilful you are at laying it out. i haven't looked at it in a few years, all the starter kits used to go the uv route because it was supposed to be harder to frick up the messy stage and you get sharp details easily. but yeah just remember to paint the mesh the opposite of what you want, no reason you couldn't.
i love you
put a pin in that until you finish
and keep us updated with progress
Another option is using an indirect film emulsion that lets you make the stencil and then apply it to the screen and then when it's dry and adhered you peel off the clear plastic carrier. It's more expensive than direct emulsion but easier to deal with as far as coaters and a darkroom to dry coated screens in and having to expose the whole screen vs a piece of film.
You can also get indirect film that you can knife cut and apply with no need for film positives or exposure at all-
https://www.ulano.com/knifecut-film-1
This one is photosensitive and specifically made for textile printing mesh sizes (thinner indirect films made for fine detail can break down quickly on large mesh screens)
https://www.macdermidconnect.com/us/capillex-50-na.html
If you're not doing huge runs and/or don't have the space and resources to set up to shoot your own screens those films are well worth the price.
thank you sir
I did silkscreen for a while, one of my odd experiments was using a piece of modern window screen that I stapled to a frame. I knew it would be chunky and 'pixelated'. I really enjoyed the results. I am not recalling exactly what I painted on the screen to make the negative image, but I called it a successful project. I believe I used a very straight thin board as the squeegee, just to keep it low tech.
are these fricking things ever approved? I haven't even seen pending yet