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Burned through three screens in one weekend trying to reclaim them | DIY Screen Printing - Guest Forum

Burned through three screens in one weekend trying to reclaim them

Last Saturday I was cleaning out old screens with emulsion remover and a pressure washer. First one came clean no problem. Second one started to peel around the edges of the mesh, figured it was just old. Third one the emulsion wouldn't come off at all no matter how long I soaked it. Turns out I left them sitting in direct sunlight for two days before I started. Has anyone else had screens get trashed from leftover emulsion baking in the sun?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.cole2mo ago

And the direct sun thing is brutal, man. I did something similar once with a batch of screens I left leaning against the garage wall. The UV basically cooked the emulsion into the mesh fibers. Had to toss three 20x24 screens because that haze would never wash out, even with dehazer and a pressure washer cranked to full pressure. Now I keep a tarp over anything waiting to be reclaimed, and I'm religious about not letting them sit more than a few hours without at least a wet paper towel on the image area if I have to step away. That direct summer sun turns a quick cleanup job into a whole new screen purchase real fast.

henrys742mo ago

Hold on - a wet paper towel? That actually works to keep the emulsion from baking in? I've been printing for years and never heard that trick. Not questioning you at all, just stunned I never knew about something that simple. Three screens in one weekend is a rough loss though. I ruined a 23x31 last summer the same way, left it propped against the fence for maybe four hours while I ran to get supplies. Came back and the image area had this weird crust that pressure washing just laughed at. That UV damage is no joke once it sets in.