Can we talk about using a hair dryer to cure ink on a budget

I tried hitting my water-based prints with a cheap hair dryer instead of a heat gun and the colors came out way brighter after about 2 minutes of drying. Has anyone else had success with low-heat methods for curing at home?

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2 Comments

rayc892mo ago

Wait, you got better color out of it with a hair dryer? That's interesting because I always thought the slower, lower heat helps the ink bind more evenly without scorching the fabric. A buddy of mine does all his shirts with a hair dryer on low and says the print stays flexible longer too. I've tried it with a space heater once in a pinch and it actually worked okay for a few single-color jobs, just took forever. The trick with hair dryers is keeping the nozzle moving so you don't cook one spot. Definitely beats blowing money on a proper heat gun if you're just doing small batches. You might have discovered the budget secret for hobby printers.

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robert642mo ago

A buddy of mine tried the hair dryer trick on some hoodies last winter and said the ink actually held up better than with his heat gun. He wasn't careful enough with the nozzle, though, and ended up melting a little patch on one sleeve (rookie mistake, honestly). Ever since then he's been a hair dryer convert for anything with polyester blends.

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