Screen mesh sizes

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frothingsanta
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Screen mesh sizes

Post by frothingsanta »

I have recently been tasked with restarting the screen printing dept at my high school and i have a bit of a problem. We have about 150 screens with emultion still on them and theres no telling what screen mesh sizes they are. Is there any way i can tell the screen size if its not written down? Maybe 25 have them written in sharpie on the frame. I was also wondering if the emultionized screens (from 2 years ago that have been sitting in the back room) are still useable if i strip the emultion off. Thanks in advance. =)
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ROADSIDE
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Post by ROADSIDE »

as long as there is no dried ink left in the screens the emulsion will still come out.

To tell what the mesh counts are I would suggest making a 1" x 1" square out of tape and using a magnifying glass or a loop to count the threads.

actually... I would just buy new screens cause I am kinda lazy like that.
.... I can give you my opinion but I can't tell you if it's right or not.
frothingsanta
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Post by frothingsanta »

Dear lord, thad take like a few months and I don't have the budget to buy new screens. I have about a $40 budget to restart the screen printing dept until i can get support from the rest of the administration at the school. We still have tons of ink, some emulsion, and about 150 screens. So i'm kinda in a pickle. Is there any other way to tell the screen sizes without counting or buying new screens?
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d fleming
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Post by d fleming »

Are your screens for t-shirts? Most likely if they are you have somewhere in the 125 range. If you can see prisms through the fabric when held to light, probably finer mesh. If your emulsion is 2 yrs old, it's toast. Get some new emulsion, ulano rlx is good for classroom because it is so forgiving to short periods of room light. Do you have a dark room? If not a closet or box can do in a pinch. I modified an old wooden enclosed bookcase with locking doors for mine once upon a time. Clean old emulsion out of screens with a good stencil remover. With that many screens on hand you can afford to pick the cream of the crop. When I taught I had the same problem with funding. Next time you have to re-certify, take the time to find the person at campus who teaches how to write grants and make them your new best friend. Write as many grants as you can without going crazy and don't stop til you get at least one so you can have a budget. Make some samples from student work for various clubs and sports at your school and market the printing for more budget. I had the class hand painting signs for the ball field until we could get a computer and plotter to move ahead. Take the school book keeper to lunch and get to know him/her so you can work out whatever schemes you have to to get $$$. We wrote off $600.00 worth of ink as paint for desks once just so the money would get spent and put to good use at our school rather than return to system. There are loopholes but it's a lot of work to get through them. Get a local church to donate a hall and have a spaghetti dinner. Kids can sell tickets to friends and family ahead of time. It takes a lot of hard work, but before you know it, you'll have an exemplary program that teaches real-world skills to kids who won't get it anywhere else. Even it they don't turn out to be artists and screenprinters you will have made a positive impact on them. I haven't taught for years, but it really makes my day when a former student comes into my shop to tell me what they're up to now or show me their newborn or just catch up. That's the real pay in teaching, just knowing you made a difference in a young persons' life. It sure as hell aint the payscale from the county. I've got a young man from the tech center working afternoons now in the shop, his plan is to go to The Art Institute and get a degree, then open his own shop. He's learning screen printing aiming for a scholarship from vocational screenprinting competition with Skills USA. Looking for $$ just like you! Best of luck.
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Post by frothingsanta »

Wow! Thanks for the ideas! I do in fact have have 2 dark rooms. I also have 2 yr old 1qt container ulano rlx that was unsensitized and is now sensitized and works like a charm. It's all i got untill i can get money. The equiptment we have is a 4 color print station, 2 flamables cabinets, 2 Acids cabinets, a 1 color print station, tons of ink, lots of shirts, a flash dryer, a belt driven dryer, scoop coasters the whole 9 yards. I have also forgotten to mention that i am only 16 yrs old. So i guess i cant be called a teacher:P But i have to teach my teacher how to screen print along with about 150 students. It'll be my final exam grade. And because im only 16, I can't really get much funding from the school...can i?
Thanks,
Evan
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Post by d fleming »

Your teacher can help with quite a few of these ideas. Try marketing shirts to campus fraternities. You need to keep immaculate records of every penny as all proceeds will go to class budget for your teacher to use at his/her discretion. Projects like this can easily buy computers and software for the classroom. You and your fellow students will be the ones directly affected by better tools to learn many trades/careers.
Keep design limited to line art, sounds like your school is well equipped to print shirts, most are not. If you are showing someone how to learn a skill they do not have, you are a teacher regardless of you or your students' age. Go get 'em.
frothingsanta
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Post by frothingsanta »

Ok i'll do that=] i pretty much have the basic screen printing process down and ill get to work makin money.

Thanks,
Evan
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Post by andymac »

Wow. Your school is lucky to have you.

Re the meshes, AWT has a simple mesh counting tool. Talk to your local screen supply place and tell them TELL THEM to either loan yo one or donate one, if they want your business.

Join SGIA education group - $25 a year, they will give you access to all sorts of tech help, and maybe hook you up with local companies to start apprenticeships/job placements or equipment exchanges. You can enter student competitions etc. www.sgia.org

Tell your teacher to do some research. Screenprinting is one of the simplest/cheapest ways to connect students with how real design, print, and media work. Because you can make products, it can teach marketing and manufacturing. Not only does it provide an 'art' outlet, but it is a massive part of manufacturing - all your computers and electronic products, solar cells, hydrogen cells, and a million things you would never think of - from shower doors and curtains to stop signs, flags, car instruments, and any push button appliance - all are made with screenprinting.

Besides, it's fun.

check out www.squeegeeville.com if you need some instruction books cheap, contact me.
For production tips & assorted ramblings read SHOP TALK monthly in Screenprinting magazine. Visit www.squeegeeville.com for screenprinting information and classes. Visit TMI Screenprinting Equipment Booth 1580 at SGIA 07.
frothingsanta
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Post by frothingsanta »

Thanks Andy. =) I did some research and have found that my school board only lets me buy supplies from a certified dealer 100 miles away... yegh im kinda pissed off that my school has to be so controlling. I just dont wanna buck heads with the only retailer i can buy from. So I think it will be hard to get the screen mesh tool but ill give it a shot. And I will tell my teacher about that program for internships and other things. I can't thank you enough for answering my questions with such valuable information.

Thanks,
Evan

P.S. Sorry that it took so long to respond. I was sick for a few weeks.
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Post by UpNorthMatt »

Mesh determiner. Its a little piece of film that has lines on it. You place it on the screen and rotate it, it will form little diamonds on the graph over the mesh number your screens are. Its super easy, about 5 seconds per screen and costs about $5, my supplier just gave me one.
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