How To Clean And Reclaim A Screen Printing Screen For Beginners

Cleaning and reclaiming screen printing screens is an important step that is essential in any t-shirt printing business.  Screens are meant to be used over and over to generate profits from this one time purchase.

How Do You Clean And Reclaim A Screen Printing Screen? In order to clean and reclaim your print screens, you spray the emulsion remover to the printing screen and let it soak for a few minutes, this will break down the emulsion and you will use a scrub pad to remove the emulsion more easily. Power washers are effective in cleaning left over stains.

I will go over the steps needed to properly clean and reclaim a screen printing screen.  This will save you space from not needing to store more screens than you otherwise would have.  As well as re-use these items which is going to be a great cost saver in the long run.

1. Remove any left-over ink from your screen printing frames and screens.

2. Clean the emulsion from the screen. A power washer is an effective cleaner. There is another way to clean your screen printing screens; you can use a dip tank with emulsion remover. The print screen frame can be dipped in the dip tank and keeping it fully immersed in the emulsion remover solution. Let itstay submerged for a few minutes.

3. The dip tank is effective in removing the ink and emulsion from your screen and frame. Make sure to add fresh chemicals if the emulsion remover did not completely remove the emulsion from the screen.

4. After a few minutes, remove the frame from the dip tank and place it on your washout booth. You can use a power washer to clean the softened ink and emulsion from the screen.

A power washer with 1000-1500 PSI is highly recommended for small businesses. By using the emulsion remover, you can properly clean the screen without any hassle.

5. You can also do the manual way or method to clean and reclaim the screen printing screens and frames. This method is the harder and more complicated way. It will require a brush, elbow grease, and a spray bottle. The power washer method is faster and easier when you compare the two.

6. After removing the ink and emulsion, make sure to check for any stubborn or leftover stains. If there are some stains left, it is a must for you to dehaze the screen printing mesh so you can use it for your next project. 

7. After dehazing the screen, you have to degrease the screen and frame accordingly. When you degrease the screen printing screen, you will use a small quantity of soap to wash out all the chemicals like ink and emulsion from thescreen.

This particular step will help you prepare the screen for your upcoming project. If the mesh is clean, the emulsion will recoat the screens without any issue.

 

How To Dehaze Screens?

 

The screens must undergo the process of eliminating all the leftover stain of the previous printing job. The ghost stain is the leftover ink that may affect your next printing job if not properly removed. The lines of the ghost stain can cause confusion and will greatly affect the next project.

When dehazing screens, you will use dehazing chemical products that may be toxic, itis highly recommended to use eco-friendly products for you and the safety ofthe environment.

Prepare the materials you will need to dehaze your screens. Spray bottle, dehazer or chemical products for removing the leftover stain, water, and scrub pad or brush.

1. Wet the screen by using water in the designated washout booth.

2. Use the spray bottle with dehazer to trace the leftover stain on the screen.

3. Use a brush or scrub pad to clean the stain and removing it from the mesh. Be careful not to get the dehazing chemical on the glued part of the frame as itmay weaken and break down the glue used to hold the screen on the frame.

4. After scrubbing the screen, let it rest for a few minutes. The dehazer will do it’s job to weaken and break down the leftover stain on the screen.

If you have two or more screens, you can repeat the process mentioned above for the other screens.

5. Rinse the dehazing agent from the screen. Make sure not to get the chemicals inyour skin or eyes. Start the rinsing from the top to the bottom part of the screen. The removal of the stain will be easy but if it is not the case, just repeat the process until the stains are completely gone.

Degreasing is a crucial step and it must be a priority when cleaning and reclaiming ascreen as it will affect the next project. Poor screen preparation causes the emulsion to have pinholes. Make sure to spend a minute or two for this finalstep to ensure your screen is clean and ready for use for the next project.

Let the screens dry before using them for the next screen printing job.

 

Different Sources Used When Cleaning Screen Printing Screens

 

A. Hose with nozzle – Use a hose with a nozzle, either garden hose or showernozzle can be also useful when cleaning screen printing screens.

B. Pressure Washer – Pressure washer is an effective cleaner for screen printing screens. Usually, pressure washers that have 1000-1500 PSI can be useful to clean and remove emulsions.

C. Faucet – When you use a faucet to clean screens, emulsions can be quite a challenging task.

 

What Are The Factors That Need Priority When Cleaning And Reclaiming The Screen Print Screens?

 

1. The thickness of the emulsion – When applying the emulsion, make sure to coat it evenly and smoothly. If the thickness of the emulsion is not even, it will affect the process of cleaning and reclaiming the screens.

2. Usage of Emulsion remover – When using an emulsion remover, make sure not to allow it to dry on the screen. If that is the case, it will permanently lock in the emulsion on the mesh and it will be quite difficult to remove even with using pressure washers.

3. Using water and other solvents – This will allow the emulsion to set and the cleaning and reclaiming process will be quite challenging.

Cleaning and reclaiming screens are an important part of the screen printing cycle.

The cleaning of screens can directly affect the next screen printing process.

 

Important Tips To Consider When Cleaning And Reclaiming Screens

 

1. As soon as possible, make sure to clean your screens. Never ever let the ink and emulsion dry out.

2. Discard the excess ink and if you can do it in a responsible and eco-friendly way. If you can recycle ink, you can save money as well as the environment.

3. You can clean and reclaim 2 or more screens at a time. This will make your process efficient and you can do the different steps as you progress with the cleaning and reclaiming of the screens.

4. Before using the screens, make sure to do it in a proper manner. Work carefully and slowly so you can easily clean and reclaim your screens to prepare it forthe next printing job.

5. When coating the emulsion, you can scrape the thick edges so you can easily clean and reclaim the screen later on.

6. Do not allow your emulsion to experience underexposure. An under exposed emulsion is a typical mistake during the screen making process. If this occurs, an underexposed screen never fully harden.

7. Use quality chemicals. When cleaning and reclaiming screens after a screen printing job, it is a big no-no to cut the costs and save money by using cheap chemicals for cleaning and reclaiming your screens. It may end up withdestroyed screens, making it unusable for the next printing job.

8. Use pressure washers with 1000-1500 PSI. If done properly, you can easily cleanand reclaim your screens and prepare it for the next printing job.

9. Using dip tanks needs proper knowledge and the disposal of chemicals may bedifficult. Make sure to dispose of chemicals properly to protect theenvironment.

10. Read and do research before cleaning and reclaiming screens. It is important to prepare and equip yourself with knowledge before undergoing the process of cleaning and reclaiming your screens.

When starting a screen printing job, always consider the screen and the process that will follow after you finishthe job. If you are careful and you follow the instructions from the manufacturer’s manual, the cleaning and reclaiming of the screens will be easy to do.

 

Related Questions

 

Can you reuse a screen printing screen?

For screen printing beginners out there, you can reuse screen printing screens. You just have to properly clean and reclaim the screen used for the project so you can use it and there will be no issue or effect to the next project or shirt that you will use the screen with.

 

Can you yse bleach to reclaim screens? 

Bleach is not advisable to use for cleaning and reclaiming screens. You are better off to use a proper screen remover.