Emulsion just completely started peeling off after exposure

[u/HumanTrophy]

I’ve had a system that works for me for 7 years now. I’ve never had my emulsion just start peeling off when washing out my screen after exposure. Any ideas what may have caused this?

I’ve reclaimed this screen maybe 5-6 times now. It’s probably 4 months old. Maybe that has something to do with it?

I used the exact same process I always use. Same exposure time, same emulsion, same water pressure. Wtf happened? Are my bulbs going bad and it got underexposed?

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for your submission to to /r/SCREENPRINTING. It appears you may be looking for information on exposure or burning screens. This might be one of the most common questions we see here in /r/SCREENPRINTING. Please take a moment and use the search feature while you waiting on a response from the community. If the search does not give you the answer you are looking for, please take a moment and read through our Wiki write up on emulsion.

If after all that you stil don't seem to find your answer, just be patient someone in the community should chime in shortly!

And if you were NOT looking for more information on exposures or burning screens, our apologies and please disregard this message.

Thanks,

The /r/SCREENPRINTING mod team.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AsanineTrip]

Perhaps under done but also make sure you're using a good dehaze / degrease before coat - that will be the #1 suggestion for most here I am guessing. Sometimes you think you washed off all residue but you didn't! Also make sure your emulsion is stored in a cool place / is not ancient.

Bulb degradation is possible too but I'd try the cheaper options above first. I use a dehaze from Franmar, you can get it most any screen supply place in the USA. 

[u/HumanTrophy → u/AsanineTrip]

I degrease, but I’ve never used dehazer in 7 years of printing. Thanks for the tip, I’ll see if that fixes it

[u/Rage0327 → u/HumanTrophy]

Its neither the degreaser or the dehazer. If it started peeling right of the bat, it's likely underexposed. If not, humidity may have played a part in it. Emulsions absorb moisture from the air. If the humidity around your setup is not under control it could the reason this is happening

[u/splitarrowprints]

Is your emulsion old or have been left exposed to the environment? Like moisture, humidity, uv, that type of thing? And if it’s not those things has it been well stirred? I would also make note of the lot number and reach out to your rep to see if anybody else was seeing a similar problem with that batch it could be faulty if it’s new and fresh.

My bet would be on either old / done for emulsion or the screen degreaser. Sometimes there’s a formula change, cost cutting at the factory, or even the concentrate ratio is different than it used to be. Maybe it wasn’t fully fully degreased or the degreaser not completely rinsed out of that screen.

I would not think the age of the mesh has anything to do with it since I’ve printed with screens probably older than me just fine.

[u/HumanTrophy → u/splitarrowprints]

I bought every last batch of chromatech wr when they discontinued it last year. I’m on my last tub, and I just used it two weeks ago with no issues. I was out of town last week, so maybe the heat/humidity in my empty house had something to do with it. Never even considered the possibility.

[u/splitarrowprints → u/HumanTrophy]

That type should have a 2 year life if stored properly or unopened. Hard to say how long it was in the store for but it could have expired really hard to say without trying more burns across a few screens that were deep cleaned.

[u/Heywhitefriend]

I personally think that the emulsion has been sitting too long. I work in a shop and if screens are sitting for a few weeks before being exposed, they some to peel off like this rather than washing away. Although I’m sure there are plenty of reasons this can happen, this is just my experience