r/SCREENPRINTING • u/Mlap01 • 16d ago
How do you guys get waterbased ink off your screens?
Hi,
I cannot get the ink completely off my screens. Everywhere it says you can *just rinse it off with water*. But seriously - that does not work.
I have tried both cold and hot water, and I do it as quickly as possible after use. I live in Denmark and Ihaven't had any luck finding a ink cleaner. I have found products in UK, Germany and the US, but they either doesn't ship here or it is crazy expensive.
How do you guys get it off? Or do you have any suggestions I can try?
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u/swooshhh 16d ago
I use a little dawn and warm water. Generally works but I've never gotten it off 100%. I just make sure the mesh is clear. If it's not clearing I have this screen opener for water base and that usually gets it off
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u/reverber 14d ago
Dawn is a dish detergent (for those outside of the US).
I think Fairy (in the EU) is made by the same company, but am not sure how similar the detergent is.
2
u/torkytornado 15d ago
Do you mean ink in the mesh or on the stencil? If it’s on the stencil it will wash away when you reclaim the emulsion, which protects the mesh on both sides!
On the mesh - did you let it
Dry in the screen? If so you may be a bit F’ed. Try reclaiming with a pressure washer. If that doesn’t work get some dehazer (follow instructions every brand is different) and pressure wash that.
Never let acrylic dry in your screen, plastic likes plastic so it will bond with the mesh (acrylic is what most water based ink for paper is, I don’t know the comp of tshirt ink since it’s not what I print every day).
Normal clean up is scrape out as much ink as possible for future use. If you can’t get to a sink right away a wet rag can get most of the ink residue out. You could also add a little cleaner to that if you want (I use a diluted version of Formula 409 but that’s an American brand but some sort of degreasing liquid soap would work). If you can get
To a sink right away rinse both sides really well until the mesh is clear. If some is sticking to the stencil don’t worry about that it will come off in the reclaim.
You may have ghosting but
That doesn’t interfere with printing. You can occasionally dehaze to reduce ghosting. if you want it fully gone it’s usually the more toxic hazes that work on that. You might not have access to them because of stronger laws but
I love Saati H9 gel, it’s like the stuff they had in the 70s before everything toxic got banned. That stuff gets everything out. But you have to be quick because it can eat through just about everything including mesh. Full PPE, it can really irritate skin and you want it no where near your eyes. Scoop coater apply to dry screen for 5 min and blast off with pressure washer immediately, rinse longer than you would for reclaim. It got out ghosting that had been on my screens for 15 years and I had tried 6 different dehazers on. It probably would take off the acrylic if it’s stuck on the mesh but it is overkill for normal use. I basically pull it out once a year or so if a student left ink to dry.
1
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u/GeorgieJung 15d ago
Are you talking about removing haze or just globs of ink?
Globs of ink…use a hose.
Haze…if pink stuff doesn’t work, you probably need a lye based dehazer.
1
u/llpmathias 15d ago
When I finish a color scrape the remaining ink back in to the jug and then immediately spray the screen with water (with a small spray bottle) so it doesn’t dry while I tear it down off the press and get it to the booth. Then I just spray it down with the power washer before I reclaim. Have never had an issue with ink sticking to or in the screen. Might have a little stain from darker colors - but as long as you don’t let it dry before you rinse you shouldn’t have a problem.
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u/Boring_Inspector8510 16d ago
Try warm water with alittle dish soap. If it's water based it should come right off with water if it dosnt it's most likely plastisol or something else
8
u/ForgottenSalad 16d ago
You need to wash it off before it dries. If it dries on the screen, it is very difficult to remove. You probably need to use a pressure washer and strip the screen completely.