RhinoTech Produces: How to Prepare a Newly Stretched Textile Screen Printing Frame

HERE IS THE STRAIGHT-FORWARD RECIPE FOR SUCCESSFUL SCREEN PREP OF A NEWLY STRETCHED TEXTILE SCREEN PRINTING FRAME.

To begin this simple, quick and easy process:
1) place the screen in the RhinoTech Washout Booth so that you have an accessible work space complete with water. This self-contained unit will allow you to apply the screen prep and then rinse it off easily with no mess.

2) apply RhinoTech SPG 2255 to the entire screen using a circular motion. Scrub it in thoroughly on both sides. Not only will it degrease the screen, it will abrade it ever so lightly so that when applying capillary films, the result will be a superior bond mesh.

3) rinse the screen on both sides. If you are using capillary film, it is ready to be applied.

4) if you are using emulsion, first place screen in the RhinoTech Screen Drying Rack until the screen dries thoroughly before coating.

Your cleaned screen will now serve you through many, many screen printing jobs! View a demo of "How to Prep a Screen" here and on YouTube.com :


www.rhinotechinc.com

A Discovery in Minneapolis by RhinoTech!

We've discovered a great shop in Minneapolis, Birch Clothing, that offers stylish clothing from beautiful, organic cotton and bamboo for both men and women. Plus, they have gift items, a beautiful skin care line, outrageous hand bags, scarves, soy candles and yoga gear. We like their attitude and their attention to "fair-trade". And it has been especially revealing, in discussions with the owner and general manager, with regard to their interest in the screen printing process and desire for garments utilizing a low-impact process.

Julie and Julia and screenprinting.

Just saw Julie and Julia- a great laugh made even funnier when thinking of Dan Ackroyd as Julia Child on Saturday Night Live those many years ago! She is the epitome of perseverance; working on a cook book for eight years, rewriting it etc. and then after rejection, finally seeing her first book published. She really was bigger than life and demonstrated, yet again, that even when facing tough times (like our current economy), creativity and pushing through can and will enable us all to maintain! RhinoTech continues to be creative in product offerings such as RhinoBond ~ Crystal for embroiderers looking for a great adhesive with long lasting staying power. The same holds true for its counterpart for screen printers with RhinoBond and RhinoMite and all other bold "green" chemical offerings (http://www.rhinotechinc.com).

RhinoTech finds Transfer-Direct.com intriguing!

Wanted to share this new product with you that we’ve seen in action! Transfer-Direct.com offered us a hands-on view of a heat transfer, direct-to-garment printing system. It mirrors a screen-print with no ink or screens; difficult to tell the difference. It can be used to heat transfer print directly onto ceramic, plastic, metal, acrylic, wood, magnets, leather and more. To see for yourself, go to transfer-direct.com. We think you'll be amazed.

RhinoTech's answer to the most asked Screen Printing question - How Do I Stretch A Screen?

HOW DO I STRETCH A FRAME? Here is the answer and “how-to” for new screen printers and those interested in upping their in-house excellence with RhinoBond Adhesives from RhinoTech.

1. PREPARATION
A new aluminum screen must have its surface prepared first so there will be no adhesive failure! In fact, all new or bare frame surfaces must be cleaned prior to beginning the stretching process.

• With the aluminum frame, the surface needs to be either ground or sandblasted to reduce the oxide build-up on the surface. This will enable the most surface area as possible in which to apply RhinoBond adhesive. This will help to ensure a strong bond between the frame and mesh.

• Using a Hand Grinder, such as the Dewalt DW400 4 ½” Angle Grinder with a Grinding Wheel for metal, roughen the surface of the frame working in a circular fashion.

• Wipe the frame surface with a cloth that has a small amount of solvent such as ethyl acetate or acetone. This will remove dust, dirt and other contaminants.

2. STRETCHING THE MESH

• Stretch the mesh over the frame, making sure that the frame is in direct contact with the fabric (any gap between the frame and fabric will result in a poor bond).

• Now that the mesh has been stretched tightly and is in contact with your frame, apply a small bead of adhesive onto the frame with your squeegee and spread it over the surface of the frame.

NOTE: RhinoBond Instant Frame Adhesive comes in a variety of viscosities (the lower the number, the thinner the product). Low viscosity adhesives are designed to be used with high mesh counts such as 280, 305, 355 etc.

3. APPLYING THE ACTIVATOR/PRIMER

• Now that you have applied the RhinoBond adhesive, use either RBP1500 Pump Spray or RBP1500A Aerosol activator/primer to dry the adhesive. Once sprayed, it will dry in approximately 15-30 seconds.

NOTE: the RhinoBond adhesive is sensitive to RBP 1500 Pump Spray or RBP 1500A Aerosol so…very lightly, spray the activator onto the frame from a distance of at least 10”-12” (25-30 cm). If you spray on to much it will cause the adhesive to turn white and ruin the bond.

• After spraying on the activator, press down on and smooth the fabric to help insure proper frame to fabric contact.

The frame is now ready for production.

When the frame needs to be re-stretched, simply peel off the mesh. If the surface remains smooth, simply follow Sections 2 and 3.

If the surface is not smooth, begin at Section 1 and repeat steps.


For more information call RhinoTech at 651-686 5027; info@rhinotechinc.com

We knew Tom Frecska in his 20’s and cheered his accomplishments as he made his way up through the ranks at Screen Printing magazine. We were in awe of his writing skills, enjoyed his sense of humor, have been grateful for his kindness and constructive criticism of our feature submissions to the magazine. Like our colleagues, we are devastated by his early death. Tom’s many gifts as a human being, an editor and friend will be remembered and missed by all of us at RhinoTech.

Helping screen printers stay viable!

The pages of our industry’s magazines are shrinking. We noted just 44 in the last issue of Screen Printing magazine. Is our industry really shrinking too? We’ve observed that screen printers are trying to spend wisely regarding on-going supply needs and new equipment purchases. And there’s a question in that too - will purchases be strictly based on price or will brand loyalty preside? We’ve heard both. We urge a conversation if a change in supplies is strictly based on price. In this economy, it’s worth it. Talk to us. info@rhinotechinc.com.