OK - So I fired up the auto to show off how cool it is for some friends....Turned on the air and the flash unit. Didn't realize the air preassure wasn't building up and didn't reset the position of the flash.  Left the room-

15 minutes later came back in to a cloud of failure-
Lucky that Vastex has top coat rubber in stock and got some the next day-
Just a matter of time until I do it again so I bought extra -

First thing is to get the old/ruined top coat off.  Best to heat it up and pull with pliers.  When it is cold it wil not budge.  Next I sanded/cleaned all the old adhesive off. You have to use a high heat adhesive made just for this purpose. Vastex has both. Next I cut the new piece 1/2" bigger than needed. You apply glue with a roller to both pieces.  You only get one shot at it so I put the top coat on the glass of the exposure unit "crap box" and brought the pallet down to meet it in a "hindge method". Stack some weight on it, say a prayer, and let it sit overnight. Trim it after dry.  We have done a bunch of these and had pretty good luck. The trick is a clean smooth surface and even pressure.  The only one I screwed up was due to dirt on the table. I was in a hurry and it left a divit in the material. Dar.....

There are a couple add-ons for the auto that you can get.  One is the auto advance foot switch.  We highly recommend this one.  If you are running it alone it makes it a lot smoother. You can order a super industrial one but we found one on ebay (actually 2) for $9. So if one breaks we have a backup.

There also is the add-on missed shirt sensor. Really expensive at $1500 without a real substitute....
Sounded really cool but once you get through the learning curve we don't really see the need. Keeps you on your toes!

Superball Sunday!!! And the Niners are playing!

Actually the better score is the "old" flat screens people throw out or sell cheap because they need  a 120" Hi-Def .

Mount one near your print area to proof art and check reg/colors. We have an extra long vga cable run into the office computer.

Also once you are set up printing can be insanely boring. Thanks Netflix!!!

Here is an example of an oversized print. This one is 22"x25"...pretty much our max.  We made two oversized aluminum pallets with a rubberized top coat. 1-2 color prints are the easiest and give the best results.

The new Vastex dryer is awesome. Not only is it fully digital and keeps the temp within +/-1 degree of the setting, it has a great exhaust system to pipe the stink right out of your shop.  It is only a 30" wide belt but we can set it to run a ton more shirts than the last one that was twice the size. This is a real plus because it is fully portable to use on each press we have and even 2 jobs at a time. We looked into the bigger 54" but with the pillars down the middle of the room it would have been too tight. 

Using the built in fan system we vented it right through the wall. And with the flexible piping the whole unit can spin 360 degrees. In the old days the shop would have a haze...and it wasn't vitamins.  With a few added pedestal fans it makes a way better printing environment.

New style flood bars from the guys at Martin Supply in Baltimore.
  http://www.martinsignandscreen.com/ 
These are great due to the  little wings on the sides. These keep the ink in the image area a lot  better than the standard bars.  If you ever need tech or sales help give  Jon Meller a holler at Martin.  He is the master of tech with all screen  machines and dryers from manual to autos. Plus he knows about all the  available products from one end to the other.

Most printers seem to be from one school (manual) or the other (automatic) and think the
other is not the way to go.

Until the last six months Hi-Voltage was manual only. We figured auto was out of reach financially.  Human nature says “if you can't afford it.... it's stupid”.

Well, after a week of 3AM printing on some huge orders we saw a place for a small M&R auto
that a friend hooked up at a great price. Instantly we saw the need for both types of printing.  Printers are always asking which is better so here is our two cents:

Manual– super fast setup especially for sampling (Vastex HD2000)
Auto– getting faster but still 2-3 times the setup

Manual– orders under 75 pieces still go on these
Auto– you can do 500 4-5 color prints and still move your arms

Manual– slick when doing more “art” style prints with lots of halftones
Auto-  simple 1-2 color prints fly at 250-350  an hour

Manual-tight registration is awesome on a good press
Auto– same thing if you originally calibrate the press correctly

In short a good shop should have both.  Each has a place. In the past we talked about the lo-fi
method of saving money building your own equipment.  We have had some real turkeys in that world from our first welded up homemade press to 35 year old dryers......so many swears...

Save your 3AM print dough and focus on a modern press and dryer combo. We recommend something in the 5 year or newer era. If you are serious about printing you won't regret it.

If you've read any of our other posts you know that we often find that home built screen printing equipment (except for presses and dryers) is our preferred kind of equipment: it works great and is much easier on the wallet. Mike just built this new dry box for the larger screens for the automatic press. Sure, it's ugly, but with some sheeting, 2x4's, 1x1's, and a $15 ceramic heater we have a choice place to hang more posters . . . plus some extra money in the bank.

A cold weather tip: put a timer on the heater so you can set the dry time as well as preheat the screens in colder months. We've found that the warmer screens burn quicker/cleaner in the winter.

We finally had to pull the trigger on a new Vastex conveyor dryer to keep up with the auto.  After a trip up to Vastex in Allentown PA we were sold.  Their equipment is second-to-none and the warranty is crazy -  25 years on the press and 15 on the dryers!  Mike has tried a ton of presses and the HD2000 is the best. He can set up a simulated 6 color print in under 15 minutes.  Give Mark a call at www.Vastex.com and he will hook you up with the best money making  equipment.

We've mentioned the utility carts in the past but Mike loves keeping the base colors like white and black nearby on the big jobs so you are not running across the room dropping ink on the floor.
Done  it!