Originally published 12/5/2011
In your quest for purchasing supplies for your screen printing shop you'll no doubt find many suppliers ready and anxious to sell you a washout booth for $1200-$1500, an exposure table for anywhere from $500-$2000, and a dry box for, well, who knows how much. That's a lot of money. We found that, instead of buying said supplies, the very same type of product can be built for a small fraction of the cost. Click "Read More" below to check out our tips.
In your quest for purchasing supplies for your screen printing shop you'll no doubt find many suppliers ready and anxious to sell you a washout booth for $1200-$1500, an exposure table for anywhere from $500-$2000, and a dry box for, well, who knows how much. That's a lot of money. We found that, instead of buying said supplies, the very same type of product can be built for a small fraction of the cost. Click "Read More" below to check out our tips.
Washout Booth - Save a lot of money working up a simple but excellent washout booth. Get a double utility sink from Home Depot ($40-$90) and cut out the center divider. This will give plenty of room for the screens. Take a piece of translucent white plastic ($40) and heat it with a torch to get the bends. Next hang a florescent light on the back and away you go...hours of good times. We never saw the need for $1200-$1500 special power washers. This $80 winner will wash thousands
of screens, no problem. If you are worried, go for the $17 extended warranty.
Exposure Table - Build a small frame with wooden 2x4 planks, sized to suit your needs (larger if you're going to be using oversize screens). Make sure that it's tall enough to fit the flourescent lights with about 3-5" space above. Next, get a large piece of glass to fit over the frame, and . . . you've got yourself an exposure table. Our method? Put a piece of black cloth on the back of the screen, set a heavy piece of wood cut to fit the screens on the back of the screen, turn the lights on, and expose. Our exposure time runs at 30 seconds for a full exposure with full capabilities to capture highly detailed halftoning.
Dry Box - Another lo-fi original....Crappy wood framed box with a small heater and fan has served me well for years. It was built for around $20 and can hold 30-40 screens. We can force dry a screen set in 20-30 minutes for that last minute scramble job.
Obviously we're simplifying the descriptions a bit for this post, but if you want any tips let us know. We'd be happy to help.
of screens, no problem. If you are worried, go for the $17 extended warranty.
Exposure Table - Build a small frame with wooden 2x4 planks, sized to suit your needs (larger if you're going to be using oversize screens). Make sure that it's tall enough to fit the flourescent lights with about 3-5" space above. Next, get a large piece of glass to fit over the frame, and . . . you've got yourself an exposure table. Our method? Put a piece of black cloth on the back of the screen, set a heavy piece of wood cut to fit the screens on the back of the screen, turn the lights on, and expose. Our exposure time runs at 30 seconds for a full exposure with full capabilities to capture highly detailed halftoning.
Dry Box - Another lo-fi original....Crappy wood framed box with a small heater and fan has served me well for years. It was built for around $20 and can hold 30-40 screens. We can force dry a screen set in 20-30 minutes for that last minute scramble job.
Obviously we're simplifying the descriptions a bit for this post, but if you want any tips let us know. We'd be happy to help.
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