Here’s my first attempt at structure a silk-screen printing press. Video excellence is a C- I’m planning on recording a fresh one with more detailed info on how to construct.
Learn the fundamentals to silk screening to make wonderful shirts, linens, etc.
Complexity: Moderately simple
Instructions
Take the image that you want to print and print it, or have it printed or photocopied onto a transparency at maximum darkness. Remember that a lot of fine lines resolve be a lot harder to get right, and if you are not a specialist at this, you may have trouble. The image on the transparency needs to be very dark because the image won’t transfer to the screen properly if light gets through it. Hold the transparency up and make sure that every the lines in the image or dark and solid.
Take the picture frames apart, removing every one metal pieces, etc. that may be attached to it. Save the glass from the frames, particularly the smaller frame. Stretch your screen (mesh or curtain) over the frame evenly. (This is a suggestion on stretching, feel free to do what works for you!) Stretching the cloth nice and tight and flat without ripping it.
Staple the cloth to the side of the frame, using one staple per each side of the frame so that the stretched area of the cloth is in a diamond shape. The staples should each be in the middle of each side, not at the corners. Once you have that, start on one side and stretch and staple your way to the corners, then continue to the other sides, always starting from one of the first four staples. However you stretch the cloth, it needs to be tight and flat. Cut off excess fabric, careful not to cut too close to the staples or it might fray and tear.
SPREAD PHOTO EMULSION ONTO SCREEN
Try doing this step in a somewhat darkish region as light may cause some problems, though with enough light so as to you can see what you are doing. Mix the emulsion plus activator bottles as per the directions on the bottles. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. Pour a number of emulsions onto the screen and spread it in a thin and even layer on both sides. Try to avoid drips as best as you can, and get it as even as you can. Place the screen in a dark area to dry for at least 2 hours, or until it is no longer sticky. Once it is dry, go right to the after that step because waiting too long may damage the quality of the emulsion.
CREATE YOUR IMAGE ON THE SCREEN
Ok, so the screen is dry and you already have your image on transparency. Now you need to lay the screen down, indented side upward, onto your black cloth (whichever type you purchased).
This needs to be done outside and in sunlight, even on a cloudy day the rays can still get through. Place your transparency inside the indented area so that it reads correctly left to right. Then lay the smaller glass from the smaller frame on top of the transparency for the added pressure needed for the transfer. Leave it there for a while, at least 15 minutes or a little longer if it is not sunny.) The sunnier it is, the quicker this will be. It is also suggested that another light source, such as a task lamp or flood light can create the same result. I have not tried this yet.
RINSE THE SCREEN
Take the silkscreen and use a garden hose or some other source of water pressure to rinse off the emulsion. A good amount of water pressure resolve help this process along. Rub the silkscreen to wash out the emulsion or use a rag but be careful not to damage the silkscreen. Try to do this quickly so that the emulsion doesn’t harden, which will create it tougher to remove. If the image was opaque enough, the emulsion should not have hardened under it and all should be fine.
START TO PRINT
Put a few masking tape around the edges of the silkscreen to avoid leakage in those areas. As always, protect your workspace with some newspaper or other means (a cheap plastic table cloth from the dollar store?) Place the screen down onto the fabric that you are going to print on. If it is something like a shirt, you can place a large piece of paper or cardboard inside the shirt to keep anything from leaking to the back.
The silkscreen should be placed so that the flat side is on the fabric and the indented side is facing you. Now, put some-printing ink along the top side of the indented area of the screen and pull the ink down over the image using the scoop coater, art squeegee, or straight edge of a piece of cardboard (whichever works for you.) Be careful that the screen does not move during this, or you may smudge your image. Hold it down firmly and pull a nice even amount of ink over your image.
Then, lift the screen off, careful again not to move it or slide it off the fabric. You should see your image there. Have fun with it. Once you get really good at this, you can introduce finer lines in your images or try with a color (which requires each color to be done in a separate layer from each other color usually.) You can also try using objects instead of a transparency image such as lace, leaves, some type of doily. Have fun and good printing!