Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 11:34:41 -1000 From: Sean Doyle Message-Id: <44hoph$fm5@gate2.gdc.com> Organization: General DataComm, Inc. Subject: Re: silk screening Dyna-Kite use to silkscreen every kite they sold with a seagull. The old kites I've seen still have the seagull on them and the print is in pretty good shape. Those kites are 8 to 10 years old. I don't believe the process they used was very complicated. The reason they stopped was they were scrapping too many sails when the print didn't come out well enough. Call Dyna-Kite at (413) 283-2555 ask for John. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 08:29:50 -1000 From: samef@shout.net (Sam Francis) Message-Id: <44jrnd$k3k@treflan.shout.net> Organization: Shouting Ground Technologies Subject: Re: silk screening velensky@nbnet.nb.ca (velensky@nbnet.nb.ca) wrote: >Is it possible to silk screen on ripstop? If so, how? >Is there a simpler or more effective method of getting graphics on a sail? Kite Studio sells spray cans of paint/dye for ripstop nylon. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 20:07:44 -1000 From: johnsen@eskimo.com (Brian Johnsen) Message-Id: Organization: Tethered Airfoil R&D Pty. Ltd.(C)(R)(TM) CD CASS Subject: Re: silk screening In article <44feqi$rkb@darwin.nbnet.nb.ca>, velensky@nbnet.nb.ca wrote: >Is it possible to silk screen on ripstop? If so, how? >Is there a simpler or more effective method of getting graphics on a sail? Yes silk screening is an effective way to reproduce an image if you are planning to slap down more than a dozen or so. It's a lot more work than just painting on your image for one-offs. Check the yellow pages for a commercial silkscreen (serigraphy) supplier. They often have prefab frames with fabric already stretched and ready for use. Some also will apply your photochemical mask to the fabric if you bring in your artwork. That's the most difficult part of the process if you are not familiar with it. Most screen printing houses (except tshirts) use a vacuum table to stick the paper to the table. It's basicly an air hocky table that sucks air in instead of blowing it out. The frame and screen are hinged along the far side and blocked up off the paper about an eighth or quarter inch. The paper is positioned using cardboard stop blocks along the near side and one end so that the image will be in the same place through the production run. Screen inks are fairly thick so that they don't run through the screen. You place a ribbon of ink on one end of the screen over a section with resist on it that will be able to roll over the width of the non-resist image area. Lift the screen off the paper and load the image area with ink by drawing the ink from one end of the screen to the other with a squeegee. Swing the screen down on the table and draw the ink back the other way with the squeegee while pressing down against the paper (or ripstop). Blocking the screen up off the paper and vacuum table allows the tension in the screen to pull it back up off the paper as soon as the squeegee passes over any given point. This keeps the image from smudging. Don't press down too hard or you may stretch the image out wider than you intended. If you don't press down hard enough, the ink won't transfer properly from the screen to the paper. Takes practice. Beging by running 5 or 6 slop prints to get the ink flowing properly and test that the image is coming through. Work quickly and steadily or the ink may dry in the open parts of the screen. Every twenty prints or so, stop and clean the image area with paint thinner on a rag. Rub the top of the screen vigorously to clean thickend paint off the fibers and carefully clean the bottom surface where the mask is applied. Wipe off both sides with a dry rag and run a couple more slops before resuming with your production pieces. It's a thouroghly messy job, but someone has to do it. My paint mixing pants are very colorful to say the least. I don't reccommend trying it with one or two pieces. You need to make a bunch to make it worthwhile. If you're doing just a few pieces you might try stencils cut out of manilla paper or thick mylar and use a piece of foam rubber to dab paint through them. -- "Jerry Lewis Is Really Alien From Fantastic Planet" Warn Somolian Whiz Kids -- Brian Johnsen johnsen@eskimo.com Seattle, Washington USA = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 05:22:59 -1000 From: rlhaas@eskimo.com (Robin Haas) Message-Id: Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever Subject: Re: silk screening velensky@nbnet.nb.ca (velensky@nbnet.nb.ca) wrote: >Is it possible to silk screen on ripstop? If so, how? >Is there a simpler or more effective method of getting graphics on a sail? >Thanks >velensky@nbnet.nb.ca At the Washington State International Kite Festival this year Eric Curtis and Anne Slaboda were invited guests. They build kites that they have silk screened traditional Celtic designs onto ripstop. They apparrently are able to obtain the fabric before it is coated and silk screen it. I think Eric has posted here before so maybe he can fill in more details. Robin, The guy with the short signature = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =