Comments | _ladyvader_: Back on Track!

_ladyvader_

Back on Track!

Jul 12, 2010 21:07

Great news! I have some help!

We talked today about screen printing issues with these costumes and she had a lot of pointers for me. She has also agreed to not only help me out but she will be doing the artwork/coating/and burning the screen process herself at her screen printing shop, because they have the best screens, emulsion and equipment to ( Read more... )

screen printing, star trek, uhura, dragoncon

Comments 6

laughingmagpie July 13 2010, 14:28:46 UTC

Wow - this is fascinating! I'm really looking forward to hearing about all you learn. I'd love to set up screen-printing myself someday.

_ladyvader_ July 15 2010, 02:21:19 UTC

Thanks! Right now I'm working the kinks out of the acid dye printing mixture. I emailed Jacquard because their instructions were a little vague for me being a newbie. My cousin is working on the artwork now, so hopefully I'll have something to post soon.

Printing table anonymous July 24 2010, 22:34:45 UTC

In the textile printing class that I took we used portable printing surfaces. They were made from a piece of 1" insulation board that was about the same size as the folding tables in the classroom (3'X6'). Stapled onto the board were 2 layers of synthetic felt, covered by medium weight clear vinyl (available at JoAnn fab in the upholstery department). A layer of ordinary muslin was pinned to the surface to absorb any dye paste that bled through the master fabric. The advantage of the thick board is that you can pin directly into it with T pins, and it is very light. When not in use we stored them against the wall. Home Depot will cut the insulation board to order- I found that the scraps were great for small projects like blocking knitwear.

Re: Printing table mirkwoodsqueen July 24 2010, 22:36:52 UTC

I wasn't logged on when I posted the comment above--duh.

Re: Printing table _ladyvader_ July 26 2010, 04:34:50 UTC

Thank you so much for the info! I will let my cousin know and I'll try to rig up something similar. I think the more control we have over everything will help the quality a lot! Thanks once again, Mirkwoods!

Re: Printing table anonymous July 26 2010, 05:34:49 UTC

Anytime! Feel free to PM me if you need to. In rereading your post- I can also say that finer detail in the design requires a finer mesh screen. And there are two types of alginate used for dyepaste, the regular stuff for printing on cotton, and alginate F for finer fabrics like silk. I believe the F version is also recommended for finer designs. Earth Guild in Asheville carries both.