I'm a screen printer - you need "off-contact" for a cleaner print. This means a space between your printing substrate and your screen. Normally about 1/8th of an inch. You can achieve this by taping coins to the bottom of your screen, as already mentioned in the comments. If your screen is loose, you may need a little more height. You also want a really tight screen - you should be able to drop a coin on it and have it bounce. The tight screen will help shear the ink for sharper prints. Once you have done your first print, look underneath your screen to make sure there is not any ink on the bottom squeeezing out onto the emulsion..... this will also give you a blurry print. This can be caused by excess "flood" strokes, (the strokes you do to fill the screen with ink before you actually print). Typically, I only use one flood stroke. White ink is the hardest to print - it is really thick and to get opaquw prints typically needs flashing (with heat), then a second print...... which would lead to registration errors. A dark ink on a light cap would require much less ink for your "no registration" setup and probably also help a lot with bleeding. The cap needs to be as flat and tight as possible. This helps form a good gasket seal. You can try adding some foam to your platen which will help absorb some of the irregularities of the cap. Final point is to check your emulsion on the screen and make sure your washed out image is sharp! weak emulsion edges will create a weak gasket between cap and ink Love your channel - I'm dipping my toes in woodwork these days!
Richie Rich Wow, thanks so much Richie! This gives me lots of things to try out when I get more hats. The ink did bleed onto the other side of the emulsion. I may invest in some of that tack spray to stick the hat onto the platen to keep it flat. The off-contact tip sounds like a good plan too, although it seems a bit counter-intuitive. Thanks for the help!
Steve Carmichael Normally we use a "hold-down" frame which holds the cap in place and allows you to flatten it first before clamping it. Because the cap is so thick and shaped, spray tack probably won't help much. The hold down frame has a hole in the centre for you to print and the frame is just bigger than your platen. It then clamps down. As it does this it helps to tighten the cap. Check out Livingstone cap hold down frames to see what I mean. I know one printer in Ireland who made his own from wood and printed a bunch of caps that weekend! Love the invisible birdhouse this week!
@@20vK kool tips from the both of you at doing homemade screen print projects gonna have to try it myself...since i dont operate a actual printing press machine and a image printer machine too....thanks u2!
I would love a video from you explaining how you have such fervor for life.if everyone could be as nice and warm as you this world would be a better place.Great videos.
Steve you are awsome, and to the folks that have lost a lot in the last view years, and to try something different, and affordable that would not take away from their bread money in an attempt to be able to start another avenue for revenue. God Bless you and all the rest that are willing to share their knowledge.
Awesome job Steve, as you know you are the one that got me into screen printing shirts and your shirt tutorial got me started.. I'm definitely going to give this a shot!
Laney Shaughnessy Thanks Laney! You probably already have all the stuff you need. I'm still using the emulsion I bought 4 years ago. Keeping it in the fridge extends the shelf life of it, as long as you don't eat it by mistake. lol
Great video Steve! I have not done hats yet, but I can testify that your method of screenmaking, photo emulsion, bulb wattage, and exposure time from a prior screenprinting shirts video of yours, really worked great for me! Best on RU-vid! Thanks for the great videos!
Thanks for the very informative video! You're always so positive and that encouraged me to finally try screen printing this past weekend. I loved it and can't wait to try more projects again soon!
It is better to use a fluorescent CFL bulb rather than a clear incandescent. The exposure time will be reduced as the diazo emulsion is sensitive to UV light. Some screen print supply shops sell premium waterproof transparent sheets suitable for inkjet printers. These films produce true black that lets zero light through. For me, the key to an excellent screen print is a good film. Since we usually screen print on flat surfaces (safety and traffic signs), I can not advise on the hats; however, I think the method of choice to print on non-flat objects is pad printing (tampography). You have produced excellent results so far. Thank you very much for sharing.
Ali Mirjamali Thanks Ali! I've tried sunlight and flourescent too. I just tend to stick with my clear bulb since I already have the timing down pretty good. I looked into printing my own transparencies, but found that the materials cost way more than jus $1 at the copy shop. If I was going to do this for a business, I would definitely invest in pro stuff, but I'm just printing one or two pieces for me to wear occasionally.
Uncle Steve! Thank you for sharing this video. I'm getting ready to screen-print some hats and have only ever done t-shirts, so this is super helpful. Just subscribed as well! :D
Jim Coogan Yes, it's perfect for that. Here's a tip - If you use text and artwork that looks worn and rugged, like the Cheap Trick logo, then that helps to conceal misprints because they look messed up anyway.
very inspirational video.. I've been wanting to start my own line since a young boy.. this is great for learning the art.. awesome budget get around.. can't wait to get started.. thanks.
Thanks! This works fine for a diy hobby setup where things don't have to be perfect. Try it and see how you like it before you invest in pro stuff to start a business.
Robb's Homemade Life Thanks! I thought I would try the narration thing on this one to help make it a little more concise. It tested my editing skills. lol
Great instructional video, Steve. Both of your "how to screen print" videos are motivating me to give it a try. Now I just need to come up with something creative to screen print.
I was looking for plans to a hat platen and came across your video. I’m definitely making one from your design. I noticed someone said off-contact will help with the haze, also consider using another frame slightly larger than your hat platen to push down over the printing area of the hat. This will tighten up your print area and make it a lot easier for the ink to lay down flat.
Cool, I'm glad you can use the hat platen design to make one. I think I put a link in the video description to my blog post with instructions and measurements. Thanks for sharing the good tips with us too.
Great video Steve. I haven't started screen printing yet but plan on doing some hats too. By the way I'm a huge Van Halen fan and was surprised to see you did what I want to do once I buy my first tool box. I plan on doing a Black and White and black with yellow stripes too. Plus your workshop is so organized. Just the way I hope mine will be. Love it.. Keep up the good work!
Tape dimes on the underside corners of your screens to lift it off the hat a little, that way the fabric snaps back up after the squeegee passes. Gives you a cleaner print. As teenagers my friend and I made a hat press with 2x4s and a hatchet. It worked really well. Those were the days.
Rick McQuay Thanks Rick! I will definitely try that. It seems counter intuitive, since stencils work best when they are tight against the thing you are printing on.
Good job Steve! I made some T-shits a while ago they turn out great but I cut the transparent sheet with a knife and use it as a mask. I think I could use a cutter printer and cut multiple layers for speed up the process
great job Steve, always like your stuff. Deff something I would lie to try, but got so many 'would like to try's" don't know when I will get to it. But keep on trucking Steve, I love your work
Great info. Also, it was a real pleasure meeting you at the Woodworking in America last weekend. I have been following you for awhile and enjoyed talking with you. Keep up the good work!
Ricky Walden Thanks Ricky! It was great meeting you too. Just subscribed to you and checked out your videos. Looking forward to more. That birdhouse rocks!
You have a good idea, if you follow the design of heat press for caps, to build a form to print your hats I believe you will have more success.. The screen will be concave you may get some challenges putting on the mesh but I thing it will work..
Masking tape may be a better choice than duct tape. It may also fix the ink-bleeding problem. You'll also want your screens to be very taught and relatively square to your frame.
David Holcomb I usually put foam core inside a tshirt when I print on it, as a backer board. Speedball does sell a paper ink that should print on foam core with a paper face, as opposed to their fabric ink. I've never tried it though.
Carl Jacobson Thanks Carl! Yes, you can reuse the screen. Just make sure to wash all of the ink out completely before it dries. I have some shirt screens that I've used at least 100 times.
Great video and prints! I like how you made your own molding/jig for printing the hats. Maybe the tip on emulsion it to let it cure in the sun instead of bulb, but then I'm just guessing :) I remember that I did it few years ago and it worked for me. still have the screen for printing...but it's not design for workshop. :) Take care
Andrea Arzensek Thanks! Yes, the sun works too! That emulsion is magical to me. I need to look up the specifics of how it works with the light sensitive stuff.
Hi Sierra - Thanks! I put some basic instructions and dimensions in my blog article and I also sell them on Etsy. Click here to go there - www.thecarmichaelworkshop.com/2014/09/screen-printing-hats-and-caps.html
Your enthusiasm in the steps of the video had me on the edge of my seat and glad I made it to number 10!! (Haha). Seriously though, very well made video, instructional and I'm sure inspiring to many of your viewers. (Now where did I put that emulsion from your previous t-shirt print?) It was a real pleasure meeting and speaking with you Steve! Thanks for sharing.
MRrwmac It was really nice meeting you too Mac! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. You left quite the impression on me. It's nice to get confirmation that what I'm trying to do is worthwhile. Thanks for that!
Using a halogen flood light works better. Its also faster. I've been hobby printing for a few years now. I've moved on to an actual exposure unit but started with the halogen. Actually got it from ryonet where you got your emulsion. I also use their hybrid emulsion. I Stay away from water based ink. It dries too fast on the screen for me here in AZ. You should make a 4 color press. The plans are free and it would be a great series of bids on your channel. I've been thinking about making one but I have a 5 color press myself already. Oh, your bleeding is probably due to no off contact or that your screen and hat are in a fixed position. You could be twisting the screen slightly and usually hats and shirts are glued down with textile adhesive.
defleppal Thanks for the info. I would like to step up to a better quality ink that lasts longer. What kind of ink do you recommend for someone on a budget who would have to use a heat gun to heatset it?
I use plastisol ink. I get my ink and supplies from silkscreensupplies dot com. You can use a heat gun to cure it or you can place parchment paper over it and cure with an iron. I've even heard of people placing their pieces in an oven. Just watch the temp. I use a infrared temp gun. Just make sure you check a few areas to make sure the temp reaches the proper level. My ink cures at about 320 degrees. For extra curing I threw shirts in the drier for 15 minutes but that probably wasn't needed. You will need to use a solvent for clean up but they are safe to use and can go down the drain. I found using this kind of ink works best for me because its so dry here in Arizona that my screens dried even before I was able to do a second print. You can also thin this ink if you want a softer feel as well as add a puffing agent that puffs the ink for a different texture. I use a press that uses alignment pins. You could easily reproduce it with wood. I'd be happy to send pictures of my setup. Everything I use you can make in your shop with the exception of my heater.
Hi Steve loving the videos Im a new subscriber but I have been watching your library of videos nearly caught up Its a great channel. Id be interested in one of the hats when you get a few printed. I could be the only one in South Australia at least till my friends find out. Cheers keep up the great videos Jake
Hello i have a question for you.. I have been trying to print on PLASTIC boxes and possibly even Vinyl sticker sheets ; i was wondering what the best INK to use on plastic and or any other surface that is not Fabric garment. I watched your video on printing foam hats and that was helpful ! i am wondering if i shoud purchase Water Based ink, Solvent based ink or just make stickers. Im thinking Water Based Ink will allow me to print on my Vinyl , Plastic, and Foam Trucker hats... Plastisol inks will not work thanks !
It's pretty simple, just cut 4 pieces of wood and glue them together. Instructions are in my blog post here, or you can buy one from me and have it in 3 days - www.thecarmichaelworkshop.com/2014/09/screen-printing-hats-and-caps.html
Thanks Steve. That's the quickest way to make a hat platen I've seen. 1), You under exposed if the screen washes out. You over exposed if it doesn't. If you move the light down to 12" you can expose in 1/4 the time. Do you have the dimensions for the Hat Platen you made?
The Buttress Hey, I'm not sure of the exact name but it's a small gray rectangle of rubber/vinyl material about 3"x4". If you go to where the screenprinting ink is, it's on a shelf near that. I will see what it's called the next time I'm there.
you could also use a window tinting squeegee and when i worked at penneys we got them every time we got new vinyl wall paper so could look for those types of suppliers
Thanks again for you best video and explain thanks ,,please can you send information about the first step , wherevis can buy and the real name thanks thanks
great video! I know it's a late comment but can I get more info on the curtain material you use? what do I look for when I go to the store?? thanks in advance
+JMANGOS I get it at Hobby Lobby. It's called sheer curtain fabric. There will be a roll of white and off-white. The color doesn't matter. If you look closely at it, it is a fine mesh grid of threads with tiny square openings where the ink can pass through.
I started making shirts with your shirt tutorial. I made a small screen for a small logo, I just have a few questions. where can I find the little piece of squeegee you used in this video? also, what kind of clamps are those you used to make the small screen?
Hey, it's cool you got started printing too! The squeegee came from Hobby Lobby and I think it was with the screenprinting supplies. The clamps are quick grip clamps from Harbor Freight.
