Serious question, do you guys expose your screens in the same room where you print?

I set up my whole operation in my basement and after 6 months I realized the humidity was messing with my emulsion every time because my dehumidifier couldn't keep up. All my fine detail was washing out on the first spray of water and I blamed the emulsion brand for months. Has anyone else dealt with environmental factors ruining their burn quality?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_jackson13d ago

Actually that's just a coating issue not an environment problem. A good emulsion with the right solids content will hold up in 70% humidity no problem. I've burned screens in a damp basement for years with zero issues because I switched to a high solids diazo emulsion and doubled my exposure time. The water in the air doesn't kill a burn if the emulsion is thick enough and properly degreased beforehand.

olivia_wilson13d ago

You mentioned the humidity wrecking your emulsion and I had the same exact problem with my garage setup. I spent three months thinking I was just bad at mixing chemicals or something. Turns out my space had this weird draft that came through a gap in the window frame every time the wind blew and it made the emulsion cure uneven. I used a space heater to dry the room out before burning and that helped a little but then the heat made the screen warp. So now I keep a hygrometer in there and only burn when the humidity is under 50 percent. It's a real pain but the details finally hold up.

hall.charles13d ago

Olivia Wilson's garage draft story reminds me of when I found out my pressure washer was blowing dust onto wet screens.