Images October 2019 Digital Edition

www.images-magazine.com OCTOBER 2019 images 41 TIPS & TECHNIQUES forgotten with the influx of plastisol, or the combinations of different squeegee and flood blades may have proven too much to document for repeat jobs. Rounded profile The rounded edge of the bull nose will give great coverage, but lacks the finesse of a sharp edge and won’t create sharp-edged detail. This is a great blade when used in the correct circumstances. Whites, glitters and some foil adhesives can achieve fantastic coverage with this rubber but, as always, the trade-off between coverage and detail comes into play here – the coverage is greatly increased, but the ability to keep clean, crisp detail is reduced. I t’s easy to overlook squeegees, even though these fundamental tools of our trade are arguably one of the most important weapons in any screen printer’s arsenal. Used to push ink cleanly through the mesh, they have two basic variables which both have dramatic results on print quality – from the amount of ink deposited to the clarity of the detail, and also the amount of ‘pick-up’ from the previous ink deposits in a multi-colour print run… Blade profile A blade profile isn’t something we find on social media, nor is it something that old blades post online in a vain attempt to be swiped right by an admiring stencil looking for love! The profile is the edge and shape of a blade — and these can range from traditional square to v-shaped and even the old favourite ‘bull nose’, which is fully rounded. Square profile A square profile is the garment decorator’s preferred shape as it provides a small and precise edge to give controllable deposits of ink. It’s great for an even coverage and high detail reproduction. V profile The V profile will give a very precise edge, but lacks the ability to create solid coverage without bending too flat. It’s great for high-detail work on light colour shirts. However, it’s not a personal favourite of mine as it doesn’t give enough coverage for the average garment decoration. Half-rounded profile A half-rounded blade is not used as much now, but was a great tool for water-based inks to achieve that perfect soft feel and depth of colour. These were used as a flood bar in the early days, but I don’t find many printers still using this practice – it may have been Changing blades The edge of the blade is the only part of the squeegee that comes into contact with the stencil, in the same way that the edge of a windscreen wiper touches the glass. If the wiper blade on your car isn’t sharp, has nicks in or is degraded, it no longer performs its primary task – you’re left with a streaky windscreen until you replace the blade. But when the blade in your squeegee displays the same tendencies and no longer cleans the screen of ink, do you immediately replace the rubber? Probably not. I’ve heard many reasons for not doing this, including “it’s too expensive”, “it’s too difficult” and, my absolute favourite, “this is my favourite squeegee, I’ve had it for 10 years A blade profile isn’t something we find on social media, nor is it something that old blades post online in a vain attempt to be swiped right by an admiring stencil looking for love! Nothing last forever: changing a damaged blade can deliver an instant improvement in print quality Squeegees are often overlooked, even though they have a direct effect on print quality A composite squeegee blade, made from three blades sandwiched together I’m not changing it now”! Blades aren’t indestructible, and they aren’t meant to last forever. Changing a blade is really a lot simpler than you imagine and the results are instant. Shore The shore of a blade describes its hardness or stiffness, and how much it bends. Blades are manufactured in a variety of grades; most garment printers use a mixture of three from 65 to 85. These numbers relate to the amount of force required to bend the blade across two measured points; the higher the number, the more force is needed, so the higher the number, the harder the blade. ■ 65 shore is often coloured red and comes as standard with a new machine purchase unless you state otherwise. This is a great, flexible blade giving a good deposit, and ideal for whites through low mesh counts.