Step four, screen coating!

The next step in our journey through making a screen print from beginning to end takes us to preparing the screen to be exposed. The first thing you need to do is get your materials ready. Begin with a scoop coater, emulsion, and a clean degreased screen. Make sure you are working on a surface that can get a bit dirty. In the picture below you will see the assembled materials.

Then your next step is to pour the emulsion. It is important to pour the emulsion into the center of the scoop coater. I am using a Ulano QTL photo emulsion, but no matter what kind of emulsion you are using the coating process remains the same. As you can see in the photos below I am slowly pouring the emulsion directly into the center of the scoop coater. This is important, it helps the emulsion settle evenly into the scoop coater so that you can coat with an even amount of emulsion. Don’t pour too quickly, otherwise you will create large bubbles in the emulsion that will affect the even quality of the coating.

Next, walk away for a few minutes. Let the emulsion rest for about five minutes inside the scoop coater. Even if you have hands like a surgeon some little bubbles are common. To make the process as painless as possible just allow them to surface and pop. When the emulsion is smooth, like in the picture below you are ready to begin coating.

Begin by holding the scoop coater in the center with your dominant hand. Keep the scoop coater as level as possible so that the emulsion doesn’t shift too heavily to one side. With you other hand hold the screen at a forty five degree angle by the top metal or wooden frame. Apply a thin, even pressured swipe of emulsion to the flat, back side of the screen.

Then rotate the screen around and apply another thin even pressured coat of emulsion. Beginning this coat where you ended the last one.

Finally flip the screen around, and apply a final coat to the front side of the screen with even pressure. Place your scoop coater on a flat surface and check to make sure that you have coated the screen evenly, so there are no large deposits of emulsion or areas of exposed screen. (It can take a while to get this down as the viscous quality of the emulsion can be a bit tricky to work with, practice makes perfect!) A well coated screen should have a glassy, reflective,even texture, like you see in the image below.

Next, dry your screen in either a dark room or a drying cabinet. It is important not to leave the wet screen out where dander or dust can accumulate on the surface. Also, remember when the emulsion dries it is light sensitive, so it is very important that it dries in the dark. I have a vacuum sealed drying cabinet that I slide my screens into where they can remain free of dust, and light while they dry. The general rule is to let the screen dry over night if it is being dried naturally. But always double check your emulsion for proper drying times. 

Next time we will move onto step five, and six. Making the high density ink film, and exposing the freshly coated screen!

 

 

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