Brotato

I’m still pretty green to making things but I’d be interested as well. I do not have a business… yet.. but I already have experienced the FO conundrum for both soap and candles. Would love some more reliability and stability especially if/when I start selling. Sounds like a great idea to me!

Yay! I’m so glad 😃 you’ve got this!!

One last note, if you can survive creating candles given the wax/wick/FO/vessel combination debacle, I am convinced your a genius or saint or both and am BEYOND confident you can and will become a screen printer 🙃

You are quite welcome! I went down the rabbit hole the other day haha! Sorry for the information overload I think it’s great that you want to master a new skill and your reasons for it. I also LOVE the warped sense of humor and wood idea. That is brilliant! You really can do so much once you get a process down. I definitely would give it a go. I am so confident you’ll get the hang of it Another thing you can look for that may be a worthy investment, given your goals, is if a community college nearby has a class. I learned in a career tech program in high school through the CC I ended up going too. Excellent teachers and typically they are professionals in the field and have reasonably priced classes. Here in Ohio you can audit a class for much cheaper if you don’t need credit for it. It can save you a ton of time troubleshooting, learning equipment, products etc. One day I’ll get the the ceramics class at ours. I won’t lie that IKON art kit does look very cool from a quick glance. It does look like it can do a variety of things also. If you have the means, it looks as if it can get you going while you learn other processes. Or you may find it fits your needs perfectly. one thing with learning something new that’s involved like screen printing (not that I, myself, take my own advice, I prefer banging my head against a wall 😂 ) would be to chunk it off into small sections. JUST get good at coating screens. Coat then reclaim them a few times until you get the technique. THEN try exposing them. It won’t be as frustrating because you’ll be so good at coating them. Etc etc. baby steps will build up your confidence as well. I don’t know about you but I can get overwhelmed when trying to teach myself something new. Don’t be afraid of messing up because you will! But as you said that’s what screen reclaiming is for, no harm no foul. I messed up a ton and I had someone there showing me everything. once you get this down and print your first bag or tea towel all of the pain will be worth it! Screen printing is awesome and worth the effort in my opinion. I used to make my own tshirts all the time, hoodies, etc with designs no one else had. Things I drew. Was super fun. Used to gift them as well. Custom sports and school shirts. Possibilities really are endless. Won’t lie, you’ve also got me eyeballing that ikon art system just for fun 🤔 I’ll start buttering up my husband to the idea and see how it goes 🤣 Definitely let me know if you get stuck or need anything at all and I will do my best to help!

you could also try something like this depending on the intricacy of your design. Downside would be the screen won’t last that long I wouldn’t think and seems tedious. I could also see ink possibly getting under the stencil with repeated use.

this guy also has some great tips on coating a screen. If you get your emulsion too thick you can use that sharper edge as well to scrape it off and then give it another go. I personally like the technique of angling the screen to coat rather than against the wall. I feel like I have more control, just my personal preference though and how I learned.

You are quite welcome! You’ve done it for me with candles so I am thrilled to hopefully return the favor! You definitely should try. I’m certain you will get a good process down, just may take some trial and error to get a home set up. I think swapping screens like that may be a pain unfortunately. If it’s not a rigid insert your image would be probably more frustrating than not to get aligned so it wouldn’t be distorted. The screens also have to be very very tight. Drum like. to be completely honest I’m not sure what watt light you would want to use at home. The position I was in was we had an exposure unit since I was either in class or working at a business 😆 I would say the stronger the bulb the less time you would need to expose. if I was creating my own area to expose a screen at home I think this gal does a pretty nice job. I do agree with some of the comments to dry the screen horizontally. We had racks they would slide into but one comment said they used some cups to set it up. Agree with using the fan too. Does the emulsion you purchased offer any instructions on timing or exposure strength? When you apply you want a thin coat on both sides of the screen when you apply it. Think multiple very thin coats (all at one time, no dry time in between) and should be no drips or gooey areas. I used to coat one side a few times and then the other. Just so there’s a nice, thin but solid, even coat. No screen exposed except your edges. Will be dry to the touch and not tacky before exposure. She created an exposure unit with a work lamp and I think that is where I personally would start trying. I would use her glass like she did and foam to create a nice tight area for the image. This will help keep crisp lines as less chance of light getting through. You can use block out or emulsion with a paint brush to fine tune the image and we use to use a fine needle to poke out any trouble areas that did not rinse out. If you read through the comments she had a brilliant idea as well about testing your emulsion during exposure. She recommended putting a piece of paper over a portion of the design and moving it in set increments so you could see how well the different times held the design. Then you would be able to narrow down an appropriate burn time. I imagine in will vary based on the emulsion and light set up you choose. I think wood or aluminum screens are fine. Pros like the aluminum for their longevity and no warping of the frame over time. How many sized bags do you have? For smaller bags you can put multiple images on a screen as well if it’s a standard sized screen. Just make sure if you’re using a press you rotate the image facing away from one another so you can rotate the screen where it will reach your platform. Hopefully that makes sense. If they are very small images you could possible put 4 images on one screen and you just block off the images with painters tape that are not in use so no ink accidentally sneaks through. You’ll tape up your edges as well- you only want the image you are printing open when applying ink. You would use a smaller squeegee as well that’s appropriate for the image size. the ikon art starter set does indeed look pretty awesome with a quick glance. I agree with you on the price tag though. The other thing I can think of, I’d you’re planning on keeping multiple screens for a long time rather than changing them out often, the route I would personally consider trying as well would be seeing if a local screen shop would burn your screens for you. It really would take them no time at all and save you the space of the set up, dark room etc. unless of course you want the freedoms and fun of doing your own and from reading your posts I’d imagine you’re up to the challenge! You could end up with another business it is quite fun to print your own stuff. hopefully all of that makes sense. Ima very visual person so let me know if you need clarification and I will look for some images the further illustrate some of those ideas.

Of course! Absolutely happy to help if i can! 😁 sounds like you are on the right track and I would definitely recommend a true screen printing screen. A lot will come down to technique but the good news is once you get your screens made they are reusable almost indefinitely. There may come a time when you need to make a new one just from wear and tear but as long as you handle them with care they should last a long time if you are using emulsion. I use to store several for reuse when orders would come in. Did your screen come with a trough like tool to load the emulsion onto it? If you can link to what you bought too I can definitely take a look at it. I do think a lot of the issue will come down to technique. When I make shirts we spray a workable fixative, very minimally, to a board platform to hold the fabric steady and flat. The screen is loaded to an arm and use a squeegee to pull the ink over the screen. The ink was then immediately cured with heat before removing from the platform or adding additional colors. also are your inks rather runny? Or are they on the thicker side? Do they require heat to cure? Screen printing ink tends to be thicker but kind of loosens up as you work it. I would load a screen and do several test prints then it’s almost as if the combo gets “warmed up”. the other option close to stamping i can think of would be something like printmaking where you crest a permanent stamp and use a brayer to load the ink, press, etc might work. is it the stencil itself causing the bleeding edges or is it the ink bleeding into the muslin fabric? I’ll do some research for some good videos this weekend demonstrating what I think may work for your setup!

I haven’t been on here in a while but I’ve learned so much from your posts and would love to return the favor if I can be of help. I used to run production in a small screen printing shop many years ago. I also did some during my graphic design studies. I’d be happy to help in any way. I’ve typically don’t clothing, is that what you’re trying to do? What are you struggling with? What’s your current set up?

Welcome! This is the BEST place to learn!

These are beautiful!! Congratulations! I LOVE the containers

Interesting, thanks so much!

Thank you! That makes perfect sense now that you say it. I was reading through some old threads about oil warmers and seeing people worried about smoking or steam? And I wasn't sure if it translated into the salt. It makes sense though since the FO is essentially absorbed into it? I'm going to the store today and may have to grab a bag to play with! I'm intrigued by this idea. It's been a very l long couple of weeks with some family things going on and I am very interested it something easy and rewarding I think these will look beautiful and make great gifts for Christmas. I'm also thinking of ditching jelly jars since I am struggling to wick it with soy. I should have just gone straight sided. Anyway, I have a few and I think these salts would look really pretty in them Thanks again for your advice!

Hi TallTayl! I know you’re a stickler for safety and I appreciate that so much so I’ll ask you this. It may have been mentioned in here but I’m seeing different things. Are these salts safe for the warmer just FO and micas? I am thinking so but always want to be sure. I know they’re fine just as a potpourri. I think I may take a break from candle frustrations and work on something easier. TIA!

Certainly sounds like a lovely and interesting trip and so glad you had a good time! I'm in Ohio and if you go out far enough you can find Amish country. It's quite amazing and beautiful!

That’s amazing! Will definitely be excited to see what you come up with. Didn’t realize the shape was patented.

I got just a tad excited about FO's 🤣 But I should also say, glad your trip was fun! Is Waco where Chip and Joanna Gaines reside? Id be so interested to see their houses. I also love Amish stuff! I think their way of life is so fascinating. Part of me wishes they would adopt me.

That's so cool! She seems like a lovely person. I got my order today and I am so excited about them. I got what a lot of you recommended. Lavender, Cedar Musk and Lavender (I really think my husband will like this one) Blazing Bonfire, Blueberry Pecan Waffles, Marshmallow Fireside, Fresh Mint and Eucalyptus, Espresso (excited about this one been looking for a good coffee FO), and Cocoa Cashmere. Let's just say I can't wait to pour some candles 😍 They all smell great! Very impressed.

Yes! Thank you! I am already becoming spoiled by homemade soap. It's sooooooo much better, I had no idea or I'd have tried it sooner. I figure since it's my first batch and I didn't work too much on making it pretty I'd just use it as I go and note how long each subsequent bar has been used. I use to use dove and my skin is already better. It's kind of crazy actually. Much, much different. I tried a scrubby bar for my husband too as he likes to work on trucks. It was predominantly coconut oil and I added some apricot powder and a few coffee grounds to it. He actually really likes it! I just need to work on making them pretty and smell good too Have a great rest of your weekend!

This is interesting. I like the idea of the tapered wick but don't have steady access to that that I am aware of. I am struggling with a stinking 8oz jelly jar. Do you think this method would work for that? I am using 464 and upon recommendation going to try it with a small amount of palm added today. I'm actually getting ok hot throw with a CD5 wick. It burns very well up top but i'm about 1/2 way down and an hour into a test burn. I can see the melt pool growing. I think I am going to try a CDN wick as well? I did notice that my CD was curling quite a bit making one side of the jar hotter than the other. So far the jar temp has been below 175 but I imagine it will exceed by the end. Would be interested to try a small votive. That is really smart. Do you have a recommendation for what would work well with 464? Thanks!

Yes, i can definitely tell! She invited me to the FB group but I have been blissfully social media free (besides here) for 5 years. Once I actually am up and running selling I will likely have to get one. I will for sure add their group. They seem like real people and I like that! Very excited to receive my scents. Hoping they come today! Also hope you enjoyed your vacation! I could use one of those right now! Well.. anytime at all I could use one 🤣

I think I should add that I ordered around 8pm EST last night and it's been shipped at 10:30am. Thrilled about that! 😏

Hi there! New to this conversation. But I read through and went ahead and ordered some of your recommended scents from MWFC. VERY excited to receive them Also got an email from them welcoming me and asking if I had any questions, etc. Customer Service is not dead! Thanks for all of the recommendations!

I have not, unfortunately, but once we get that in the US I will definitely be trying! I have a lot of interest in olive, rapeseed, and coconut wax. Hopefully someone with experience can help you. Let us know how it goes! Will be interested to learn along with you Best wishes!

Thank you both! I really appreciate the input! I will definitely consider all angles and @StanfordP you may be right. It may just be easier to make contributions as needed. @BusyBee you mentioned previously that you worked with some non-profits. Do you mind sharing in what way and how that has worked out for you? Thanks so much again!