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Spring cleaning – the hazard of lint buildup

Spring cleaning – the hazard of lint buildup

It’s time for spring cleaning in readiness for the busy summer season. So, among other things, if you have not paid any attention the to the lint build-up in your shop for some time, now is a good time to do it.

As we all know, if you handle tees and sweats, lint happens. It takes to the air and slowly builds up wherever it lands. Besides becoming a potential health hazard if it builds up on shelving and work surfaces where people can later disturb and inhale it, it also builds up in places where it cannot easily be seen. Places like the exhaust system of your dryer where it eventually becomes a fire hazard.

This is not a topic you hear much about but ignoring it can be dangerous. I’ve written before about two lint fire incidents, one in Vancouver and one in Calgary. THey’re worth telling again to make the pint about the hazard of lint buildup.

In the Vancouver incident the lint around the dryer caught alight and quickly spread wherever lint had accumulated. The flames ran up the metal pillars in the print shop and back and forth across the beams under the ceiling like those gunpowder fuses in the old cowboy movies. It had burnt out before the fire truck arrived but it still caused a lot of smoke damage.

In the Calgary incident a spray can of adhesive fell onto the conveyor belt and exploded inside the dryer. There was apparently a considerable build-up of lint in the exhaust system which caught alight. In this case it required a fire truck to put it out. The hop had to close for some time for recovery and repairs.

If you have one of those very rare spotlessly clean textile print shops where lint is not allowed to accumulate, then you don’t have to be concerned about this at all. But let’s face it, that wouldn’t be the case in most textile screen shops. Lint can build up quite quickly, especially the bigger, high volume shops. So, keep your shop as healthy and as safe as possible—make lint removal one of your Spring-cleaning chores.

A recipe for testing for dye migration

 There are few things more annoying (and costly) than ending up with a ruined job because you didn’t expect the substrate to bleed into the print. So, if in the slightest doubt, test. So, here’s the recipe for testing . . .

Materials and ingredients:

  • Heat transfer clamp press heated up to 320F.
  • Avient Viscosity Buster, K2910. If you use a different brand of reducer make sure that it’s the kind that shouldn’t ordinarily be added to ink at more than 1% Anything calling for more than that probably has resin, and you don’t want that for this test.
  • A piece of white cloth or pellon.
  • The substrate to test.

Process:

  • Lay your substrate on the base of the open heat press.
  • Place a spot of Viscosity Buster on the substrate (about the size of a quarter should be fine).
  • Place the white cloth over the the spot.
  • Heat press it for about 30 seconds at 320F.
  • Open the press and remove the white cloth.

Results:

  •  Check the white cloth for a stain.
  • Nearly all polyester fabrics will bleed to a greater or lesser degree.
  • The extent of the stain will tell you the extent of the possible bleeding to expect.

Now, knowing the extent of the dye migration challenge you’re facing, you can save yourself a lot of grief (and potentially money too) by using the appropriate underbase or low-bleed ink.

If you need some help with the choice of an appropriate low bleed or dye block ink, make a quick toll-free call to one of Stanley’s Wilflex ink experts: Craig in Cambridge at 1 877 205 9218 or Wendy in Calgary at 1 800 661 1553

Change is hard, hard, hard.

Change is hard, hard, hard.

Yesterday there were two illuminating developments in the campaign against microplastic pollution generally and, specifically, in the context of our industry, gitter.

The first was an article in the Guardian that reported how scientists had examined 62 human fetuses and found microplastics in every one of them. The article went on the confirm that microplastics was also now being found in breast milk and blood. And, as you’d expect, this has significant adverse health implications.

The second development involved a response from yet another regular contributor to a significant industry magazine to my invitation to collaborate in persuading the textile screen printing industry to stop using glitter. I approached him after reading an article in which he mentioned glitter prints. The opening line of his email was one I’ve become accustomed to by now: “Thanks for getting in touch. While I admire your tenacity, this is not an issue that i would like to be involved in.”

There are a two popular excuses for dismissing concerns about glitter as a microplastic and “not getting involved”: (1) There are biodegradable alternatives; and (2) Glitter is a minor plastic problem compared with, say, plastic bottles. Both of these are easily answered . . . the first is simply untrue, and the second is that we aren’t going to solve the sustainability issues in our industry by pointing out that other industries have bigger problems. We have to start cleaning up our act somewhere and glitter is as good a place as any to start.

And should you have doubts about the adverse impact of glitter on the environment, then you have only to consider that such significant entities as Hallmark, H&M, and the EU have banned it.

Change is hard, hard, hard. But while ignorance, vested self-interest, and greed keep getting in the way of bringing it about on a large scale, you could help at the grassroots level by refusing to use glitter.Then differentiate your shop by promoting it as ecologically responsible.

Squeegee blade profiles

Squeegee blade profiles

Tony Palmer writes a monthly column for Images online magazine in which he responds to printers’ technical questions. In the February edition he addressed a question about “the best squeegee blade profile to use.” His opinion on this is worth considering even though he ends up the article by saying that there is no correct answer to the question but that whichever blade profile you choose should be an informed decision.

Some of the options suggested include a square profile blade which he says is currently the “king of the heap” because of its ability to create sharply-detailed prints. He advises that slightly rounded or worn blades be replaced to ensure clean prints. He doesn’t mention sharpening blades rather than replacing them, but I would suggest that that too is an option.

He goes on to discuss a ‘V’ profile blade describing it as “the new kid n the block.” It has apparently traditionally been used to print hard surfaces such as glass and ceramics but is now finding favour in hybrid textile printing—combining analogue screen printing and digital CMYK printing. This is where a white base screen is used to block out the garment colour before the CMYK digital ink is applied on top of the opaque white. The trick in this process is to put down the white in a way that does not penetrate the substrate because you want to maintain the soft hand of the DTG technique. This is apparently where the ‘V’ profile blade comes in handy.

The bottom line on choosing the “correct” squeegee profile blade? You have research and experimenting to do.

Share but don’t disclose

Share but don’t disclose

In a recent article in a prominent industry magazine, a writer offered advice that I need to take issue with. As usual, there’s nothing to be gained by naming the magazine or the writer, not so much because it might come across as unnecessarily confrontational but also because my criticism is of what was written and published, not who wrote and published it.

The article made sense to a point in that it suggested that sharing ideas, frustrations, and problems with other business owners could be helpful and might lead to creating a supportive network. The problem is that he meant other members of the industry. On the face of it, it sounds all nice and friendly in a holding-hands-and-singing-kumbaya kind of way. I would however remind you that these people you’re being urged to share everything with are competitors.These are the same competitors who undercut your pricing to lure your customers away and would gladly hire your best staff members given half a chance.

So how much do you want to share? Do you really want to risk giving away a competitive advantage by telling all? I’ve never understood businesses that discover a process or product that gives them a competitive advantage and then go public with the details. Why would you risk a competitive advantage all for a bit of publicity?

It of course makes sense to share and consult but, for goodness sake, do it with informed, trustworthy people who have no interest in competing with you: that would almost definitely not include competitors..

Apple iPhone stolen device feature

Apple iPhone stolen device feature

RGCS of Edinburgh has reported in their newsletter that Apple IPhone users are being urged to use a new feature called ‘Stolen Device Protection’ which was rolled out in a recent update to IOS.

You should take notice of this if you use an iPhone or if your employees use iPhones, whether you supply them or not. It can help prevent someone who has stolen your device and knows your passcode from gaining access and using it. It’s designed to provide additional security when your iPhone is away from familiar locations that you designate, such home and work. The feature protects by factors such as security delay and the need to authenticate by Face ID or Touch ID before certain actions can be taken on the device.

It’s an opt-in feature that can be turned on in Settings. It however requires the use of two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and setting up or enabling: a device passcode; Face ID or Touch ID; Find MY; and Significant Locations.