BMN Kill A Watt, Sawmill Reels silkscreen

[Boss]

January 18th 2008

Good Morning

We survived the Arctic blast and even have a little firewood left. This morning was barely below zero. So I guess the worst of it is over. The drain is still open, possibly because we are now leaving a pot under the leaking bathroom sink faucet. I keep meaning to repair that, somehow I haven't gotten to it yet. Yesterday, my brother Jackson and I silk screened shirts with an old pattern, Sawmill - Reels - Serf - Kiva Theatre, Las Vegas. The design was done for Slim's sawmill and Jeana's Movie theaters. Jack designed and made the screen with a mandala or spinner in the center. Our setup is crude, but the silkscreen is very detailed and holding up well considering it is twenty year old. We did a few shadow prints with yellow and red, Since positioning the shirt isn't exact with the setup we used the fabric wasn't always in the same position for trhe second color. The result is the spinner has a lot of motion. I know I didn't describe that to give it justice, but the design and the twist in the fabric gave the ink overlays swirling pattern. We've ordered art supplies on-line at http://www.reuels.com/ Now we have an assortment of colors for silkscreen and block printing. So expect to see new designs on shirts at our Las Tusas Campo party this year.

Yesterday my birthday present from Nell arrived, the P3 Kill A Watt Meter. It is so cool, thank you honey. I have it plugged into our entertainment center. With the 35 inch CRT (cathode ray tube) TV on displaying a picture from the DVD through the VCR all power running through a Tripplite power conditioner the system is drawing less than a 100 watts! That's cool. I would have thought it was way more. While down at Jacks do silk-screening I plugged it into a 100watt lamp - 90 watts, then the iron we used to heat set the ink, 990 watts! Right now it is measuring the Kilowatt usage, or the amount of energy the entertainment system uses over time.

Well I rambled on yesterday for probably longer than I should have. So maybe today I'll give you a break. I will use this time to encourage the lurkers to sit down and write in to let us know what you are doing and that you are alive and well.

We do want to hear from you.

P.S. I hope you all made to the bottom of the newsletter yesterday. There were two articles down there which struck home for me. Greg Palast and Lee Iacocca. If you missed them, it will be well worth your time to go back and read them.

Brian Rodgers

[RogerAS]

Hey,

I've been reading your series of diary postings and they are quite entertaining to say the least.

Invloved in screen printing for over 20 years.

Silk-screening is a thing done several decades ago. What you are doing no is "SCREEN PRINTING. The difference is subtle but distinct. All of the mesh used to construct patterns or stencils for printing these days, the past 30+ years, is modern polymers. Silk hasn't been used for a good long time, ad for good reason.

The way to register, or keep multiple colored prints aligned, is actually quite simple. Adhere the T-shirt or whatever to a flat platen with some resettable spray adhesive. position the screens, stencils, where the dersired print it to be. Make your first color print. Semi cure the first color with a hot air gun so the ink is not sticky and won't transfer to the next screens back. Align the second color with a dry screen to the existing print. One needs a secure rotating press, or a removable platten to do this. When all colors are registered the colors can go down wet on wet.

Google modern screen printing technology and you will see what I mean about the following. Try Hopkins T shirt press. or go here:

http://www.hopkins-bwm.com/?page=presses

If one needs 1 or 6 billion t's the method remains the same.

An old rear axle housing with wheels makes a good base for a home made screen printing press. Weld a flat plate to the top and bottom of the wheels, no tires. One plate provides a floor rest, and the other for a turret to make the screen clamps/stations. Remove the spiders from the rear end. A flat bar in a T shape and a set of adjustable bearing to slide the lower portion of the T into provides your registration blocks. Toward the center of the wheel hinges and springs make up the mouting point for the screen clamps one must use to hold all the screes rigidly. Weld a box tube out from the housing just high enough to accept the platten, which will have a reverse of the box tube. On the housing tube is where the bearings will accept the T for each screen station. This T will drop down in between the bearings from station to station.

Have a good one.

[Boss]

Thank you Roger

If it's okay with you I will post you letter in Monday's Morning Newsletter.

Very helpful feedback. One of the people in our circle of friends has a store bought five panel screen printing device. We too have been doing screens and block prints for decades. We have hosted a four day camping party here on our ranch since the 70s. We made printed shirts and beer & cup coolers every year. Loads of fun,. One year we finished off 21 kegs of beer. Now it's up to the younger generation to carry the torch, well, do the fire walking. Many of the original group of college kids still attend, but we have campers instead of tents.Some of us still have those old tee-shirts.



here I am in the Central Meadow (near the stage) wearing a "Tusas Tango Campo" shirt, from  1997, I think the SuperMan hat dates the picture only a few years ago.

People wishing to see the rest of the BMN can visit the Google Group Brian's Morning Newsletter. The rest is all the corresponding letters and articles I  post each day.

http://groups.google.com/group/brians-morning-newsletter?hl=en