It Begins…

Today I finally started silkscreening on the panels. It’s about time!

 

Had to improvise an attachment to the panel so I can print right off the edge… should have used a lighter wood…

 

Here goes nothing! It’s daunting and a little exhilarating that all those weeks of preparation comes down to a
single pull of the squeegee…

 

Well hello there – not too shabby! (I didn’t weigh down the other end of the panel properly and nearly flipped it
over as I pushed down with the squeegee, but even so this pull turned out okay. A promising start.)

 

As I suspected, registration was a bitch. It probably took me an hour to get screen #3 in place, and then it shifted
slightly during the print. (FFFFFFFFFFFFF!) These hinge clamps have served me well, but it may be time for
them to retire…

 

It’s not perfect – I’ll need to touch up a bunch of places – but it’s gonna work. Up next: COLORS!

DIY Econo Transparencies

Oversized transparencies are waaaaaay expensive to get printed – enough for me to work out the math of getting
transparencies printed vs buying a $2,000 plotter (verdict: I’d probably get the print-o-tron if I had a place to
put it). Enter good ol’ mineral oil ($7.49 at Rite Aid)! (Props to John “MacGuyver” Mejias for suggesting this.)
Slather it on a plain ol’ printout and you’ve got yourself a DIY Econo Transparency. I’m getting really good
exposures out of this method. Cons: a bit messy; also, mineral oil is usually stashed in the Laxatives section of
the drug store (“It’s for my artwork, honest!”).

 

Hana likes to be helpful…

 

…but labor-management relations soon break down, as she demands a Youtube break. Sigh, that’s alright,
Lady, Daddy’ll take it from here.

DIY “Vacuum” Table

Didn’t shell out for the vacuum cover attachment for the exposure unit, so this is how I’m making sure the image
is flush with the sensitized screen. Luckily I’ve accumulated enough heavy coffee-table-type books to tetris together…