Not So Finished Product Explained

I did all of my shit. using the beginner kit i got from silkscreeningsupplies.com, i set up my press, screen, ink, spray adhesive and test shirts that i got from A.C. Moore for $2.00 each. i prepped everything and spread my ink and the design came out flawlessly. i dried the image with the heat gun that was included in the kit and BAM, there is a sexy ass Monstar t-shirt.

problem…

the ink was able to wipe off to other parts of the shirt and on other things. big problem. i washed the shirt and it just became a mess. i check up on some things and it turns out that i didn’t dry my ink for long enough; i only exposed the whole image to the heat gun for about 30 seconds, if that, until it was dry to the touch. instead, i should have exposed small areas of the shirt to the heat for about 45 seconds to a minute.

i have not re-tested this as of now-i am going to hopefully later on today.

these are the pictures from my first three shirts…

Not So Finished Product

Exposing the Screen Explained

I found a spare piece of tempered glass that my mom used for some furniture around the house; it was no where near the same dimensions as the box but i used it anyway (it was bigger than the image i wanted to expose so who cares, ya?).

I put the glass on the exposure box, my screen with the image taped on the flat side on the glass, i put the green piece of foam onto the screen then all of those weights dispersed evenly over the foam. i put one (1) sheet over it and let it hang down about halfway to the ground. i placed my light source on the ground and then i put a fan to keep the light cool, because those halogen bulbs get HOT!

when i was ready to expose i plugged in the light and set my alarm for 35 minutes later.

REMEMBER ALL OF THIS IS ALWAYS DONE IN A UV SAFE ROOM. WHENEVER HANDLING UNEXPOSED EMULSION (SCREENS) KEEP IT AWAY FROM ANY SUNLIGHT WHATSOEVER. my basement is a prime example of a uv safe room. i simply covered all of the windows with cardboard and replaced all of the bulbs with 40 watt bug lights from Walmart (the yellowish ones).

it turns out when i tried to wash my screen out the first time i didn’t expose it long enough because a lot of the exposed emulsion was coming off with water, so i did it all again.

this time i exposed for about 45 minutes, which still wasn’t quite enough but worked anyway and this is how i made it work…

i brought my screen outside while wrapped in a dark sheet. i had my hose ready and i put a tarp out to create a shaded nook. i quickly tore off the sheet and transparency and began to spray the screen with the “shower” setting of my hose. i feel that the “jet” setting and even power washers are a little too brutal. the “shower” setting has a nice firm jet but not too strong. Anyway, after you let the image soak with water for about 45 seconds it should come right out with no problems anyway.

so yes, i did wash out my screen on a very, very sunny day and only in shade. it worked phenomenally as you can see with my image. like i said earlier, 45 minutes wasn’t enough. after washing out my image a lot of the emulsion was really tacky, telling me that it wasn’t fully exposed, so i simply popped the image on the light box for another 15 minutes and that is the picture that is shown below; it is just the screen on the light box with no transparency or foam, etc.

HAVE FUN. I’ll post more shit about my final product later, because i’ve actually already done all of that and i have had some problems. i’ll post them too and hopefully the solution that i will be finding in the next couple days. holla back.

My Custom Exposure Box Explained

So first i started out by making a square frame that my screen will lay upon. i made it about 2-3 inches wider and longer than the screen. i mitered the edges to make a nice box and of course some of the wood i used was a little bit warped.

i got the wood for free in my basement. it was all just left over 2×4 lumber. to solve the warped wood i put some shims into the corners to even the square out and put in diagonal braces. this helped a lot but it’s still off. doesn’t really matter anyway.

i wanted the legs to be detachable in case i had to store the unit or move it. i decided to make my legs 36″ or 3 feet long. i attached some 2×4 and 1×4 to it to create a lip that the box i previously made could fit snugly into. when all was built and assembled it put the bottom of the exposure box at approx. 33″ and the top at about 37″ away from the ground.

the light i used is just a 500 watt work light from pepboys that i bought for about $20.00. i just set it on the ground in between the legs.

My Custom Exposure Box

Second Batch of Designs

First Batch of Designs

monstAr clothing by Nick Pawson: the Beginning

So, here i go. i’ve always wanted to make my own clothes just because me and i’m sure everyone else on earth thinks that they can make the coolest shit, so here is my cool shit. i will continue to post new designs and i’m going to start producing shirts within the next couple months; once i get people interested and all of the middle-man shit figured out.

Enjoy my shirts and comment on your favorites.