How do you reclaim screens?Updated 2 years ago
You can reclaim screens in four easy steps.
Supreme Wash is a great on-press cleaner. If you are doing a color change or if you’re going to be using that screen again and don’t need to reclaim it, using Supreme Wash is generally good enough on its own. All you need to do is to spray the chemical onto the screen, wipe it off with a rag, and you’re good to go.
If you are doing a full reclaim, grab Sgreen Ink Degrader to get all that ink out of the screen. For water-based inks, use Aqua Wash.
- Emulsion Remover is pretty self-explanatory: it removes emulsion. Spray some emulsion remover onto the screen. Grab your emulsion-remover scrub brush and scrub in a circular motion on both sides of the screen until you see the stencil begin to soften. Let it sit on the screen for about 30 seconds to continue loosening the emulsion. Try not to let it completely dry on your screen. Once time is up, pressure wash the screen from the bottom up on the t-shirt side of the screen. Keep the pressure washer about 12 inches away from the screen. Too close and you can damage the mesh.
Once you’ve finished removing the emulsion, pour or spray a generous amount of Sgreen Stuff or Sgreen Haze Remover onto your screen. The big difference between the two? Sgreen Stuff is a gel that will stay where you pour it onto the screen, while Haze Remover is a spray. No matter which product you use, the procedure is the same. Scrub both sides with a dedicated scrub brush. Make sure to scrub near the edges of the screen. Let it sit for up to three minutes, then pressure wash the screen from the bottom up. Give your screen a flood rinse with a hose to finish up. The water should cascade down the screen in a sheet.
- If you are having any trouble with fisheyes and pinholes, or if you want to take an extra step to ensure your screens are practically perfect, use a degreaser to get your screen ready for your next job. Spray a generous amount onto your screen and scrub both sides. Let it sit for up to three minutes, then flood rinse. Look for imperfections before drying.
To learn more about the reclaim process, watch this video.