To some this is obvious and to some it's not. The shirt slides onto the board, into the neck cutout, and the big rectangular frame made out of 2"x2" wood with the screen stretched on the bottom (not shown here) is held by the hinged clamps and swings down to lay on the shirt. Elegant. Yet potentially messy. :) The pudding thick ink is in the top of the frame and you squeegee it once towards you and then back and lift the frame. As long as you position the shirt right the print will be good. The printing is really pretty fun and easy. The problem is that you now have a shirt with wet ink on it. Where are you going to set a bunch of them to dry? Needs a new foam backing, I left that on to see if anybody recognized the design of the last shirts printed on this gizmo.
10 comments:
I think I still have one or two of those.
...okay...I get the nipple clamps and the Canadian Bull target silhouette, but what's with the cool old RC cooler and the aloe vera? Glenn COLLECTS these devices? :(
Glenn's saying he still has 1 or 2 of the old t-shirts we last printed with this device. That photo is on our deck.
you know, I have one of that particular design of old Musicmakers shirt myself and that big block of black ink isn't thick at all and the ink hasn't faded or peeled. And those were printed before Hootie met the Blowfish. We need to find that type of more "ink" that sinks in than plastic t-shirt ink that sits on the surface.
John, they don't use the penetrating ink because it goes through like you see happened on your foam backing there. Then there's a mess on the shirt press. No, I don't know anything other than that but that's why they use pigment that sits on top. Turn a t inside out, you'll see that nothing has sunk in through to the back. Hope that helps.
that makes sense.
A regular Musicmakers customer named Frank (Mitch and Glenn might remember him) had a big screen printing business doing giant banners for department stores - he had the people in his shop build that gizmo and he provided the ink for those shirts. It probably wasn't even t-shirt ink. But it sure feels good on the shirt and has lasted forever. Maybe there's something to be learned from all this.
Yeah, Pat.. that's our deck and the Woodzie site starts about a thousand feet southwest of that backyard you see there.
OK....Woodzie Muse Penelope Fitzawoowoo reporting with input:
#1 Put foil under the shirt side being printed....when removing the shirt....make sure it stays there - the foil - between the two sides of the shirt. Then lay the shirt flat to dry...anywhere FLAT! (Then turn all the foil into a recycle ball and play soccer, baseball, badmitton....WHATEVER with it!
#2 When applying the ink, use a paint roller that has been 'tapped' to remove the excess ink over your stencil(s) ....You can create a stencil from anything and paint rollers come in 3 - 12 inch sizes. A sponge is another option for application of ink....actually you can cut your designs out of sponges !!!! A Guitar shaped sponge, a woman's body....etc....just not a man's body....(hee-hee)
#3 The best part....Use leaves, bark, guitar strings, or anything you like....apply the ink to these/this item, tap it to remove excess ink, then press - gently - to shirt to create your design.....
#4 I envision sponge (which also come in 3 - 12 inch sizes....like most fun things I know of!!!) where was I....oh yes, sponge cuts of guitars, real leaf presses, paint brushed tree trunks, and guitar strings floating-winding through it all with perhaps musical notes sponged on or painted on......
Just thoughts.....After all a Muse's job is to inspire thoughts, among other things.......
Luvsya!
...my Muses heretofore have been stern taskmistresses, dark goddesses demanding dark sacrifices...these woodziemuse creatures seem, well, nice... :)
Yes Pat, I agree, it would be cool to meet a nice muse that doesn't come in a bottle or with a potential jail term. Maybe they could be the inspiration for that elusive happy song I will never write. My two newest songs are Huntsville blues and another song about dying on the road. I really have been meaning to pen that happy flower song.....maybe this is the time!
wow. paint roller, that's genius. We could try that!! Maybe one of those really fine, tight foam ones.
The foil. All that is right on. I need to stop thinking inside the box. It's dark in here!
The Super Happy Fun Land guys are going to be there, Bob Morotta who did these first ones the mainstream way, Dr. Billy who used to paint shirts with enamel paint out of a can.... maybe we need to have a unconventional t-shirt printing convention for a few minutes during the Woodzie.
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