How to Degrease a Silkscreen

Howdy! 

Wanna learn how to degrease a screen? Well you’ve come to the right place! Maybe you wandered over here from our screen coating post after you read all the reasons why it’s a great idea to degrease your screen before coating, or maybe you coated and burned a screen and you came across some… weirdness during the washout process. 

​If your screen looks like any of the examples below, come on down to Degreasing Town! 
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Ok, Seriously, What Does Degreasing Your Screen Really Do and Why Is It So Important? 

Well I’m glad you asked! The degreasing chemical is formulated specifically for screen printing purposes. It strips away any chemical residue, left over silicones and oils, and safely removes dirt and dust. Left over oils from the screen factory or cleaning chemicals will physically resist the emulsion. Your freshly coated screen may look fine at first, but you will quickly see after exposure that the stencil will begin to resemble old paint peeling off a wall. At this point there is no use trying to salvage the stencil and you have to start again.

Other times you will notice immediately after coating that the screen is not clean. You'll find that leftover chemical residue will leave emulsion resistant drippy stripes or dust will produce an effect called "flowering". This is where the emulsion will disperse from the center of the dust, dirt or chemical spot. The resisted emulsion creates a weakened area of your stencil, which can cause breakdown in the integrity of the stencil when printing. 

3 Examples Where Degreasing Your Screen Is a Must:

• Brand new screen? The mesh is factory coated with silicones that resist emulsion. Degreasing will remove the silicones so the emulsion won't peel off after after exposure.
• Just finished reclaiming and de-hazing a screen? Rinse away the chemical residue with degreaser for a squeaky clean screen!  
• Haven’t used a screen in while or using an Open Studio screen? Degrease it to remove any dust or debris left on the screen. Trust me, the dust is there… 

Ok So Here’s How Ya Do It:

1. Set your screen in your washout area and wet both sides with a hose. 
2. Generously spray both sides of the mesh with the degreaser and immediately go in with a clean sponge. 
3. Work in the degreaser with your clean sponge on both sides of the screen. Think about it like a washing a dish, you’ll want to create a bit of a lather and get all edges of your frame. 
4. Starting from bottom to top, thoroughly rinse away the degreaser and all its suds. Don’t forget to get the inside of the frame, this is where leftover chemicals love to hide!
5. As you’re rinsing your screen, you’re looking for the water to fall down the screen in a sheet, and it will disperse off the screen, resisting the mesh. If you see there are large droplets or areas of water still clinging to mesh, repeat steps 2-4. If you choose to degrease your screen again, it should be just fine to move on to step 6!
6. Now that you’re all done, set your screen aside to dry. You can do so in front of a fan, just be aware that some dust may get onto the screen but it should be pretty minimal. Try your best not to touch the mesh with your fingers, oils from your hands can disrupt the emulsion from sticking to the mesh.

What if you don’t have any degreasing chemical on hand?

No worries! In a pinch you can you can use a few drops of Dawn dish soap on a sponge and use that instead. Just be sure to thoroughly wash away all suds!

You've Just Degreased Your Screen, Now What?

Once you're mesh is dry you're ready to coat your screen. Just make sure it is completely dry before you begin coating, sometimes water can hide in the crevices of the frame. 

Be sure to stay tuned for our next segment on how to coat a screen!