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| Posted on 3/17/06 at 01:56 AM | |
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I don't have tons of experience and I use my Newmans on a manual not an auto but I will throw in my 2 cents  The most important thing for whatever N tension you decide on is that all the screens for a job are at the same tension. I have settled in at 40n. If you do not have a tension meter you will need to get one. If you will not be using a stretching table you will need to do the stretching on a very flat surface. I purchased a 3 foot by 3 foot piece of half inch aluminum plate that I have leveled on a table. This allows you to get the screens/frames totally level and not warped when you tighten the bolts. This will save lots of headaches on press! I also raise the frame off the aluminum plate with aluminum bars that I cover in cloth. This allows the tips of the wrench end that is tightening the frame to go lower than the bottom of the frame and not bind the mesh against the plate and possibly rip the mesh. I like using the Shur-Loc screens because the mesh is perfectly straight to the frame and the corners are pre softened. Fast and easy. Mounts in the frame in seconds and you can get to your first tension in a few minutes. When first tensioning your screens you want to take it easy and do it in stages. Don't push the mesh as you will weaken it. I do a first tension of only 18n then I let the screen sit for 4 hours and then retension to 30n. Then after another 3 or 4 hours I check tension and retension to 35n or so wait a couple hours and then scrub and degrease the screen. Once totally dry then coat with emulsion and dry, expose, develop, dry, and finally print first run. Then clean the screen and retension to 40n. After 2 or three printings the screen will really stabilize and you will only have to retension every now and then. When I first started it took me quite a while to get the hang of it but now I am really fast and don't think twice about putting new mesh on a frame or tightening an existing frame. I think you will enjoy your investment because tension is no longer a mystery. You are in total control ____________________ Riley Hopkins 8/4 WorkHorse Point 1K Exposure Unit WorkHorse Primus 18x20 Flash WorkHorse Compact Conveyer Dryer Dual 500 Mac G4, 1.5GB RAM, OS X 10.3.9, 1TB storage | |
 
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