Screen Printing Underglaze

[Smokey2]

With everything closed down I'm finding more time to experiment with things I never considered trying before. My latest idea is trying to use cut vinyl as a resist on the screens. I tried this in the past with success for printing on t-shirts

I was wondering if anyone has experience with what would be the best mesh size for either brushing or airbrushing on underglazes

All ideas would be helpful

[liambesaw]

13 minutes ago, Smokey2 said:

With everything closed down I'm finding more time to experiment with things I never considered trying before. My latest idea is trying to use cut vinyl as a resist on the screens. I tried this in the past with success for printing on t-shirts

I was wondering if anyone has experience with what would be the best mesh size for either brushing or airbrushing on underglazes

All ideas would be helpful

There's a tutorial on clayflicks about screen printing underglaze, has some good tips

[liambesaw]

Whoops forgot to add an answer.  I think the standard 110 seems fine, I haven't tried 160 mesh, maybe if you had some super fine detail, but I feel like it would get lost in the medium anyway.  Underglaze doesn't have the sharpest of lines anyway

[Smokey2]

@liambesaw Thanks, I didn't know about clayflicks I'll have to check them out tonight. As luck would have it I have 110 mesh on hand and I'm on my way to the studio to play with it

 

 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I’ve heard from a couple of sources underglaze won’t pass through the high def screens. 

[liambesaw]

I think in the videos he doesn't use straight underglaze, he does like a mix of underglaze and transparent screen printing medium.  I think it's just so the UG layer is resilient, but it may help with screening too.

[Smokey2]

Just an update. Vinyl on screens worked ok but I wasn't happy that the edges weren't as well defined as I liked.  I got better edges when I placed the vinyl directly onto the clay. The one problem with that was the vinyl wasn't one contiguous  piece as there were many "orphans" that needed to be placed separately. It was an interesting exercise for the day

 

[oldlady]

for your next project, try painting underglaze on newsprint paper.   let it dry.   place it on the clay surface and then wet the paper, sort of squeegee the colors down and lift off the paper.

 

[liambesaw]

2 hours ago, Smokey2 said:

Just an update. Vinyl on screens worked ok but I wasn't happy that the edges weren't as well defined as I liked.  I got better edges when I placed the vinyl directly onto the clay. The one problem with that was the vinyl wasn't one contiguous  piece as there were many "orphans" that needed to be placed separately. It was an interesting exercise for the day

 

Yeah the floating orphans would be the point of using the screen wouldnt it :p

are you screening onto paper, And then using the paper as a transfer?

Did the edges bleed?

did you place the vinyl on top or bottom of screen?  You want the vinyl making contact with the paper.

[Smokey2]

2 hours ago, oldlady said:

for your next project, try painting underglaze on newsprint paper.   let it dry.   place it on the clay surface and then wet the paper, sort of squeegee the colors down and lift off the paper.

 

That's a good Idea. I did something like that this past summer by painting on a leaf then transferring the underglaze on to green clay then fired off the leaf. I got the idea from when our children were young, we used to do the same thing with leaves onto paper. I'm thinking the color I want on the bottom of the pot should be placed last on the paper

@liambesaw

are you screening onto paper, And then using the paper as a transfer?  No, directly onto bisqued clay, easier to wash off that way if I didn't like the outcome.

Did the edges bleed? Not when I placed the vinyl directly on the clay with the adhesive touching the clay

did you place the vinyl on top or bottom of screen?  Both ways, with the vinyl on top there was almost no underglaze left on top of the vinyl as opposed to having the screen on top where the underglaze stayed on the vinyl

 

 

[liambesaw]

1 hour ago, Smokey2 said:

That's a good Idea. I did something like that this past summer by painting on a leaf then transferring the underglaze on to green clay then fired off the leaf. I got the idea from when our children were young, we used to do the same thing with leaves onto paper. I'm thinking the color I want on the bottom of the pot should be placed last on the paper

@liambesaw

are you screening onto paper, And then using the paper as a transfer?  No, directly onto bisqued clay, easier to wash off that way if I didn't like the outcome.

Did the edges bleed? Not when I placed the vinyl directly on the clay with the adhesive touching the clay

did you place the vinyl on top or bottom of screen?  Both ways, with the vinyl on top there was almost no underglaze left on top of the vinyl as opposed to having the screen on top where the underglaze stayed on the vinyl

 

 

Ahh ok, much simpler to screen onto paper backwards and then cut out the decals to apply to greenware.  I'll do a whole sheet and spend an hour weeding every little detail out, mount it on the underside of the screen, tape it out on the top, and do several sheets at a time.  These are one color sheets.  

I'm actually weeding one right now, about halfway done, have a lot of small font letters that are difficult to weed, so it's taking me a long time, but I can run this til it comes apart and if I get 10 or 20 copies I'll be happy.

 

[Babs]

Bisque eh?

I only ever did it on raw clay...can still scrape off and touch up more easily than on bisque imo

And can define lines

[liambesaw]

If you liked the way the vinyl came out when applied directly to the bisque, try using normal copy paper on leather hard, it works pretty good.  Lay down a layer of white underglaze, and while it's still moist but not tacky, mist the paper with water and press onto the surface.  Then with a dry side of damp sponge, gently press the edges into the white ubderglaze.  Now you can paint your layers of black or colored underglaze over it.  It works pretty swell, just not quite as quick as screen printing a bunch of things onto newsprint.

[Smokey2]

23 hours ago, liambesaw said:

Ahh ok, much simpler to screen onto paper backwards and then cut out the decals to apply to greenware. 

The concept is similar to offset printing. Sounds like I need to give this a try, it does sound like a better way.

18 hours ago, Babs said:

I only ever did it on raw clay...can still scrape off and touch up more easily than on bisque imo

And can define lines

Sounds like a plan to me

18 hours ago, liambesaw said:

If you liked the way the vinyl came out when applied directly to the bisque, try using normal copy paper on leather hard, it works pretty good.

I tried paper and tyvek on bisque and neither stayed put very well, even when damped with water. I bet it would be easier on leather head