Removing sublimation ink from silicone sheet

[tim967]

Hi all,

Recently invested in a printer and press for sublimation printing.

Have been looking online at videos and did a slate this afternoon and the ink when pressing the slate has leaked through the transfer paper onto my silicone sheet and now all the writing is on there.

Can anyone recommend anything I can do to remove it from the silicone sheet as otherwise it will transfer to all my other blanks that I use the silicone sheet with.

(I will be investing in some decent paper now as the paper I had used was some chinese sub paper I bought online).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Tim

[Paul]

Hi Tim!
you will always get some needing on your silicon. it won't transfer to another slate as this has no direct contact with the slate. only with paper.



btw. Thanks for watching my video

[socialgiraffe]

it won't transfer to another slate as this has no direct contact with the slate

Not sure on that mate, as you know the ink turns into a gas when heated to over 180 degrees, the gas gets everywhere (hence why you end up with that blue tint on your mugs if you do not use vacuum). If its definitely a silicon sheet then the only way to clean the ink off it is to raise the temperature of the sheet to a state where it reaches 180 degrees and turns the ink into a gas. A vacuum based machine is ideal for this sort of cleaning although a fan assisted oven will probably work just as well.

You could also try pressing the silicon sheet on to something like plain paper and see what happens, if there are marks then keep pressing on clean paper until they dissappear, if there are no marks then you are could to start using it again on "proper" materials

Using decent paper and no cleaning will probably be okay though depending on how much ink is on the sheet.

[Paul]

i should rephrase that then...
I never had any ink transfered to any of my slates as silicon is sandwiched between transfer paper and press. so not in direct contact with blanks.

Reference to blue tint on mugs, Thats a bloody arse!
SO you saying vacuum ON will help avoid that tissue?

[A11kns]

Sorry to hijack but as you say the ink turns to gas at 180, does that mean if I put a printed mug in the oven at 180 you could remove ink from the mug?

[socialgiraffe]

I never had any ink transfered to any of my slates as silicon is sandwiched between transfer paper and press. so not in direct contact with blanks.

That's because you are using good quality paper

Reference to blue tint on mugs, Thats a bloody arse! SO you saying vacuum ON will help avoid that tissue?

Yes as it sucking the air out of the "Printing area" and subsequently sucking the ink at the same time.

Sorry to hijack but as you say the ink turns to gas at 180, does that mean if I put a printed mug in the oven at 180 you could remove ink from the mug?

Never tried that to be honest but no is the financially viable answer. We are talking about small particles of ink not bucket loads that is used to print a mug. In theory it would work but I would imagine it would take a few days and cost a few pennies in electricity

[A11kns]

Was just a question... I'm still learning all this sublimation stuff... It's all pretty clever lol

[Paul]

That's because you are using good quality paper

this is true!
I normally use texprint or trupix. worst i go is xpress so not to bad

[JMugs]

Thats a bloody arse!

Paul - You will soon be sounding just like the natives.

I played with cooking inks off some rather expensive items that I used as test pieces, it sort of worked, but they develop a slight mucky brown shade.

Janners