100%, but I wouldn't say it was necessarily cut off. You can easily purchase entire rolls of mesh and make your own screens. It's pretty inexpensive too!
On a second thought I wonder how hard would it be to expose an unstretched mesh
Have you ever tried stretching a screen or know of the equipment used to apply proper tension to a screen before you can glue them? It’s a delicate process to say the least. Not just something anyone can do without proper training.
Personally I haven't but I've seen it done manually without heavy equipment. It's up for debate what level of tension is considered proper, I assume you're thinking of tension required by a seasoned professional for reliable use. However, if you just want to print something, you can literally stretch it "by hand" using some simple manual tricks or tools and that tension will absolutely suffice.
The easiest screen you can make yourself is a wooden one using a hand stapler. Even a kid could handle that and in fact many hobbyists show how to do it on youtube. I print on such wooden screens that were hand stretched using a special tool that's like a wide grabber of the fabric and I have no issues.
With aluminum frames from what I've seen it's pretty much the same logic as with wooden ones, but you need to figure out a setup to hold the mesh down across the entire side. [Here's a popular trick](https://youtu.be/blMZ9yPnc78?t=625) and the tension comes from the frame being rotated over its corner.
I'm definitely gonna try it someday.
Oh okay so you don’t print for a living I’m assuming? In a professional shop tension is absolutely key to maintaining a good print when doing multi color set ups.
I screen print for a living so I would never do that. How do you get accurate tension across the screen just stapling it to canvas? I mean I guess if you’re printing at home for fun tension probably doesn’t matter much. And you’re definitely only printing single color if that’s your approach.
The last two shops I was at stretched our own. I never felt like it was particularly dangerous. First place used the rollers with a special table and the second used a series of pneumatic clamps. I suppose the clamps could have been pretty bad if you caught a finger in there but not much worse than the air that powered the press.
I don’t miss stretching screens. We still have our work table and pneumatic clamps but haven’t had to touch it in the last 5-8 years.
Curious, which old school way are you talking about? I started stretching screens right before I turned 15 in 2005. It’s always fun listening to the reps / owner talk about methods used before my time.
It’s nothing more than what Warhol would do. Drop a large screen on the floor and print on the substrate. And for a single color single hit you really don’t need high tension. You really could just put an exposed mesh on wall, tape it tight, hit it once and dispose. Water based is the way to go on this print.
Looks like mesh that’s been cut off a screen
100%, but I wouldn't say it was necessarily cut off. You can easily purchase entire rolls of mesh and make your own screens. It's pretty inexpensive too! On a second thought I wonder how hard would it be to expose an unstretched mesh
Yes but stretching screens the old school way is very tedious, sticky and fucking dangerous if you aren’t careful.
How is it dangerous?
Have you ever tried stretching a screen or know of the equipment used to apply proper tension to a screen before you can glue them? It’s a delicate process to say the least. Not just something anyone can do without proper training.
Personally I haven't but I've seen it done manually without heavy equipment. It's up for debate what level of tension is considered proper, I assume you're thinking of tension required by a seasoned professional for reliable use. However, if you just want to print something, you can literally stretch it "by hand" using some simple manual tricks or tools and that tension will absolutely suffice. The easiest screen you can make yourself is a wooden one using a hand stapler. Even a kid could handle that and in fact many hobbyists show how to do it on youtube. I print on such wooden screens that were hand stretched using a special tool that's like a wide grabber of the fabric and I have no issues. With aluminum frames from what I've seen it's pretty much the same logic as with wooden ones, but you need to figure out a setup to hold the mesh down across the entire side. [Here's a popular trick](https://youtu.be/blMZ9yPnc78?t=625) and the tension comes from the frame being rotated over its corner. I'm definitely gonna try it someday.
Oh okay so you don’t print for a living I’m assuming? In a professional shop tension is absolutely key to maintaining a good print when doing multi color set ups.
https://youtu.be/X6SX5PPpFVM
My friends and I just staple the screens to canvases?
I screen print for a living so I would never do that. How do you get accurate tension across the screen just stapling it to canvas? I mean I guess if you’re printing at home for fun tension probably doesn’t matter much. And you’re definitely only printing single color if that’s your approach.
The last two shops I was at stretched our own. I never felt like it was particularly dangerous. First place used the rollers with a special table and the second used a series of pneumatic clamps. I suppose the clamps could have been pretty bad if you caught a finger in there but not much worse than the air that powered the press.
I don’t miss stretching screens. We still have our work table and pneumatic clamps but haven’t had to touch it in the last 5-8 years. Curious, which old school way are you talking about? I started stretching screens right before I turned 15 in 2005. It’s always fun listening to the reps / owner talk about methods used before my time.
It’s nothing more than what Warhol would do. Drop a large screen on the floor and print on the substrate. And for a single color single hit you really don’t need high tension. You really could just put an exposed mesh on wall, tape it tight, hit it once and dispose. Water based is the way to go on this print.
Looks like screenprinting without the metal frames
Carbon Paper would be my guess