Baselayr Complete Diazo
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Do you need even greater details in your designs, want to push the boundaries of resolution, or require greater initial stencil durability? Use Baselayr Complete with Diazo. With the addition of diazo, exposure times will increase about 3x but image resolution will be greatly enhanced. Plus, the longer initial exposure time will greatly increase the stencil's longevity on press, exemplifying a similar performance to a long post exposure/leaving your screens in the sun to dry.
Baselayr Complete Diazo is meant to only be added to the Baselayr Complete Emulsion. Baselayr Long Lasting automatically comes with diazo since it isn’t presensitized.
- Add the appropriate amount of distilled water to your bottle of diazo. Do not use tap water. Tap water contains minerals that can interfere with proper adhesion of the emulsion to the mesh.
- Shake the container, completely dissolving the diazo into the water.
- Add mixed diazo to the container of Baselayr Complete. Carefully stir in the diazo completely.
- Let the emulsion sit for a couple hours to let the air bubbles settle out.
- Apply emulsion to a clean, degreased, and dried screen mesh with a scoop-coater using appropriate application techniques. We recommend using Baselayr Emulsion Prep screen mesh degreaser and adhesion promoter whenever possible. Depending on your screen and stencil thickness needs, use either the sharp edge or round edge of the scoop coater and coat once or twice per side. More coats will create a thicker stencil. Be sure to rotate the screen so that you are pushing the emulsion from both sides to bond around the knuckles of the mesh. Experiment to find what works best for you within your shop.
- Allow your freshly coated screen to dry, shirt side down.
- Expose your screen with the recommended light source. As with all emulsions, we recommend testing for appropriate exposure time for your unit, before exposing your design. Use a Step Wedge Calculator to determine the proper amount of time needed to fully cure a stencil. If needed, you can harden your stencil by post-exposing it (make sure the stencil is completely dry), putting it back in the exposure unit, and exposing for 3x the initial exposure time (essentially replicating what adding diazo does). You can place your screen in direct sunlight.
- Reclaiming Baselayr Complete is easy and works with most stencil removers or reclaimers that are available in concentrate and ready-to-use formulas. Follow proper instructions for reclaiming.
Add the appropriate amount of distilled water. Do not use tap water. Tap water contains minerals that can interfere with proper adhesion of the emulsion to the mesh.
Diazo is sensitive to heat. If kept in a cool environment around 40°F (in a refrigerator), you can extend your shelf life to ~12 weeks. The hotter your environment is, the faster the diazo will break down. At 90°F-100°F mixed emulsion has a pot life of ~1 week. At 70°F, it's ~6 weeks.