doming problem – tiny air bubbles?

[Peter Normington]

Hi Chris
welcome to the boards.
I have only done a limited ammount of doming, and havent had the problem. But what print and materials are you using, and how long are you leaving the print before doming?

Peter

[Andy Gorman]

It could be humidity or it could be a poor mix. If you are using a hand held trigger with the disposable mixers tips, don’t be too hasty – take your time. I found that if you squeeze the resin out too quickly it doesn’t mix properly. Having said that, it is more likely to be humidity causing the bubbles. I had the same problem once with an automated doming system until I put a dehumidifier in the room which solved the problem.

[chrisbrown]

hi

Ive left the print hours to dry before doming, the printer is an epson stylus c86 with waterproof inks and Ive tried two different vinyls. one is the proper one from mockridge which interestingly the waterproof ink doesnt dry to.

is it really sensitive stuff ie to even the slightest condensation from breathing etc

chris

[Martin Pearson]

Dont do any doming so not much help I am afraid but I do remember someone asking about this a long time ago!! If you do a search on the boards you might find something of value.
I do remember as Andy has said humidity was a problem, plus the prints had to be left at least 24 hours before doming, don’t want to put a spanner in the works but I’m sure someone had also said that inks in desktop printers such as epson were no good for this sort of work. Rodney Marsh is the boards expert on doming so hopefully he will log on and put you right.

[chrisbrown]

I looked into this when buying and as usual the people who supply the stuff cant give you a simple straight answer..

it seemed I needed a certain vinyl and a inkjet printer with waterproof ink

I even tried it on my other inkjet printer and that just did the same

thanks chris

[mark walker]

Hi Chris, sounds like the mix has gas in it, nitrogen I think. Before you use the stuff again stand the cartridges upright for as lond as possible, better still store them this way. When you fit ther tube point the nozzle skywards and cant it over to the right so that one of the tubes is more towards the top and squeeze out a little. Repeat for the other side of the cartridge to expell the gas from that side. Proceed as you did before. Hope it helps, should do, it was the same when I first did a few labels.

Mark 😀

[chrisbrown]

cheers mark but Ive done that aswell mate

[chrisbrown]

there like little pin head bubbles they form about an hour afterwards

[David Teece]

Hi Chris
I have had this – trouble is the doming resins are hygroscopic that is they absorb water from the atmosphere and gasses are produced which forms the bubbles. Doming must take place in a dry environment.

Dave

[Rodney Gold]

Its almost guaranteed to be moisture related , take a big cardboard box , cut off one end , put a 40 w bulb in the other end and put it over your doming , you can refine it by cutting a window in the box and putting some clear plastic in it if you want to see in a bit.
The prints dry real quick , we dome in vast quantites an hour after printing or less . Just about all doming bubbling problems are moisture related , mix related problems will be foaming , incomplete curing or a milky deposit over the top of the dome.
The cart system and mixing nozzle rule out air in the mix.

[chrisbrown]

ok I tried it in my kitchen with everything heating full blast worked 90% better will try the light thing thanks

could have let the ink dry longer before doming next time but was in a rush 😀

UPDATE
as before but still problems

I have mockridges doming vinyl and mockridges resin(ready with the gun)

Ive tried using in different places and managed to get only slightly better results..very warm rooms

I thought this was supposed to be simple but its turning out not to be

My dad domed a coin and hes certain(havent seen it yet) that its come out great

I only have the printers left?? ones an inkjet 5740? the other a epson c86 with waterproof ink both are having bubbles still after about an hour???(like a chemical reaction not air bubbles)

anyone get any final ideas its obviously something to do with water but where from is it the ink??

(mod-edit) edited to add your post from the new thread you created – moved it to here as it makes it easier to keep under one thread 😀

[Andy Gorman]

I’ll revive this thread because you have posted that you are still having problems.

I can’t comment on the ink types you are using because the only doming I have done was onto Gerber Edge prints and screen inks. I have had the problem you describe using both of these printing methods though. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a hot room has low humidity, it aint necessarily so. I had a room set up only for doming, it was kept at a constant 25 deg C and we had bubbling problems. When I got a humidity tester it was 60%, which is too high. Once a dehumidifier was installed the humidity dropped to 20% and the problem went away.

Have you tried doming onto unprinted vinyl? Surely this would determine whether the inks are causing the problem?

[chrisbrown]

Ive tried the light bulb aswell

Ive tried doming a plain area tonight so shall check in the morning

the simplest test isnt always the first thing on your mind 😕

please tell me more about the dehumidifier

thanks chris

[Andy Gorman]

Dehumidifiers are available at DIY shops. They look a lot like the stand alone aircon units for houses and cost about £150

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/search/se … roducts=no

Blimey, that’s a long url.

[David Teece]

Chris

A warm room can still have a high humidity level!

Your best bet is to buy a Hygrometer to measure humidity they are quite cheap, the resin manufacturer should be able to tell you what are the best humidity levels.

Dave

[chrisbrown]

hi so where shall I get one from to measure the levels
thanks chris

[David Teece]

You can get them from CPC Tel 08701 227700 or from your local Maplin store – possibly B Q.
Price range £11-00 upwards.

Dave

[chrisbrown]

cheers mate

[Andy Picton]

Wow… This all sounds familiar.

Are your domes destined for outdoor use?

To start doming I bought a starter kit from Victory and couldn’t make anything work. I tried different printers/ink, papers, vinyls. I tried everything that has been written above (including dehumidifier which fortunately I already had). Then, in the continuing search for alternative substrates I spoke to Creative Printers of London. They asked what type of resin I was using and explained that bubbles were more likely to happen in one type of resin than another i.e. Epoxy v Polyurethane (I think). I haven’t got my doming kit around at the moment so I’m embarrassed to say I cannot remember which was which but… the type that uses 2:1 mix ratio is much more UV resistant but requires very strict environmental controls. The 1:1 mix is suitable for indoor applications (great for my trophies and promotionals) and is much more forgiving. I ordered some of the 1:1 mix and have not lost one item to bubbles since. I’ve not even had to blast the flame at them.

I’m sorry I cannot remember which is which. Maybe later, when I can look at the labels I’ll post again.

I’m sure that both types are available from any number of sources and I do not wish to suggest any endorsement of any supplier. However, of the 2 suppliers that I spoke to 1 was particularly helpful and apparently knowledgeable and the other had difficulty in speaking about the product in any detail.

Good luck and regards

Dreckly

Andy Picton[/u]

[chrisbrown]

hi mate so the 2.1 which is what I have I bought a hygrometer and it was inbetween 45-60% should I invest in the dehumidifier then

can you get 1-1 for the handgun and is that suitable for outdoor use?

thanks chris

[Andy Gorman]

45-60% is average for the time of year and is too high for a 2:1 resin. If you do get a dehumidifier remember that it will take a while for the humidity to get down to a lower level. Even concrete floors hold a fair bit of moisture. The smaller the room you are working in, the easier it will be to control the conditions. It will help if the temperature is about 25 deg C also.