This was a question posed by a Printwear reader, and this was Kieth Stevens' response:
In most cases, it depends on why the ink has thickened. If the ink has thickened due to excessive heat, then yes, it may be unusable because the ink has already partially fused or cured.
If the ink has just gotten thicker with time, then curable reducer can be used to help save the ink. Note of caution: Use it sparingly! Too much reducer harms the opacity of the ink.
International Coatings carries the 1110 Curable Reducer as well as the 1099 Curable Low-Bleed Reducer.
Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been screen printing for over 37 years, teaching screen printing for more than 10 years and is a regular contributor to International Coatings’ blogs. Kieth is also the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Golden Image Award Gold Winner, which is given out by SGIA (the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association.
International Coatings manufactures a complete line of Centris™ non-Phthalate screen printing inks, including a wide variety of whites, specialty inks, special effects inks,color matching systems, additives and reducers. In addition, International Coatings also manufactures a line of AXEON™ non-Phthalate,
non-PVC special effects inks. For more information on our products, please visit our website at www.iccink.com.
