How to Make a UV Box for a Screen Print
While many people have become enamored of the DTG (direct to garment) shirt printing process, it still cannot quite match the artistry of an old-fashioned screen-printed shirt. Those new to making screen prints discover that they need minimal equipment as compared with some other start-up businesses, but there are certain essentials. Some, like the printer or the heat gun, are best purchased from a manufacturer. Others you can make yourself. One of the items is the UV light box. The light box is used to apply the image you are using onto a screen cover with a photo-reactive emulsion. Making a light box is quite simple.
- Plywood
- 6x1 inch boards
- Electric drill
- Saw
- Screws
- 1/4-inch thick plane of non-UV resistant glass large enough to cover the top of the box you are building
- Duct tape
- 3 to 4 UV grow light strips (the kind used by gardeners)
- Power strip
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Instructions
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1
Measure the screens you will be using for your screen printing. Cut a piece of plywood that is 4 inches longer than this in both directions.
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2
Cut two pieces of board that are the same length, and two pieces that are two inches less than the width of the plywood piece.
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3
Use the drill to screw the four board pieces and the plywood together to form a box. Drill a hole in one end of the light box big enough for the plug on the power strip to pass through. Then put the power strip in and pass the line out.
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4
Place your grow light strips at the bottom of the box in an even row. Plug the lights into the power strip.
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5
Place the sheet of glass over the box and use the duct tape to tape the edges on the glass to the box. Plug in the power strip. You now have a UV light box you can turn on and off using the power strip toggle switch.