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bobinlasvegas

us cutter 15 x 15 clamshell heat press model 3802

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Recently I purchased a 15 x 15 clamshell heat press model FLHP  3802 , I believe it's working fine where time and temperature are concerned however we printed us few shirts with siser easy weed stretch vinyl after the first washing the vinyl started to peel off the shirts, the pressure mechanism of the press does not seem to hold the pressure any longer has anybody had the problem with vinyl peeling off their shirts or does anyone have this press and have encountered problems with the pressure mechanism any help or information about the problem would be helpful and very much appreciated thanks

Personally I think I should be in the market for a new press. Which brings up a question what kind of presses are you  guys using and what's the best kind of heat press and please keep in mind, I am a poor guy on Social Security and I only do this as a hobby and can't afford a $2000 press

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I would check the platen temp with an inexpensive ir thermometer and check several places on the platen for temp.  Easyweed is pretty foolproof if you have temp, time and pressure adjusted correctly.  With proper pressure you will actually see the fabric pattern in the have after pressing.    Most of the time people find the temp is different than what the presses are reading

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Another thing is, where did you get the shirts?  Some retail shirts have a sizing sprayed on them to make them display pretty that can interfere with adhesion. 

 

Another thing i should ask is ask is did you pre press to remove moisture before applying the graphic?

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HTV work is dependent on several parameters. Heat, Time and Pressure all play a role in a successful job.  The time is pretty easy to be right on with so here are some tips on the other two.

#1 - I recommend getting your hands on an infrared temp gun to double check the temp on the platen. You may have cold spots etc. That's an easy think to double check and most of the budget presses are off one way or the other. There is a safe range that will still work but with Easyweed I have never had a failure due to over heat so if you find a cool spot raise the temp up until it's at least 300 in the coldest area. 

#2 - Be very sure your press is clamping down hard on the shirt. Your model is one of the very lowest priced available and this comes at the expense of some key design points. A better press will have a center point pressure that allows the upper platen to tilt as needed to apply more even pressure on the garment. Your model will begin to press more on the back especially when pressing thicker material and may not even be advisable to use for hoodies. You can somewhat correct this with a heat press pillow that you insert into or under the shirt and it will allow more even pressure BUT and I stress BUT your press may not be able to handle the extra thickness.

I personally don't like working with clam presses due to the heat being right above your hands (and head). Swing style machines cost a little more but aside from the convenience of getting the platen out of your way they generally are designed with springs or something that allow true vertical pressure and adjust for thickness. With regular easy weed if you get all the factors correct you can usually see the thread pattern of the shirt showing up through the vinyl. I have even had silver look like it was reflective on a heavy woven jacket one time. Stretch does not show through this way but the regular stuff does and it's a good way to judge if you are getting a good grip. You can also fight problems with thick neck collars or heavy sewn seams in the area you are pressing. The press pillow mentioned earlier is the cure for that too. 

 

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Dakota posted twice while I was typing. Fast fingers!

Bob. I do a lot of HTV work. This is my busy season but I have cut around 150 yards in the last couple weeks. When I started I bought this machine and ran it for a couple years pretty hard without any real issues. The temp was so far of it didn't even make sense so I taped a piece of paper to it to remember where I needed to be for the different temps I use. I still have it out in the garage although the joints are getting loose which is why I upgraded. 

https://uscutter.com/15-x-15-Digital-Swing-arm-Heat-Press/

 

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40 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

I would check the platen temp with an inexpensive ir thermometer and check several places on the platen for temp.  Easyweed is pretty foolproof if you have temp, time and pressure adjusted correctly.  With proper pressure you will actually see the fabric pattern in the have after pressing.    Most of the time people find the temp is different than what the presses are reading

I checked the temp. with a thermometer  gun and it was a little off but not by much and the shirts were washed before pressing with just soap and water and it was pre pressed  also we live in Las Vegas NV. and it is very dry here anyway. the pressure adjustment does not feel the was it did when we got the press now when you turn it to the right it will start to get tight but as you turn it right it will loosen up so I think it may be something with the pressure adj.

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Sounds like it to me too. You should be able to run the pressure up so it has a nice lock down over center and a little hard to open. My budget press had some wear on the pressure adjuster after a while and I had to get at it and grease it lightly with lithium grease. I don't know how the mechanism works on the clam shell units. The budget models are made with pretty cheap metal but that's the nature of the budget beasts. 

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49 minutes ago, Wildgoose said:

Dakota posted twice while I was typing. Fast fingers!

Bob. I do a lot of HTV work. This is my busy season but I have cut around 150 yards in the last couple weeks. When I started I bought this machine and ran it for a couple years pretty hard without any real issues. The temp was so far of it didn't even make sense so I taped a piece of paper to it to remember where I needed to be for the different temps I use. I still have it out in the garage although the joints are getting loose which is why I upgraded. 

http://www.uscutter.com/15-x-15-Digital-Swing-arm-Heat-Press

 

I think it is something with the pressure I am going to see how much the parts are and replace them, but they may be as much as a new press some one told to look at a Trans Pro press it's 299.00 so i don't know what to do at this point

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Are you within the 90 day warranty period? If so you can get fixed up to continue with what you have. They will either send a replacement part if it's something that can be fixed like that or exchange or replace your unit. 

FYI, Any press you buy for $300 is going to be built about the same. Most are probably all built in the same factory over in China and just painted a different color. 

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from your other post it looks like you are trying to adjust the platen with the press locked down - pressure adjustments are made before lowering the platen - if trying to adjust with the platen locked down you will never get enough pressure 

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8 hours ago, bobinlasvegas said:

I checked the temp. with a thermometer  gun and it was a little off but not by much and the shirts were washed before pressing with just soap and water and it was pre pressed  also we live in Las Vegas NV. and it is very dry here anyway. the pressure adjustment does not feel the was it did when we got the press now when you turn it to the right it will start to get tight but as you turn it right it will loosen up so I think it may be something with the pressure adj.

again this post sounds like you are trying to adjust with the platen down - 

even in arizona cloth will have some moisture in it so pre pressing 5 seconds is always recommended

lift the platen adjust your pressure higher and then lock it down - it should take some force to get the handle to lock down

if you pre wash like my wife - we have soft water and she loads the soap - last comforter I rewashed 3 times without soap to get the residue out -  buying from a shirt wholesaler will eliminate the need to prewash and you know they will not have any contaminates - if you have a tax license I use sanmar - before I got the license I used jiffyshirts

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