I have printed with epoxy and polyester resins and much to my surprise the epoxy resins that I mixed have performed and cleaned up better than the epoxy I purchased through my screen printing suppliers. The secret is to use a wide mesh screen and mix the epoxy thick enough so that is does not keep spreading once it is printed. Depending on the mixture the screen may or may not be recoverable, but only use a screen that you are willing to destroy in the process of printing with epoxy. My next challenge is going to be detail and I am currently happy with a 20 line half tone screen for printing. My opinion is that a high contrast image without a halftone may have a better effect visually as it will look more graphic and pop against the rusted backgrounds I am trying to work on.
My next job in this process is to make a bunch of epoxy backgrounds and make them rust properly, while I work on the artwork that will eventually be printed on top of these backgrounds. Also I think the best substrate would be canvas since it is flexible and can be rolled.
This brings up the reason for epoxy versus other materials. I have found that to get a good final piece that can survive outside, it needs to be thick. Acrylics and other inks will crack as they get thicker, especially polyester resins. The ability of epoxy to bend and stay adhered to the substrate makes it a superior medium to work with.
Urethane is the other material that can weather well, but it is hard to bond other materials to it, so I have had to move away from urethane resins as a printing and cold casting medium. Similarly other inks don't necessarily bond to epoxy, but epoxy on epoxy does work and that insures a good surface for exterior use that will weather well over time. Ultra Violet light, UV, does distort or discolor epoxy, but if I am using solid pigments in the material then those pigments should block the negative effects of yellowing and discoloration from the UV in sunshine.
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