Please tell me, very specifically, how to put new adhesive on an old plate.
This should be a pretty easy process.
First, peel up the old adhesive to remove it. Since it holds onto the plate strongly, you can potentially kink the plastic backing if you're not careful. We recommend that you lay the plate face down on a flat surface. Hold the plate down with one hand while peeling the adhesive off with the other. Try and keep the plate from flexing inordinately while you carefully tug the adhesive off the back of the plate. The adhesive might tear into pieces, but you can simply pull it up in strips.
Now, put on the new adhesive. Make sure you're putting down the side of the adhesive covered with the brown release paper onto the plate. The side with the pink release paper attaches to the base. When you first mount the adhesive to the plate, start with one side of the plate and roll out the adhesive so that it makes as few bubbles as possible. If the bubbles happen, work them out with your fingers or pierce them, through the adhesive, with an Exacto knife or awl. You should be able to get all the bubbles out at this point.
If bubbles form underneath the plate when you mount it to the base, first try working these out to the edges of the plate with your fingers. If that fails, you can puncture the bubbles by sticking an Exacto knife through the plastic backing of the plate to re
lease the trapped air.
How long does your adhesive last?
As long as you're careful about not getting dust or debris on the adhesive, and you carefully replace the silicone release paper after use, the adhesive should remain sticky for many years. Keep in mind that adhesive can always be inexpensively replaced.
If I purchase unexposed photopolymer, do I need to purchase adhesive too?
It depends on the plate. If you're purchasing unexposed plastic-backed plates, you'll need adhesive to adhere the plate to your printing base. We sell adhesive in 12x18 sheets and 27 yard rolls. Apply to the back of the plate after processing. If you're purchasing unexposed steel-backed plates, there's no need to purchase adhesive. Adhesive is included if we process the plastic-backed plates for you.
A necessary supply if you’re processing your own plastic-backed polymer plates, this super-strong adhesive mounts your plastic-backed polymer onto your Boxcar Base. Here are some cool things about our adhesive: it’s completely transparent, so it’s easy to see the grid on your base; it doesn’t move out of register when on the press, but will remove easily when pulled vertically; and it can usually be reused if left on the back of your plate after printing--just reapply the silicone paper backing for storage. Apply once you’ve processed your plastic-backed plates, but before you print (it’s not for use during plate processing!). No need to purchase if we process your polymer plates: we apply film adhesive for all plastic-backed plates that we process in our platemaking shop.
Please tell me, very specifically, how to put new adhesive on an old plate.