Blizzard Convection Oven Owners

Just a quick update. At the start, I mentioned I was getting faded patches. I'm blaming this on not having the transfer on super tight. It wasn't so much of an issue before with the mug presses, since they clamp the transfer tighter. I also reject mugs which have little dents or rippled coating, so this has eliminated any patchy printing.

Transfers are cut up to the height of the mug, I haven't noticed any gas staining.

All 10oz mugs, regardless of quantity, including enamel mugs and aluminium water bottles are put in at 20 mins at 160 degrees as previously mentioned.

I've also changed to 160/20 now regardless of quantity and working a treat :-)

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I've also changed to 160/20 now regardless of quantity and working a treat :-)

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Ditto and although marginally slower per hour, I much prefer it so cheers Gooner :-)

Stay tuned as I am working on another MAJOR cost cutting idea :-)

So what's the most amount of mugs we can pack in? I've only put a maximum of 18 mugs into the oven with good results.

I've done 24 with no problems, pretty sure you'd get more but I'm happy at that :-)

Pretty sure 24 is the maximum (12 per tray), but your trays get pretty shagged quite quickly as the weight is too much.

However, I think with a bit of modification it might hold 36. Although that’s a lot of mugs to spunk if it doesn’t work LOL.




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Originally Posted by Justin

I've also changed to 160/20 now regardless of quantity and working a treat :-)

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So, chuck mug in (and start timer) when oven gets to 160?
Going to give this a try if I get time today. - Which orientation do you recommend for these timings? (I've seen vids varying between stood up, mug upside down and mug on it's side (turned halfway through).

I place mine with mug base on the tray with 1cm or so distance between each mug. Nine on each tray and they don't move until 20 mins is up. I'm using the cheapo green wraps.

Enamel mugs, I place upside down because of the different style of silicone wrap.

Cheers Gooner. Very helpful info. Fingers crossed:smile:

I've switched to Listawood Duraglaze mugs and had to increase the time to 22 mins and 160 degrees C. Although I find that I get faded and undercooked patches when I try to pack 18 mugs onto the two trays.

I also discovered that you can leave the wraps on until the mugs are cold before removing the transfer, so no overcooking and no burning your hand trying to get the transfers off.

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Originally Posted by socialgiraffe

Pretty sure 24 is the maximum (12 per tray), but your trays get pretty shagged quite quickly as the weight is too much.

However, I think with a bit of modification it might hold 36. Although that’s a lot of mugs to spunk if it doesn’t work LOL.




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https://www.ascateringsupplies.com/c...3D%5D%5B0%5D=1

We ran 72 LW mugs through and got consistent fading across 90% of them. Other mugs, no fading so it's not the oven or the wraps......

Simon, do you think it would be better with racks rather than trays to allow better airflow?

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Originally Posted by Justin

We ran 72 LW mugs through and got consistent fading across 90% of them. Other mugs, no fading so it's not the oven or the wraps......

Simon, do you think it would be better with racks rather than trays to allow better airflow?

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I run on racks because my trays became so damaged it was easier to use a sheet of paper than the tray :-)

My racks are pretty lethal so am going to grab four of the proper ones as posted by GoonerGary

Having said that I am not currently using LW mugs. I got a batch where the taper at the bottom was very significant, when I raised this with LW they sent out replacements straight away (usual top customer service from them), but the replacements were exactly the same so I had to switch as I just wasn’t getting the results.

I would love to switch back and would in a heartbeat if the taper had gone, but I noticed a post (on here I think) making the same observation so I am going to stay away for a wee bit longer.

It’s a shame as they have the best coating (by a country mile) it’s just falling a wee bit short on the physical item at the moment.

You could trying running with just six mugs per tray at the same time and temp, that might help.


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Originally Posted by Justin

We ran 72 LW mugs through and got consistent fading across 90% of them. Other mugs, no fading so it's not the oven or the wraps......

Simon, do you think it would be better with racks rather than trays to allow better airflow?

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I had a batch of Orca which faded badly...these were tapered. Listawood mugs I've always had problems with a lower taper.


At my 160 degree temperature, I would have to change the time depending on the mug used. So 16-18 mugs at a time is Orca AAA 19 mins ( an extra minute if the design is dark brown or dark green), 5013 mug 20 mins and Listawood AAA at 22-23 mins. I put this down to the hardness/ quality of the coating perhaps?

I bough the wire rack to do bottles and lay them flat down (hopefully). But I don't have issues with the normal flat trays. I leave my mugs on the trays for 15-20 mins after taking them out of the oven. Then remove the transfers when cool...just as sharp, but easier to handle.

Yes we found we had to increase the temp but still didn't help the fade.

The easiest way to find out if the mug has a taper is to hold it down on a table and try to rock the mug about. You'll hear it moving around. Even with my current batch of Orca, I'll get a few misprints..and sure enough the mug is all shapes, with a dent in the middle somewhere. I don't think wraps are very forgiving of uneven mugs...although upon reflection...I couldn't print Listawood mugs on Adkins mug presses either when I had them.

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Originally Posted by Justin

Yes we found we had to increase the temp but still didn't help the fade.

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Out of interest, what paper are you using?

I would recommend a 115gsm or even lighter if you can. You need the flexibility if there is a taper, the problem is that a lighter weight will have more “reverse” bleed on to the wraps meaning finer tuning of the time and temp.

For a taper issue I would recommend increasing time, not temperature.


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Apologies, we did extend time as mentioned above not temp ;-)

Best solution was to return to better quality mugs.

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Originally Posted by socialgiraffe

Out of interest, what paper are you using?

I would recommend a 115gsm or even lighter if you can. You need the flexibility if there is a taper, the problem is that a lighter weight will have more “reverse” bleed on to the wraps meaning finer tuning of the time and temp.


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I hadn't considered paper type before. 120 gsm S Race paper is the only paper I find agrees with my 1500W printers. Truepix is 110 gsm but smudges ink at the edges. Any other paper?

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Originally Posted by GoonerGary

I hadn't considered paper type before. 120 gsm S Race paper is the only paper I find agrees with my 1500W printers. Truepix is 110 gsm but smudges ink at the edges. Any other paper?

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Try the Subli Versa from Ink Experts. I have found that to be a very good all rounder. Best option would to ask IE for samples of their three types. Alex and Co are top notch and will send you a few sheets to try out.

However, I gave my 1500w away because it was so fussy with paper types so you might be on a losing battle there.

I often found that the heavier weight papers and not great with wraps as they are not as flexible. It’s too stiff to allow the wrap to “mould” properly in my opinion.

Don’t forget that the thinner the paper the more critical the time and temp becomes.


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Subli Versa is quite pricey ( cheaper on ebay ;) cough cough). But I'll give it a go. If it reduces misprints, then it may well be worth it. What printers are you using now?

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Originally Posted by GoonerGary

Subli Versa is quite pricey ( cheaper on ebay ;) cough cough). But I'll give it a go. If it reduces misprints, then it may well be worth it. What printers are you using now?

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It’s only £7.94 (less 10% premium discount) inc vat so it’s not that bad.

Currently using a cheap Epson eco tank (A4) as I am waiting for a newer Epson to become readily available. I don’t need A3 anymore so my options are a lot better although I might go for an a3, just so that I have that option.


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Originally Posted by socialgiraffe

It’s only £7.94 (less 10% premium discount) inc vat so it’s not that bad.




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My mistake, I was looking at the £15 mug sized listing. Yes, 100 sheets is £1.25 cheaper on their site.

Just tried our first batch of mugs in our blizzard oven. Man, they stink!

Anyway, tried a mixture of mugs as we do colour changing mugs too. At 160 degrees for 20 minutes the colour changing mugs were perfect. The white mugs we tried were not unfortunately and were very undercooked.

We had 12 on one tray and 10 on the other to see if the extra bit of space made a difference but both trays were the same.

So, my question is, when you guys put your mugs in, do you then wait for the oven to get back to 160 before counting 20 minutes?

Also, do you put another piece of paper in between the sublimation paper and the mug wrap? I ask because the design is now imprinted on our mug wraps.

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Originally Posted by gazfocus

Just tried our first batch of mugs in our blizzard oven. Man, they stink!

Anyway, tried a mixture of mugs as we do colour changing mugs too. At 160 degrees for 20 minutes the colour changing mugs were perfect. The white mugs we tried were not unfortunately and were very undercooked.

We had 12 on one tray and 10 on the other to see if the extra bit of space made a difference but both trays were the same.

So, my question is, when you guys put your mugs in, do you then wait for the oven to get back to 160 before counting 20 minutes?

Also, do you put another piece of paper in between the sublimation paper and the mug wrap? I ask because the design is now imprinted on our mug wraps.

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Just out of curiosity, which mugs are you using?
And yes, I tend to put a piece of copy paper between the transfer and the wrap for that very reason:+)

Yes, oven must be to temp or your turkey, I mean mugs, won't cook properly. I'd start of with less mugs. You can do just 1 to start with and make sure all is ok, far less waste. Then try say 6 on a tray once you're happy. No, I don't put extra paper in but I do cut the transfer so that it wraps top to bottom and handle both sides or you can get a green tint from the wraps.

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Originally Posted by Baldy

Just out of curiosity, which mugs are you using?
And yes, I tend to put a piece of copy paper between the transfer and the wrap for that very reason:+)

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We use Grade AA mugs from Neil Brothers. Do you find that the time needs extending when you add an extra sheet of paper?

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Originally Posted by Justin

Yes, oven must be to temp or your turkey, I mean mugs, won't cook properly. I'd start of with less mugs. You can do just 1 to start with and make sure all is ok, far less waste. Then try say 6 on a tray once you're happy. No, I don't put extra paper in but I do cut the transfer so that it wraps top to bottom and handle both sides or you can get a green tint from the wraps.

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Ok thanks. We actually did the two trays of mugs, after 20 minutes took a colour changing mug and a normal mug out to check, then left them in for a bit longer, tried another, and did it that way (they were also reject mugs that had pin holes in the handles, etc, so wasn't bothered about the waste).

Ended on about 30 minutes for all the mugs to cook but obviously opening/closing the oven each time will have had an impact.

I did notice that with the temp dial set to 160, the oven thermometer I bought didn't get past 150 though so will try upping it until the oven thermometer reads 160 degrees.

I don't use an extra sheet of paper, but the transfers are about 95mm high on a 10oz mug minus my trimming.

The actual oven temperature can vary according to the Salter thermometer, but at present it reads 160 degrees which is the same as the dial. 19 mins for 10oz AAA Orcas. 1-2 mins more for designs with large areas of dark green. In total I'll print 14-18 mugs per batch. I reload the oven immediately.

What paper and ink are you using?

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Originally Posted by GoonerGary

I don't use an extra sheet of paper, but the transfers are about 95mm high on a 10oz mug minus my trimming.

The actual oven temperature can vary according to the Salter thermometer, but at present it reads 160 degrees which is the same as the dial. 19 mins for 10oz AAA Orcas. 1-2 mins more for designs with large areas of dark green. In total I'll print 14-18 mugs per batch. I reload the oven immediately.

What paper and ink are you using?

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Thanks Gary,
I bought a Taylor oven thermometer and when the dial says 160 it reads 150 (could well be a dudd thermometer but will try again tomorrow).

The issue with the wraps is the design is migrating from the sublimation paper to the wrap itself. I've not experienced any tinge on the mugs from the wraps so that doesn't appear to be an issue, just that I can now see the mug design on the wraps (I may try washing them but can't see it helping).

I'm using Sublinova Sure ink and Srace paper. I cut the paper to 99mm high (3 on an A4 sheet).

Thanks again

Also does the smell die down after a few uses or do I need to buy some masks haha

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Also does the smell die down after a few uses or do I need to buy some masks haha

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I have never noticed a smell with mine. The only time I use a mask is when I clean the wraps...

For example, I am about to print a load of white panel black mugs that require a heavy black. Once I have finished I will up the temperature to its highest level and stick the wraps in there for about 10 minutes to gas off all the excess ink that is left on the wrap. When you open the oven you see it all escape and that is the only time I wear a mask.

I do not put a piece of paper or anything else in between the wrap and the printed sheet even though you can see an imprint of the design. I am using either the 120gsm or the 115gsm papers from Ink Experts. For my set up they do not allow any bleed through from the wrap (hence no need to use any additional paper), even if you were to put paper in between it would not affect the time/temp enough to adjust anything.

If its a small run of around 144 then I will most likely do 18 at a time which are cooked between 21-24 minutes depending on the design. Once I finish the first 18 the second 18 go straight in and the timer starts again.

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Also does the smell die down after a few uses or do I need to buy some masks haha

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I will add that Justin uses a mask. But I think that is for the benefit of his coworkers who find him ugly :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::bigg rin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

The design migrating to the wraps, I reckon is due to the oven being too hot. I use heavyweight paper, so it probably does a better job at preventing the ink seeping through the paper. The smell is most likely your new wraps.

You can clean your wraps by turning the temperature up to maximum and burning the ink off for 20 mins. Open your windows wide when you open the oven door!

do you use full trays in the oven or grid trays ?

Everyone will be using the supplied full trays as they work perfectly fine. I recently purchased the grid tray to make it easier to print bottles. The grid trays are much stronger than the aluminium trays which can get bent quite easily.

I have tried the 160/20 temp, but my blacks aren't just black enough. My mugs come from best24 since they are cheaper to get over to me in Belgium. i'll up the temperature with 10°C and i'll keep the same time to check if it changes something

So, we’ve just done our first big order in the blizzard oven. Quite a lot of blue so we had to bake the mugs at 170 degrees for 25 minutes. Results were really impressive, however, as noted previously we found the design ended up on the silicone wraps.

This didn’t seem to have any effect to start with but after about 250-300 mugs (so about 7 mugs per wrap), we started to notice the print that had ended up on the wraps was ending up sublimating onto the mugs.

I then put the oven on 300 degrees to clean the wraps and then we started getting the blue tinge on the mugs (as shown below). Any ideas how to prevent this in the future?

We has some new wraps available so used those to finish off the order and have now had all the wraps in the oven at 300 degrees to clean the print off them.

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Originally Posted by gazfocus

So, we’ve just done our first big order in the blizzard oven. Quite a lot of blue so we had to bake the mugs at 170 degrees for 25 minutes. Results were really impressive, however, as noted previously we found the design ended up on the silicone wraps.

This didn’t seem to have any effect to start with but after about 250-300 mugs (so about 7 mugs per wrap), we started to notice the print that had ended up on the wraps was ending up sublimating onto the mugs.

I then put the oven on 300 degrees to clean the wraps and then we started getting the blue tinge on the mugs (as shown below). Any ideas how to prevent this in the future?

We has some new wraps available so used those to finish off the order and have now had all the wraps in the oven at 300 degrees to clean the print off them.

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I only had transfers coming on to the wraps due to using copy paper instead of sublimation paper.

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Originally Posted by justroll

I only had transfers coming on to the wraps due to using copy paper instead of sublimation paper.

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we use srace paper with sublinova sure inks in an Epson Ecotank.

Just had delivered a sublimation oven after pulling hair out with enamel mugs recently in mug presses (70l from Best Sub). Only just onto second round of enamel mugs using the shrink bags but wondered are people still using 160c/20m or other times? The first four at 160s/20m came out a little blurry so wonder if higher temp and shorter time would be best? After wasting over 50 enamel mugs recently then advice would be welcome. Use to do them perfectly in presses but everything has gone to pot recently!