NJhandengraverRon
Member
I have been doing all the traditional ways for transfers it has always for me hit and miss at best some printers work with some techniques, other work if I get the tack time down just right. I do 99% of my work free hand with china white but it's nice from time to time to make a transfer that works first time every time.
I've been doing something I haven't seen anywhere in any of the instruction for transfers and it seems to work for me every time I try it without fail some of the techniques are nothing new some are; I'd like to see if anyone is doing the same thing or if someone would give it a try and let me know how it works for them
I have only used this way with a laser printer.
First I use a hard soap (something like Ivory works but I don't think as good) with a damp paper towel not real wet rub the bar of soap, then use small circles rubbing it on a laser printer transparency sheet, then let dry real good (mark the side with the soap, if it's a hard soap it can be difficult to tell what side it's on)
print your image in reverse on the soap side of transparency sheet, print at top of sheet it can be used more then once.
Now Clean the item getting it free of any dust, alcohol works just fine for most items, I've never had to use sand paper or steel wool to do it this way.
Now spray your item with a product called Air-o-size (most online art suppliers have it) I used this stuff years ago for gold leaf it becomes tacky in 30 sec. and stays that way I think for something like 36 hours (I have also used spray adhesive for paper but it's a rubber kind of glue Air-o-size isn't like that.
If you don't want spray all over the item cut hole in a sheet of paper a little bigger then your image, spray where hole is.
You may want to Cut your image from the transparency if you have a paper cutter use it to keep a clean top edge for reusing what's left over. Place image where you want it ink side down and burnish over the image; I use a metal burnisher but if the metal is soft like pewter use a plastic spoon or finger nail other wise you could damage the metal. When burnishing you'll see the image fade in color to a dull black.
Removing the sheet shouldn't be pulled off real fast because if a spot isn't stuck to the item you can lay it back down and reburnish that spot.
Final step because the spray size stays tacky for hours I rub baby talcum powder over the hole sprayed area.
It's now ready for engraving.
If someone would give this a try that does transfers the traditional way acetone ect... and let me know if this compares. As I said I do very little transfer work and don't know if engraving with this transfer method is worth others trying.
I've been doing something I haven't seen anywhere in any of the instruction for transfers and it seems to work for me every time I try it without fail some of the techniques are nothing new some are; I'd like to see if anyone is doing the same thing or if someone would give it a try and let me know how it works for them
I have only used this way with a laser printer.
First I use a hard soap (something like Ivory works but I don't think as good) with a damp paper towel not real wet rub the bar of soap, then use small circles rubbing it on a laser printer transparency sheet, then let dry real good (mark the side with the soap, if it's a hard soap it can be difficult to tell what side it's on)
print your image in reverse on the soap side of transparency sheet, print at top of sheet it can be used more then once.
Now Clean the item getting it free of any dust, alcohol works just fine for most items, I've never had to use sand paper or steel wool to do it this way.
Now spray your item with a product called Air-o-size (most online art suppliers have it) I used this stuff years ago for gold leaf it becomes tacky in 30 sec. and stays that way I think for something like 36 hours (I have also used spray adhesive for paper but it's a rubber kind of glue Air-o-size isn't like that.
If you don't want spray all over the item cut hole in a sheet of paper a little bigger then your image, spray where hole is.
You may want to Cut your image from the transparency if you have a paper cutter use it to keep a clean top edge for reusing what's left over. Place image where you want it ink side down and burnish over the image; I use a metal burnisher but if the metal is soft like pewter use a plastic spoon or finger nail other wise you could damage the metal. When burnishing you'll see the image fade in color to a dull black.
Removing the sheet shouldn't be pulled off real fast because if a spot isn't stuck to the item you can lay it back down and reburnish that spot.
Final step because the spray size stays tacky for hours I rub baby talcum powder over the hole sprayed area.
It's now ready for engraving.
If someone would give this a try that does transfers the traditional way acetone ect... and let me know if this compares. As I said I do very little transfer work and don't know if engraving with this transfer method is worth others trying.
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