I saw a thread here a while back where a guy silkscreened the Reservoir Dogs onto the bottom of his timeline (sick, by the way, though I don't remember who it was) but that got me thinking, there must be a easier, cheaper way to get monochrome computer-produced graphics onto my board. Suddenly, it comes to me- toner transfer. Anyone else do this in middle school art class? I vaguely recall using citrusol and a spoon to make blurry prints of photocopied images. So I set off scouring the internet for some sort of insight into this lost art.
Turns out, there are a lot of guys out there using toner transfer to make printed circuit boards. The recommend using glossy photo paper in a laser printer, then ironing it on. I tried a couple of runs with this but encountered a number of problems, from the image not transferring to the paper sticking permanently to the wood even after soaking in hot water. However, after a little more research and experimentation, I found something that works beautifully- Baking Parchment. (also known as baking paper, or parchment paper) the stuff I used was made by Reynolds, and comes in skinny box like aluminum foil or saran-wrap. Anyway, it is heat resistant, practically see-through (like tracing paper) and nothing sticks to it, including toner.
So here's my method
1. Use image manipulation software of your choice to make some cool looking B/W designs (GIMP is free, legal, and rivals Photoshop)
2. Use double-stick tape to attach parchment to a normal sheet of paper (careful, as I mentioned, nothing sticks to this stuff. double stick tape is barely tacky against it, so use lots) and a razor blade to cut it to size
3. Carefully feed the sheet through your laser printer, and print your design on to it (printing on ink-jet and photocopying onto parchment should work too)
4. Pull off the parchment, being careful not to touch the printed areas, as they will smudge, and lay it face down onto your board, and secure it somehow. If you use tape, again, use a lot because it doesn't stick well. You don't want your parchment shifting during transfer.
5. Use a dry iron at the maximum heat to melt the toner onto your board surface, use one edge of the iron to burnish over the areas with toner. you should be able to see the paper release from the toner. If this is done perfectly, all of the toner will end up on the wood and the parchment will come away clean
Notes:
I have only used this method on bare wood. It may work on finished/painted surfaces, but keep in mind heat guns are often used to loosen paint or finish for stripping...
Regardless of what you are doing, I would try this a few times on scrap. it's quick, but easy to screw up.
If you have ever done this before, or have Ideas or input to improve this method, certainly chime in!
And last but not least, here for your appraisal is a picture of my first foray into this method, a 24" mini. there are a number of flaws in this transfer, but they were all errors on my part. as you can see, parts of the transfer are essentially perfect.
Turns out, there are a lot of guys out there using toner transfer to make printed circuit boards.
...
If you have ever done this before, or have Ideas or input to improve this method, certainly chime in!
And last but not least, here for your appraisal is a picture of my first foray into this method, a 24" mini. there are a number of flaws in this transfer, but they were all errors on my part. as you can see, parts of the transfer are essentially perfect.
Oh my god. I do this all the time for circuit boards. (For real.) And I use almost exactly the same technique that you suggest, except for the paper.
For PCB's, sometimes it's hard to pull the paper off without pulling up the toner, so it's easiest to get paper that dissolves easily in water and slowly rub it off with your thumb. The best I've found so far is glossy magazine paper. The ink they use to print it doesn't come off, just your toner image, and the thin magazine paper is the easiest to dissolve in water of anything I've tried.
I've also had some good results with the inkjet photo paper, but they coat the back of the paper with a plastic, so it's harder to get it to dissolve without peeling that off first. And if you try to pull it up without dissolving the paper away, it peels badly sometimes. I don't really know what makes it work or not, though, so for me it's a crap shoot that I avoid.
I like your idea of using parchment paper, but I'd be afraid of the image flaking off along the way.
The whole trick is getting the toner to re-melt with your iron without smudging it all over the place, and that takes practice to get the right touch.
Oh and I like your board. Neat idea and nice work.
(Here's some images showing some pretty fine-scale detail is possible, although you can also see that I had to retouch some parts with a Sharpie and scrape away other parts with a pin. I was pressing down to hard/long with the iron.)
The idea I'm playing with is printing the image onto specially made decal paper. You know decals like the ones that came with the model you built when you were 8, poured the glue all over it and set it on fire??? No??? Well trust me, I did it multiple times and they burn like mad, with lots of black smoke.
So you buy the decal paper, print your image, and apply your full color image to the bottom of your board. Clear coat over the top, and you are off to the races.
I haven't done it yet, I'm still working on getting a press built up. The other problem is that the decal paper comes in small sheets, 5x7 there abouts.
The idea I'm playing with is printing the image onto specially made decal paper. You know decals like the ones that came with the model you built when you were 8, poured the glue all over it and set it on fire??? No??? Well trust me, I did it multiple times and they burn like mad, with lots of black smoke.
So you buy the decal paper, print your image, and apply your full color image to the bottom of your board. Clear coat over the top, and you are off to the races.
Laser printers heat paper up pretty hot, which limits the types of paper you can use in 'em. (They actually work by melting the little plastic flecks that we call "toner" onto the page.) If you're talking about the decal paper going up in flames, I'd be careful.
If you're thinking of using an ink-jet, ignore what I just said.
Samhell had a good discussion of how he made decals.
I saw a thread here a while back where a guy silkscreened the Reservoir Dogs onto the bottom of his timeline (sick, by the way, though I don't remember who it was) but that got me thinking, there must be a easier, cheaper way to get monochrome computer-produced graphics onto my board. Suddenly, it comes to me- toner transfer. Anyone else do this in middle school art class? I vaguely recall using citrusol and a spoon to make blurry prints of photocopied images. So I set off scouring the internet for some sort of insight into this lost art.
Turns out, there are a lot of guys out there using toner transfer to make printed circuit boards. The recommend using glossy photo paper in a laser printer, then ironing it on. I tried a couple of runs with this but encountered a number of problems, from the image not transferring to the paper sticking permanently to the wood even after soaking in hot water. However, after a little more research and experimentation, I found something that works beautifully- Baking Parchment. (also known as baking paper, or parchment paper) the stuff I used was made by Reynolds, and comes in skinny box like aluminum foil or saran-wrap. Anyway, it is heat resistant, practically see-through (like tracing paper) and nothing sticks to it, including toner.
So here's my method
1. Use image manipulation software of your choice to make some cool looking B/W designs (GIMP is free, legal, and rivals Photoshop)
2. Use double-stick tape to attach parchment to a normal sheet of paper (careful, as I mentioned, nothing sticks to this stuff. double stick tape is barely tacky against it, so use lots) and a razor blade to cut it to size
3. Carefully feed the sheet through your laser printer, and print your design on to it (printing on ink-jet and photocopying onto parchment should work too)
4. Pull off the parchment, being careful not to touch the printed areas, as they will smudge, and lay it face down onto your board, and secure it somehow. If you use tape, again, use a lot because it doesn't stick well. You don't want your parchment shifting during transfer.
5. Use a dry iron at the maximum heat to melt the toner onto your board surface, use one edge of the iron to burnish over the areas with toner. you should be able to see the paper release from the toner. If this is done perfectly, all of the toner will end up on the wood and the parchment will come away clean
Notes:
I have only used this method on bare wood. It may work on finished/painted surfaces, but keep in mind heat guns are often used to loosen paint or finish for stripping...
Regardless of what you are doing, I would try this a few times on scrap. it's quick, but easy to screw up.
If you have ever done this before, or have Ideas or input to improve this method, certainly chime in!
And last but not least, here for your appraisal is a picture of my first foray into this method, a 24" mini. there are a number of flaws in this transfer, but they were all errors on my part. as you can see, parts of the transfer are essentially perfect.
Wow, My post have been deleted?? I don't get on here much.
cchamlin, that's some fun stuff. Check out Robert Rauschenberg's: Quarter Mile (dvd). He'd do multiple image transfers on a surface(s). Vegetable dyes supposedly are good for this type of work..
If you're thinking of using an ink-jet, ignore what I just said.
Samhell had a good discussion of how he made decals.
Yeah Hex, I'm thinking ink jet. Thanks for the Samhell tip, I'll check that out. I do know that some guys are using laser for decals, and there is a third printer technology that uses ribbons of colored wax (for want of a better description) that is called dye sublimation that is supposed to be the bomb, but I think it's being replaced by ink jet and color laser.
Hey guys I work at a graphics shop so I can help you out a bit.
Laser printers work awesome for this, and you can do full color graphics with them, not just monochrome. The thing is, standard laser printers use CMYK toners which means you cannot print white. So you either need to be transfering onto a white painted board, or everything that is supposed to be white will be the deck color.
I will let you guys in on what kind of paper you could have awesome results with: ::: Welcome to Joto Paper :::
Joto paper company, CL Non-Oil.
Just take your graphics on a disk into a copy store, print shop, etc, (anybody with a color laser printer hooked up to a computer). And have them print onto that stuff if you can get it.
Really you should be using a heat press to do the transfer but I understand that is out of the question.
Another method used commonly is called dye sublimation. This is a similar process however it uses an inkjet printer, with special dies infused with pigments which will heat up and transfer directly into your board (again can't print white).
Thanks for the tip, Keith! Seriously cool. I had totally forgotten about color laser printers. that opens up so many possibilities!
as for the Joto paper, is that something that they would have at, say, the print center at Staples or another big-box store? or is it more of a specialty item?
You might want to try lacquer thinner to make the transfer. Tape your artwork to the deck like the iron-on method. Then wet the back of the paper with the lacquer thinner and rub with a wooden spoon or a printmaker's baren. You'll need to experiment as how much thinner to use, how hard to rub, and most importantly, if the lacquer thinner will ruin the finish of the deck. It might be best to try this on bare wood. Anyway, when I was in art school some of my fellow students where making prints this way. Of course they were working on paper and were able to run it through a press. Good luck.
The Joto is a specialty paper. Most don't know about it, we just went to a sign show in vegas and got learned all the newest tech in the industry. Anyway it looks like you can get a free sample from the website.
Stay away from chemicals, use the latest technology to your advantage.
Hey cchamlin, another trick with that brand of parchment is to press your parchment with the image into wet epoxy and let it cure.
The parchment has been pretty good about releasing after the cure and when using acrylics, the final product has been very durable.
I'll look at trying your laser trick with the epoxy to see if it behaves the same.
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Experimenting with toner transfer
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Originally Posted by cchamlin
Neat idea and nice work.
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