WHAT FUN! - Engraving Etc. Forum

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	18 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	15 of 55

6359.15 In reply to 6359.13
quote: No ill effects, by pressing items face-down, other than what you mentioned about FRP warping. Be careful about setting heavy objects on top of freshly-pressed FRP. At that point, the material is very soft and you can cause permanent indentations or other undesireable marks on the surface. Ok...I thought perhaps a marble plaque (polished side down) might do the trick, but I'll be careful. One more question before calling it a night. Since the transfer is obscured by the item being sublimated when pressing this way, do you create registration marks on the transfer paper for alignment when there's no bleed image? Jim

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	18 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	16 of 55

6359.16 In reply to 6359.15
Jim, A smooth piece of marble, placed on top, should work as a means of controlling the warp of hot FRP, but make sure it's clean. Something as small as a stray grain of sand can make an indelible mark on FRP. I use a keyline around items which don't require a full bleed image. For example, the lines you see on this page of transfers, (depicting the outer edge of the badge), is actually larger than the size of the badge. I use a .1 pt hairline and make the keyline about .08" larger (in each direction) than the badge size itself, i.e. for a 1 x 3 name badge, I use a 1.08" x 3.08" keyline, which is close enough to the finished size of the badge to ensure accurate placement of the image, while far enough from the substrate to make it a non-printable line. Sweet dreams. :-) David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 18 Mar 2007 by DGL

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	18 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	17 of 55

6359.17 In reply to 6359.16
quote: Sweet dreams. :-) David, If Jim starts dreaming about sublimating things, I am going to run screaming.....( insert hearty laugh here)

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	18 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	18 of 55

6359.18 In reply to 6359.17
Chuck, Jim seems pretty excited about the possibilities sublimation has to offer. He'll be dreaming up ideas, even while he's awake. :-) David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	19 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	19 of 55

6359.19 In reply to 6359.16

Got it....the keyline seems easier than trying to align with registration marks. I'll give it a go......thanks as always!

After shoveling almost 2 feet of snow off the walkway, I don't even remember going to bed let alone dreaming I-)

Jim

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	19 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	20 of 55

6359.20 In reply to 6359.17

Start screaming, Chuck!

Oh wait, that was a different dream.... :B

Jim

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	19 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	21 of 55

6359.21 In reply to 6359.19
quote: Got it....the keyline seems easier than trying to align with registration marks. I'll give it a go......thanks as always! Jim, A hard learned lesson. Make sure the key line is completely away from the substrate. I use key lines to align my graphics for coffee cups. Then I usually trim the paper in a paper cutter. It "looked" to ME that I had actually cut the line off. I could not see them at all, BUT when I pressed the mugs, sure enough there was an errant line...and the mug was wasted... Just something else for you to dream about ;-) ( insert "just what ARE you dreaming about" laugh here.

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	19 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	22 of 55

6359.22 In reply to 6359.21

Chuck...

Sounds like I really have to be careful when setting up the keyline. Do you guys bother to tape the material to the transfer or am I pretty safe with the swinger?

Jim

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	19 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	23 of 55

6359.23 In reply to 6359.22
quote: Do you guys bother to tape the material to the transfer or am I pretty safe with the swinger? Jim, I cannot speak for anyothers, but I always tape my material. Even with a swing away press material can shift...... By the way, did you talk to Matt?

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	19 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	24 of 55

6359.24 In reply to 6359.22

Jim,

You definitely want to tape the substrate to the transfer.

In the case of the transfer for the EE badges, I just use enough tape to create a "tab" along one side (the length) of the plate. No need to plaster it down; you're simply trying to keep the two pieces from shifting, while closing and opening the press.

For larger plates, I use a couple of tabs of tape along all four sides of the plate.

David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA

EDITED: 19 Mar 2007 by DGL

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	19 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	25 of 55

6359.25 In reply to 6359.23
quote: By the way, did you talk to Matt? No, didn't have a free minute today, Chuck. Hopefully I can break away for a quick call tomorrow. Jim

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	20 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	26 of 55

6359.26 In reply to 6359.24
quote: n the case of the transfer for the EE badges, I just use enough tape to create a "tab" along one side (the length) of the plate. No need to plaster it down; OK, so less is more in this case...good news because the tape's not cheap! :S Jim

From:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	27 of 55

6359.27 In reply to 6359.26
For OEM toner transfer, I have found that Scotch brand tape works well. I have never tried it at 400, never had the guts. It works well up to about 280 though. Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem) When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	28 of 55

6359.28 In reply to 6359.26
Jim, Transfer tape goes a long way, as long as you don't use overkill. If you charge enough for your work, compared to ink pricing, it's not much of a consideration. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	Mick	21 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	29 of 55

6359.29 In reply to 6359.28
.007 per inch, or 8.3 cents a foot !!!! (*based on a $6 roll, 72 yds. long) Mick Cactus Equipment & Supplies www.cactus-equipment.com 800-440-6847

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	30 of 55

6359.30 In reply to 6359.27
quote: For OEM toner transfer, I have found that Scotch brand tape works well. I have never tried it at 400, never had the guts. Harvey... It seems like most everything we have for samples requires a temp of about 400. Are there sublimation products that require a much lower temperature? Jim

From:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	31 of 55

6359.31 In reply to 6359.28
quote: Transfer tape goes a long way, as long as you don't use overkill. I guess I'm sounding a bit cheap with the tape....and after seeing Mick's post, it really isn't that bad. Jim

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	32 of 55

6359.32 In reply to 6359.31
Jim, You're not sounding cheap. I prefer to say cost-efficient. :-) David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	33 of 55

6359.33 In reply to 6359.30
quote: Are there sublimation products that require a much lower temperature? Jim, Obviously I am not Harvey, although I have been thinking of growing a pony tail... ( insert laugh here).... As far as I know all sublimatable items need 400 degrees but varying amounts of pressure. With OEM, you do not use sublimatable items, but off the shef items......and most of those are pressed at a lower temperature, because the transfer process is different.... I hope I answered you question.......

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	21 Mar 2007
To:	Doc (GREAT_ATLANTIC)	34 of 55

6359.34 In reply to 6359.31

Jim,

The tape REALLY goes along way. I am still working off the roll I got a year ago. It does not take much to hold a transfer in place....