TABLOID TRASH HINTS
FEEDBACK
TRANSFERRING IMAGES TO ERASERS
Kelly recently wrote:
I've been experimenting with Fun Foam for making stamps.
It is soft, easy to cut and makes a soft, watercolor like
print. I usually cut out the basic shape twice. Then I
trim and detail one and glue it to the second which is then
glued to a base to give good impressions. You can also
coat a block with a substance like Aeleen's Stick and Restick,
then cut very thin ribbons of fun foam to create fine images.
The ribbons are easy to move and restick with tweezers. (I HAVE to try this... sounds like it would make great waves for my underwater/tropical cove images.. - Rusty)
Leaning Margaret in OR recently wrote that nail polish remover
didn't transfer the xerox image onto the carving material she's using. She just got a blurry black mess. She's not sure if it's the NPR, the carving stuff or the xerox. (I've noticed that some xerox copies work better than others, and new ones better than old ones. -Rusty)
MJ Hopper The Dremel Lady in FLA writes: I found that the Speedball carving material that will not take a
toner transfer. I tried several different types of solvents. (Anybody have any luck transferring inkjet printer or laser printer output to NASCO? -Rusty)
The Doc replied: As a copier tech, I may have an explanation as to why some xeroxes transfer with NPR and others don't. Copies are made by putting a dry powdered toner on paper. Since it doesn't stick too well as a powder, heat is used to fuse the powder to the paper. Some copiers use a "dry" method, relying on teflon coated rollers to prevent jams. Others add oil to the rollers to prevent sticking. These could be the ones that don't transfer well; the oil may prevent the NPR from working.
Tim Blackburn (zetetics@aol.com) in TX recommends:
Suggestion #1: Sand the eraser or vinyl material
lightly first. (I do know that the Chaselle EZCut
I use has a powdery junk on it when I get it and
I have to rinse it off before it'll take a transfer. -Rusty)
Suggestion #2: Use an iron (If you aren't
sure what an iron is, consult an old Sears Catalog. -Rusty) on high
- no steam. Tap the iron down onto the xerox (face down, of
course) for a couple seconds. Watch out for the vent areas of the iron,
though. The image may not transfer beneath them. (Actually
these vents are like politicians - blowing hot air with little real effect. -Rusty)
Lee Strauss (moonmam@aol.com) recommends cheap nail polish remover with no
lanolin. That stuff can leave a residue on the carving and/or may damage the material.
(Our sincerest apologies to the Sheep Farmers' Lobby. -Rusty)
Debra Jane Seltzer in NYC suggests using acetone for transferring xerox images to eraser material. Acetone is cheap, stinks and does a better job at
transferring the images to vinyl than NPR, which also
stinks, appears to be watered down acetone with lots of
other gunk in there for seasoning, and costs more to use. Just check your local
Troo-Valyoo Hardware Store - should be about $2.50 for a pint.
Betty Ann Ogus of the Sunshine
State discovered this trick recently: You can use Dover Iron-Ons to transfer nifty images with an
iron to your eraser/carving material. She says that you don't
need much time with a medium-hot iron - just long enough to
heat the transfer - not the rubber/plastic. She also puts a
piece of tissue between the iron and the transfer to keep the
iron off the eraser stuff. (I tried it - a couple of five
second taps with a dry iron and the transfer was perfect. -Rusty)
Dover has scads of el cheapo books with celtic/zoomorphic/floral
images. (Granted, it took me longer to find an iron than a
book of transfers. -Rusty)
Mark-O-Rama's Mark Hamilton in FLA uses a
soft (4B) pencil to letter onto paper, then flips the paper
face down on the eraser & rubs lightly to transfer the words.
No sdrawkcab results this way.
MORE USEFUL(?) STUFF
MB Corbett had a couple of carving tips
in a recent Global Mail: 1. DO NOT PUT SMALL ERASER CARVINGS
UP YOUR NOSE! 2. DO NOT TRY TO FLUSH LARGE, UNSUCCESSFUL
CARVINGS DOWN YOUR TOILET. (However it IS politically correct to
dispose of them in your mulch pile but always check first with
your local sanitation department authorities.) 3. DO NOT BELIEVE
ANYTHING THAT RUSTY PERSON SAYS.
SAFETY FIRST: Buy LOTS of Band Aids. (This tip courtesy of Rik Selby of Studio Crispy Bug.)
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