Best copier for Press 'n Peel?

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi guys,

I can no longer find a copy shop with the copiers that work for the
Press 'n Peel (PNP). It looks like the best solution is to buy a
small personal copier.

Is there a specific brand, or year, that I should be looking for?
Must it be from ebay?

Thanks so much,

Elaine

2

I got an inexpensive small portable Canon laser coper from Staples.
It works just fine for PNP. It is model PC170. I got mine new, and
have run off dozens of sheets of PNP with no problem. Don’t know if
Canon still makes it, but it is certainly worth checking in to.

Alma Rands

3

Hi Elaine,

You know, we bought a great little Brother laser printer for about
$80. It works like a charm (it’s only B&W, but we don’t need
anything else for the etching resists), and I haven’t had any
problems with it printing cleanly on the PnP. I use the PnP Blue, but
I assume it would work well with the PnP Wet, too. Which brings me to
a question – do you have a particular iron you like to use with
yours? I’ve tried a couple of different ones, but am just not that
thrilled. I used to have an old P.O.S. Sunbeam that got lost
somewhere along the way… it was vile-looking, but it worked
beautifully for transfers!

Jennie

4

On Alma’s suggestion, I also bought the Canon 170 and have been very
happy. I only bought it several months ago, so I’m sure it is still
available.

Be aware that it won’t scale anything up or down. It will only copy.
But it will run PnP very reliably and is very compact.

Rachel

5

Hi Jennie

I asked my wife, the fabric artist, about irons for transfers. She
suggest a dry iron (no holes in the sole plate) at a very hot
setting.

They’re hard to find anymore, but check the thrift stores and
Vermont Country Store carries one.

RC

6

Hi RC and Jennie,

IMHO, I don’t think a very hot setting is a good idea. Since the PnP
is made of plastic, the very hot setting will melt the plastic.

I do PnP transfers often. I use just a regular old iron that I found
at a thrift store. I keep it on the “wool” setting. If there is not
a wool setting on your iron I would suggest slightly lower than
medium heat.

Another trick is to put the iron upside down in a vice [hot side
up]. While the iron is heating up assemble your metal and PnP
together on a sheet of plain white paper, then lift the paper onto
the iron. This is key for not burning your fingers.

Good luck! Hope everything turns out.

Jessi

7 
do you have a particular iron you like to use with yours?

An iron that would probably work extremely well for you is made for
use on model airplane iron-on covering. The shoe is about four inches
long, by two inches wide, shaped similar to a laundry style iron,
Teflon coated and has a handle about a foot long. It is adjustable
for heat level, and able to get hot enough to melt plastic. They also
make little cloth socks that cover the shoe to prevent scuffing,
although they tend to interfere with the heat transfer and will burn
if left on at the highest temperature.

Do a search for “monokote iron”, or go to towerhobbies.com. There
are several manufacturers, but Top Flite makes the Monokote Iron, and
it’s the best, imo. You might find a used one, but I would recommend
a new one as a used one might be scuffed and have some of the
covering pigment left on it. They used to be about $30 but I haven’t
priced one in a few years.

Dave

8

Hi RC,

Thanks for asking your wife! I’m going to check out the Vermont
Country Store (I remember getting some old-fashioned gopher chaser
things through them once). My mom might even have one stashed. Thank
you both!

Jennie

9

Regarding the iron with no holes. A thrift shop is fine if you can
wait butrealize many of the craft stores carry a small craft
iron… No holes and quite available.

Orchid Rules…
Karla in Sunny [but cooler] So. California

10 
IMHO, I don't think a very hot setting is a good idea. Since the
PnP is made of plastic, the very hot setting will melt the
plastic.

I always use the hottest setting on my iron, but I make a press-sheet
envelope for my metal and PnP. The press sheet is aluminum foil
around a flour-sack dishtowel. I enfold the metal and PnP in the
press sheet and iron on the

hottest setting, with constant movement, for approx 10 minutes per
item. It works fine.

BBR - Sandi Graves Stormcloud Trading Co
(Beadstorm) Saint Paul, Minnesota

11

In addition to the types of flat irons suggested for transferring
the patterns to the metal, I use both an old aluminum electric
fry-pan with a smooth, flat bottom and an electric ceramic fry-pan
with a flat bottom. Set the heat dial at 200 -225 degrees (you’ll
find out through experimenting what the best temperature is, for your
frypan). You may also find that certain areas of the flat bottoms
have more consistent heat.

You’ll need to wear at least one leather or heat-proof glove while
holding down and stroking the PnP pattern onto the metal.

I used to use the flat-iron-inverted-in-a-bench-vise, but I found it
hard to see and change the heat dial. The frypan is a lot easier in
this regard.

Judy Bjorkman

12

Hi Jessi,

I definitely wouldn’t heat it higher than the recommended temp
settings –

burning plastic is NASTY. My first go-around, I was too timid and
didn’t turn it up high enough. :stuck_out_tongue: I’m impressed with the crispness
of the PnP. It’s really fun stuff! Thanks for the advice on turning
the iron upside-down. I remembered reading a tutorial where the
author recommended using one of those scary electric pancake
griddles. All of my experiences with those have always been… er…
interesting.

Thanks again.
Jennie

13 
Best copier for Press 'n Peel? do you have a particular iron you
like to use with yours?

PnP requires both heat and pressure, the older heavy irons work best.
But for anyone making a new purchase you might consider the right
laminating machine. I now use one that has heated rollers, applying
heat and pressure simultaneously. I bought the GBC HeatSeal H21, at
an office supply like Staples it ran about $130. Most laminators
don’t have heated rollers, this one does. I will tell you it saves
quite a bit of time and muscle strain.

Sharon Kaplan

14 
Best copier for Press 'n Peel? do you have a particular iron you
like to use with yours?

Would a vulcanizer do the job? Knowing little to nothing about this
thread but curious, I’m acting the cat. You know, curiosity killed
the cat, satisfaction brought it back.

Lainie

15

After reading this thread regarding the best copier for PnP paper, I
have questions:

  1. Who can give definitive instructions on how to etch sterling
    silver using PnP?

  2. Is there an instructional, up-to-date resource in print?

  3. Can PnP be used to etch s.s.

  4. How can I find out which acid to etch with, where to get acid,
    what gauge s.s etching requires (in jewelry), what to use as a
    resist on back of metal when etching, etc…

Obviously, I have many questions and need to start from the
beginning. I will search the archives for this info but would
appreciate some direction, book recommendations, websites to check
out… whatever can get me started.

Thanks so much!
Sherri Strandberg
Aeterna Metals

16 
Is there an instructional, up-to-date resource in print?

I don’t think so, excellent question.

Can PnP be used to etch s.s.

Maybe, but the etch would have to be very fast, meaning you’d have
to use the really nasty chemicals. I think I have read here that the
PnP lifts off after a certain amount of time in the acid.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

17

Elaine is correct. We have tried PnP on SS several times and it just
does not hold up when using nitric acid (including Rio’s silver
etch). However, we have had some success using PnP with ferric
nitrate. Not always but mostly it can stand up long enough to get a
nice etch.

Cheers from Don at the Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry!

18

There are a number of tutorials on etching with PNP in the Orchid
archives

You can use PNP to etch on silver, but you need to use ferric
nitrate—which is different from nitric acid. Don’t confuse the two.

For etching with pnp on copper, one uses Ferric Chloride. For etching
with PNP on sterling one uses Ferric Nitrate.

I have used PNP and Ferric Nitrate on silver and have never had any
problems

The process for etching on silver using PNP is exactly the same as
etching on copper, except that the mordant is different.

Alma