Like probably many people, when I want to take a break I window shop
E-Bay. This is my third post lately about e-bay, and I promise, I’ll
stop. Well, several people were happy to have one of them… Anyway,
this looks really useful. I haven’t tried it but I’m going to after
the 1st. This guy has a fluid like glue that you spread on your metal
plate to be engraved. Then you print any image on your computer
printer on plastic film. Then you put that over the dried fluid and
rub it, and it transfers the image onto the plate. He has photos of
the process, and he’s transferring very detailed graphics (G.W. from
a $1 bill, for one - yes, just the head) with really good results,
and he claims it’s very durable, too. As he points out, it’s good for
inlay because you can use two identical images for that - it would be
good for piercing, too. Looks really good. The other stuff he carries
is exotic harwoods - looks like the guys into inlay and engraving.
There are no ebay links allowed, and it seems to me the easiest thing
is if anyone is interested just email me and I send you the link…
I’m gone next week, so if it’s after Sat. it may take a week to get
back to you… Or it’s in the jewelry/tools/engraving tools section
This product was originally invented and sold by an engraver by the
name of Bertil Aasland in 2003 he was a hand engraver who passed away
a little over a year ago. He called his product “Transfer Tec.”
The stuff you are referring to seeing on EBay is Tom Whites
“Transfer Magic.” Here’s his contact
Transfer Magic
10170 Poquito Valley Rd.
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 USA
transfersolutions@commspeed.net
I make a similar product called “The Transfer Solution.” Tom’s
Transfer Magic sells for $39 + shipping and mine is $29 + $4
shipping. They are very similar in how they work and the ingredients.
Mine is slightly green, because I use a tiny quantity of copper salts
in it. I do not advertise mine because I sell it mostly to students
who learn to use it here in a hand engraving or fabrication class.
There are a few bottles of it left from the end of this year, and I
will not be making up a new batch until March.
These solutions are designed to work with specific ink jet printers
using a limited number of transparency brands. Some of them include
certain models of Hewlett Packard, Epson, and Lexmark. Others are
listed in the directions.
The two most important printer requirements are that the ink be
pigment based, not dye based and that the transparency releases the
ink cleanly. Photo printers will NOT work!
The process in a nutshell, is that you scan or enter your work into
your computer, tweak it as you wish enlarge, reduce, reverse, mirror
image, etc. Your work must be surgically clean no fingerprints or
oils. We use acetone or alcohol, if the piece has not already been
through the ultrasonic and the steamer. You apply the solution with a
Qtip and it dries almost instantly. Place the transparency into
position ink side down. Put a piece of masking tape on one edge to
anchor it into place. Burnish, lift it while still anchored to check
your progress, and then spray with a fixative if you are going to
hand engrave it.
The limitations are in that you MUST use one of the recommended
printers, one of the recommended transparencies, and it works best on
flat surfaces. I have almost gotten a system together that will work
on concave and convex surfaces, but some distortion is still a
problem. Hope to find the right medium in the next month or so.
I also make another product for transferring original pencil
drawings from frosted acetate or mylar. There may be a bottle of two
of that left.
P.S. I’ll try to remember to bring you samples when I come to see
you in a week or so.
Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA
209-477-0550
www.jewelryartschool.com
Brian,
I was wondering if this transfer would also work as a resist for
etching. It reminds me of pnp blue. (I think it is called pnp,pnb??)
Victoria, in way too warm Illinois.
Victoria,
In one word - nope. Not like PnP at all. Mainly handy for those who
have ink jet printers that fit the parameters…
Since surface to be engraved is covered with one transparent
compound, then it pulls the ink off - you now have two layers that
are resistant to etch.
Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA
209-477-0550
www.jewelryartschool.com