I'm not really happy with the contact cement as a bond. It's
barely workable for fine sawing work and useless for use as an
engraving guideline.
My own invention that I’ve used for, well, decades now. You can use
standard paper but it’s better to use tracing paper because it’s
thin. If you need to you can use contact cement but then you need a
solvent or you have to burn it off. Plus it’s thick. A couple of
caveats, is all.
I get my design and put Elmer’s glue - white glue - on the sheet of
metal. I thin it a bit with a drop of water. Put the paper down and
rub it out so it’s all flat and glued. You really can’t do this with
pencil, BTW, it needs ink. Let it dry for a bit but not necessarily
completely dry. Then get an X-acto knife and trace your drawing,
cutting throught the paper into the metal. You need to work quickly
and carefully because the glue doesn’t actually stick to the metal,
exactly. But it works quite well once you get the hang of it. Soak
it in water a few minutes, rub off the residue and there’s your
design on metal, with no paper, no glue, no wax, no nothing.
Obviously if it’s for engraving you will have to engrave every place
the knife touches, so there’s an art to using this for engraving.
I’ve never heard of a better way to get a precision transfer,
myself.
