really, REALLY bad results with t-shirt transfer method....

[ian87]

tried two different times to apply a graphic to a raw Hammond box via t-shirt transfer method. it came out NOTHING AT ALL like the gorgeous orange squeezer graphic someone posted recently. it was spotty, flaky, melted....

prior to transfer, the print looked perfect. what am i doing wrong?

help!!

tia,
ian

[Triffid]

I've had a lot of good luck with that method.  I always sand my boxes down nicely and clean with nail polish remover.  It took me two times before I realized I REALLY need to pay close attention to the time mentioned in the instructions.  I use BB size boxes and if I have the iron on for longer than 30 seconds it starts to melt and crack.  It really doesn't take that much time to get good adhesion to a sanded box.

[ian87]

good info, thanks. i neither sanded nor acetoned. and i left the iron on for MUCH longer than 30 seconds....  

how long do you wait for the thing to cool b4 removing the backing? did you transer all the way to the very edge of the box?

thanks again.

[Triffid]

Ok... my exact steps...

1. Drill, sand, and clean box.
2. Warm up iron on dry, no steam
3. Print on iron transfer paper, do not reverse
4. Cut out transfer, fit and trim until it fits perfectly on my box
5. Cut out a slightly larger piece of the cover paper (slighltly waxed) that came with the transfer paper
6. Place transfer on the box, cover with cover paper
7. Place iron on top and move back and forth, using only the pressure from the iron, not pressing down.  
8. Count off 30 seconds in my head.
8. Remove iron and let sit until I can touch it without it hurting.
9. Slowly remove cover paper
10. Spray on AlumaHyde II.  
11.  Let it sit for 2 weeks.  This is just to let the AlumaHyde fully cure.
12. Admire a nice durable finished box.

This is for a B sized box.  A BB size might take a little longer, but not much.  The point is that it really doesn't take much to get good adhesion.

*edit*
11.5.  Use razor blade to cut out the transfer where my drill whole are.

Also, no I don't go quite to the edge of the box.  I have about 1/16" trim of silver around my transfer, it doesn't bother me.

[Jim Jones]

Hi Ian,

I just tried this procedure for the first time last week.  I learned the hard way that too much heat is a problem.    Mine actually crackled in kind of a cool way so it wasn't a write-off.  For my next try I'm going to use a thin towel between the transfer and the iron - I'm using an old 60's-era iron and it puts out a helluva lot of heat.

Hehe, even my iron is vintage.  

Jim

[ian87]

hey triffid, thanks! questions:

Ok... my exact steps...
3. Print on iron transfer paper, do not reverse

10. Spray on AlumaHyde II.  

3. i'm confused here. if you don't print a "mirror image" of your graphic, doesn't it come out backwards? i feel like i must've misunderstood.

10. where does one get this stuff? never heard of.

-ian

[Triffid]

Here is the AlumaHyde...
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117&title=ALUMA-HYDE+II

As for the mirror image.  Maybe we have different types of iron transfer paper.  But mine has a backing that you peel off before you iron.  Then you place the printed side face up, cover, and iron.  So I don't print a mirror image, it says in bold letters right on my directions not to print the mirror image.   I would just check the directions that came with your paper to make sure they are the same.

[ian87]

Here is the AlumaHyde...
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117&title=ALUMA-HYDE+II

As for the mirror image.  Maybe we have different types of iron transfer paper.  But mine has a backing that you peel off before you iron.  Then you place the printed side face up, cover, and iron.  So I don't print a mirror image, it says in bold letters right on my directions not to print the mirror image.   I would just check the directions that came with your paper to make sure they are the same.

gotcha, thanks. it sounds like our papers are different. mine was the crappy Office Max house brand. what are you using?

[Triffid]

I got mine from walmart... I don't remember the brand name though, I'll check when I get home.

[BillyJ]

I have only done it a couple times but I found that you do not need to heat it for long at all. With PNP I have found a longer time works but for the iron on stuff less is more.

[Triffid]

The sheets I use are made by Avery in case anyone is interested.

[ian87]

The sheets I use are made by Avery in case anyone is interested.

i am indeed interested. thanks for all your help!

-ian

[moosapotamus]

The actual brand is probably not that important. Just make sure that you get the kind of stuff that's made specifically for ironing on to "dark colored fabric."

~ Charlie

[ian87]

The actual brand is probably not that important. Just make sure that you get the kind of stuff that's made specifically for ironing on to "dark colored fabric."

~ Charlie

hmmmm, ok. thanks, charlie!

-ian

[MarkB]

Im using the Avery stuff... iron lightly for 30 seconds.. then push hard for another 30... comes out great.

I'll post pics of my new box shortly (just letting the clear-coat dry)

another thing.. the colors seem to really get richer when you put on the clear coat
"-)

[Peter Snowberg]

I'm still waiting for somebody to do a solar torture test of this stuff using an image with lots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and then setting it in the hot sun for a couple of weeks with part of the image covered to create a "control" patch.

The serigraphy shop that I used to have my shop within used to do coat-outs (complete coverings) of a clear, UV opaque stuff to make Iris prints last longer. That was almost 10 years ago now and I know some of the CMYK systems have become more colorfast, but dyes are inherently less stable than pigments, and all ink jets that I know of use dyes. The Iris is a pre-press proofing system for litho printing that has become popular as a limited edition printing device for fine art.... it's really just an overgrown inkjet printer for testing color separations before a full press run. The art marketing goobers decided to rename these test prints as "Gicleé" prints and LOTS of people got the raw end of the stick after paying big $$$ and finding that a year later they were all faded out. I'm told that marketing term is a French word for a "spurt" within a sexual context :?. Unfortunately while the Iris ink systems have received lots of attention, the home computer inkjet printers are still using the sorts of dyes that the Iris was using 10 years ago. Maybe the best way to do this full color T-shirt transfer stuff would be to have them done on an Iris. The quality (at least in the short term) is nothing short of stunning.

Hmmmm....

Hey Mark, I rode into S.F. the other day and no doubt about it.... that big orange thing is now and forever the "Bridge of Sighs/Vibes". :lol: The same sort of increased saturation happened after the UV coating was done on the Iris prints. You could just about jump into a picture. I can't wait to see the finished result!

Take care,
-Peter