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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Fred Quedenfeld jr on December 20, 2015, 05:22:03 AM
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where did I read that you could transfer a rib from a sheet that was laser printed with heat?
how quickly after it is printed on paper do you have to do the transfer?
how much heat do you need?
thanks
Fred Q
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don't know where you read it but I use this method sometimes
I have to set the laser to high quality, not draft or economy (toner saving) print
I use a regular house hold Iron mid range and quite a bit of down pressure then let it cool before lifting off the paper so the transfer of toner/ink can cool and stick to the DUST free balsa sheet
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Here's the thread but, it doesn't work. I just traced the paper ribs onto cereal box cardboard to make templates.
http://stunthanger.com/smf/building-techniques/from-paper-to-balsa-with-no-computer-thing-%28rib-content%29/
MM
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It needs to be ink jet printing. You can use heat from an iron, and some have used thinner and a cotton ball and rubbed the back of the paper to transfer it. I used to do it a lot when I flew a lot of free flight. I made copies of all Comet or Peck Polymers print wood and made new parts sheets before building them if the wood seemed too heavy.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Dan McEntee
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Different laser printers give different results. I could transfer stuff printed on my old HP by putting it on wood and rubbing the back of the paper with MEK. MEK won't work with stuff printed on the Brother printer, but toluene will.
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Toner printers and photocopiers can make 1 transfer with a household iron. It is really just refusing the toner to the other material. The "original" copy has much of the toner removed in the process so it cannot be used again to make a transfer. The "copy" is mirrored, which is usually acceptable, and similar to a lot of printwood, often with small gaps.
Ink based printings can be transferred using a solvent. I have not used this method as getting a photocopy and ironing has been much easier for me.
I wonder if a second transfer can be made from a photocopy or laser printer printout with solvent... I don't know...
Phil
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I have never tried solvent or heat for rib templates. Once for a Ziroli Zero combat plane I used regular old tracing (carbon) paper and drew them on the wood. In recent years I simply get an extra set or two of the plans made and use a glue stick to glue the cut out templates to the wood.
BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM
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In my post above, I noted the need with a Laser print to ensure the most toner was on the paper for what I thought an obvious reason
Recently I have been acquiring plans and old kits for many combat planes. I never want to try to copy a 30 x 50 inch plan on my 8.5 X 11 inch scanner as I spend a lot of time to Iron the folded plan flat and then roll for storage, so I abhor wrinkles in my original plans
some times I trace the part but the trace is flimsy and not well suited for further tracing or cutting out unless transferred to heavy stock
some times I have a well cut (die crush) part to copy. Some times I have a near perfect laser Part
no matter if I want to duplicate for a second pane, or just store a set of templates, I put any of the tracings or actual parts on the laser photo copier, set to my DPI and High quality sometimes arranging the print and number of pieces to fit a stock piece of sheet balsa...example lay out 4ea 9" chord ribs in landscape to fit a section of 4" x 36" x 1/16th balsa sheet for most efficient use of the sheet
Once printed, I do not use any solvents, just a fairly hot iron and the transfer is very well defined and sharp for me to cut precisely with scalpel or Exact blades or sand down to the line
The ink jet will not transfer without solvent and then the outline is fuzzy and not sharp
The laser is razor sharp but I must let the transfer cool so the toner clings to the balsa as I peel away the paper
Many ways to skin this cat
I have wondered a few times about trying to feed a sheet of 1/64 in one of my straight trough printers
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I wonder if a second transfer can be made from a photocopy or laser printer printout with solvent...
They're pretty pale, but I've done it.
Had I been a good boy, Santa Claus might have brought me a laser cutter for Christmas. I have not, so I'll try the iron next time. If I get adventurous, I'll run some plywood through the ink jet printer. Thanks for the tips.
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I wish my ink jet printer would handle things like silkspan taped to a piece of paper. Unfortunately, my printer bends the paper during processing. That eliminates everything except plain paper.
Floyd
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My wife bought a Brother Scan and Cut II (pretty pricey for it's size)
But I have been toying with the idea of seeing if it will cut thin balsa
It will scan an image up to 12" x 24" and save the file
It can use pens to trace that image on paper or other materiel
It can use a cuter to cut paper, vinyl, or cloth materiel with different backing to hold the materiel stable for the cutting
She has been playing with it and offered to do some of my decal needs already, (like my new FAA number) we just don't know yet how fuel proof the supplied vinyl is. But I am sure I can get the decal materiel needed to run through it
I am pretty sure I can use the scan to image a rib and then plot it on thin ply with the pens to have a accurate template once cut and sanded
I doubt the cutter can handle much more than 1/32 balsa and I bet it has a hard time with some grain directions