Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

Hi again,

I grabbed a roll of that "Release" foil a while back after Myc's
recommendation, and finally got around to trying some out the other
night.

It's definitely "different". I had to be extra careful about bending
it or smudging/scratching the toner, as it comes off really easy. I
had it scotch taped at a couple edges to a piece of paper on it's trip
through the printer, but I'm thinking maybe a more permanent carrier
might help, like misting a sheet of paper,etc. with spray adhesive and
rolling some firmly onto it.

Problems were:

On some sloppy trial runs, it seemed less consistent than my usual
photo paper transfers. There were some detailed areas that lifted off
with the foil, and many thick areas which spread and blurred. The
spreading also seemed to add to the already slick texture and caused
the foil to slide a bit, making a real mess of the transfer.

Also, there was mention here of foil being able to scratch or damage
the drum in the printer or something. How likely would anyone guess
this possibility might be? This stuff really doesn't feel as ridged or
sharp as regular foil. It's hard to describe, but IIRC, it was more
like a wax paper.

My paper toner transfers are usually pretty good, after I've done a
couple to refresh my memory on the technique. The other night, for
some reason, I was having an unusually bad time with both, but it
could have been anything.

Does anyone here have any additional experience with the foil,
ideally, any experience with ironing it? I think Myc was using a
laminator. And, from the results you got, is it worth investing much
time in learning it, rather than sticking with paper? I have a
suspicion that the foil procedure involves a substantial adjustment to
the time or heat (maybe much less).

-Thanks

George