I have the same printer & use the same paper (going to try the
Hammermill office one business gloss as soon as I have time). You may
have forgotten to say to PRE-HEAT your board for 3-5 minutes. I was
having problems but think I getting it now.
Izzo
--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "jcoffland" <homebrewPCB@...>
wrote:
>
> I also bought a Brother printer from Staples. HL-2040 for about
$80.
> I use Staples 'photo basic gloss' item# 471861. I have been very
> successful with this method. I am still using the toner cartridge
> that came with the printer. There are a few VERY important steps to
> make this work consistently.
>
> First, you need to clean all oils off your PCB board before doing
the
> toner transfer. The method I use which works very well is to first
> put on vinyl gloves then using Comet, stealwool and water to scrub
the
> board thoroughly. When all the oils are gone water will form a thin
> sheet over the board. Any oil spots will show up as they repel the
water.
>
> Second, I find it helps to rough up the surface a bit with some 150
> grit sandpaper. You must also rinse the board after sanding and you
> should still be wearing the rubber gloves. Once the board is taped
to
> the photo paper you can take off your gloves.
>
> When it comes time to iron on the toner, push hard with the tip of
the
> iron and go over the whole board with little circles until you can
see
> the pattern show though the paper.
>
> Also another tip. I recommend doing a copper fill for the usual
> reasons, but also fill about a 1/4 inch around the board. The toner
> on the edges of the board is most likely to peal away. By adding
this
> 1/4 inch barrier you will protect the outside traces. The board can
> be cut down later if necessary.
>
> When it comes time to soak the board I can usually pull off almost
all
> the paper after about five minutes. A thin layer of paper will
> remain. I then use a piece of the wet paper I removed to rub
against
> the board. The wet paper is perfect for this as it is just the
right
> hardness to remove the paper but not damage the toner traces. You
can
> scrub as hard as you want but be careful not to scratch the toner
with
> your finger nails.
>
> Finally, I dry off the board and check under good lighting that none
> of the paper's gum is still on the board especially in the small
gaps.
> As the board dries any residual gum will turn whitish. If there is
> any more gum I go back to rubbing the wet paper over it and repeat
the
> drying and checking process.
>
> All that is left is the etching.
>
> Joseph
>