> > There was a thread about it a while back (A year? More?).
> >
> > Track down Tom Gootee's page, I think it was him who tried
> it. Might
> > be some results there.
> >
> > Apparently it's a bit hard to apply enough pressure.
> Clamping causes
> > distortion, so you get pressure in one spot but not another, etc.
> > Dumping weights on top didn't seem to help either.
> >
> > Tony
> >
> >
> I use a heat press of sorts ... I make small PCB's no larger
> than 3x4 inches ... I have a 4x6x1 inch piece of steel ... I
> took a piece of aluminum oxide abrasive paper (8x10 inch)
> laid it flat on the top of my table saw and dragged the steel
> plate back and forth across the abrasive paper until it was
> flat and shiny (I actually made a motor driven fixture to do
> the dragging in a random fashion for me ... it took several
> days and several sheets of abrasive) ... I use a hot plate to
> heat the steel plate until it is the temp I want (usually 350
> to 400 degrees F) using a thermocouple attached to the steel
> plate to measure the temp ... I have ready a flat wooden
> surface that has the blank PCB/laser image/plane paper ready
> to receive the hot steel plate ... I place the steel plate on
> the top cover paper and clamp the steel plate with about 300
> pounds of pressure (about 25 pounds per square inch) using a
> wide mouth vice grip pliers (this is moderate pressure ...
> you can easily get 400 to 500 pounds of pressure) ... I leave
> it clamped for about 1 minute then off to the water soak ...
> I get good resolution and consistent results ... the flat
> surface insures an even distribution of pressure ... the
> thick steel plate holds the heat and won't distort under the
> moderate pressures and temps used ...
> Jim KI6MZ
Sounds like you've got too much time on your hands, you need a hobby :)
I can't remember what the original thread was about, but it was something
like a clothes press. I guess a lot of people start eyeing the sandwich
maker in their kitchen as well...
That chunk of steel you have won't bend easily, one problem solved. How
long does it take to heat up? Obvious for making a batch it'll be faster
than a laminator, but for one-offs?
So for double sided you just flip the board over afterwards?
(BTW, gluing the sandpaper to a sheet of glass works well for lapping stuff,
in case you don't have a cast iron table saw handy. Glass is very flat.)
Tony