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

Hello,

I spent about half a day experimenting with this today. I had just
obtained a box of HP gloss laser paper #Q2419A, which was well
reviewed in the database. Had my new GBC 9 1/2 inch laminator, ready
to go to town. It's not quite happening yet.

At first, I tried folding the paper over the copperclad and taping
it on the back. This resulted in massive bad transfer at the edges.

OK, I tried cutting the paper to the exact size of the copperclad
and bending the tape around the edges. A bit better, but still some
edge problems.

Also, the paper does not release cleanly from the toner - I have to
scrub it off piecemeal by rolling it off with my fingers. Or does
one scrub it with a toothbrush? Maybe I should have done a cold
water bath before putting it in the hot soapy water - will try that
tomorrow. Just like peeling a hardboiled egg.

Do you pass it through the laminator same direction every time?
Or do you rotate the board, put it through this way then that way?

Do you make the board its final size, or is it better to make it
somewhat bigger, then etch it, then cut it down to size? That way,
the crappy edges would all be unused.

I had better luck with some Epson photo paper I had laying around,
and my wife's clothes iron. That released really clean, and gave me a
usable board. Unfortunately, I don't know what paper that was - it
was part of a multi-tryit pack that came with a printer.

I find that failed experiments clean off easily with paper towels
and lacquer thinner. Is that good enough - "clean enough" to try
again, or do I need to clean it some more?

Thanks in advance,

- Jerry Kaidor