Randy,
The advantage of a laminator is repeatability / consistency -- but only if the laminator gets hot enough. Even with a hot enough laminator, most people need to make multiple passes to get a good transfer.
You can get good transfers with an iron, but it becomes a little harder to adjust the variables -- was it too hot, or was I pressing too hard, or both, or ??? With an iron, I do think it helps to have a hard, non-heat-conductive surface underneath, with some paper over top to help prevent over-heating and/or smearing.
With either iron or laminator, I've never pre-heated the board; the board (and particularly the copper layer) heats up very quickly. Your mention of the board "sizzling" sounded way too hot to me.
As others have said, HP toners generally work very well; you will want to print as densely as possible. The board needs to be very clean and dry; do not use any cleaners/solvents that will leave oily residue behind. I generally scrub the board with dish soap and water using a green scotch-brite pad, and then do a final wipe down with acetone. Do not touch the surface of the board after cleaning it!
I have made some decent boards using an iron. I now have a nice laminator with temperature and speed control, and it does increase the ease and consistency and therefore the speed with which I can make boards. I have also had better results with double-sided boards using the laminator.
The nice thing is that you can easily and cheaply experiment to find what works to give you good, consistent results. If a board transfers badly, just wipe it off with acetone (or scrub it off), reclean the board, and try again!
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Randy S." <rj3819@...> wrote:
>
> ok .. thanks
> and yes .. have a thermocouple probe ..
> I cant set the laminator temp ..
> I guess its a cheaper "DUCK" laminator ..
> But figured it was worth a try ..
> I will try the preheat ...
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Jeff Heiss <jeff.heiss@...>
> To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thu, February 17, 2011 12:25:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Toner not sticking to PCB well
>
>
> I really think is a problem with temperature. My procedure derived from
> much experimenting is to set the laminator to 275F, preheat the board to
> around 250F, run the board through the laminator twice, preheat again to
> 250F and pass through two more times. The reason you have to preheat
> again is because it will cool by the second pass. Do not depend on the
> laminator to heat the board. It will not. Do you have a thermocouple
> probe to take measurements?
>
> On 2/17/2011 12:00 PM, Randy S. wrote:
> >
> > ok on the HP Toners ..
> > I ran it thru the laminator ..and there was no sign of the toner even
> > having thoughts of sticking to the board ..
> > Either toner .. post office or the HP .. i guess its just not getting
> > hot enough ..
> > Are there popular laserjet printers used for PCB's ??
> > I will keep trying .. and will try the paper towels ..
> >
> > Randy
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: "kabowers@... <mailto:kabowers%40NorthState.net>"
> > <kabowers@... <mailto:kabowers%40NorthState.net>>
> > To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:Homebrew_PCBs%40yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Thu, February 17, 2011 9:15:51 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Toner not sticking to PCB well
> >
> > On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:09:39 -0800 (PST), you wrote:
> >
> > >OK .. went from the problem with the traces running together
> > >to the toner not sticking well to the copper ..
> > >
> > >Can it be that I'm not heating long enough ?
> > >
> > >Or can it also be that specific toner ?
> > >
> > >Its from a newer model HP copier ..
> > >
> > >Randy
> > >
> > >
> > The variables have variables. Unless HP has changed their toners work
> > great.
> > I run mine (1022) at the highest quality/density setting.
> >
> > There's a "sweet spot" between time, temperature and size of board.
> > I did a 4x6 board a couple of days ago using with the iron set halfway
> > between cotton and linen and ironed for 2.5 minutes with moderate
> > pressure.
> > Pay special attention to the edges. I paced the board in a folded Bounty
> > paper towel and used an old cutting board for support.
> >
> > I use Hammermill OficeOne Business Glossy 32# paper (16302-0) which
> > may be discontinued. If you "overcook" this stuff it's almost
> > impossible to
> > get off without pulling the toner off the copper. "Undercooking"
> > results in
> > failure to adhere; "overcooking" or slippage results in smeared traces.
> >
> > I recently failed to properly support a board in the center and had to
> > strip
> > with acetone and start over due to traces running together; lesson
> > learned.
> >
> > A couple of years ago someone here suggested placing the board between
> > sheets of paper towel; this resulted in a major improvement for me.
> >
> > Keith Bowers WB4LSJ- Thomasville, NC
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>