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Subject: Re: A possible solution to using Brother Laser printers for Toner Transfer

From: "leeleduc" <leeleduc@...>
Date: 2012-05-03

Very nice web pages!

I gave this a try because I had a student that was having trouble with this toner. The toner would not transfer very well. I use a Samsung ML-2525. I have used a similar technique mentioned in this group on boards that have a lot of ground plane and it seems to minimize the pinholes. Just passing this info on to those that may want to experiment with the Brother printers.

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Eldon Brown <eldonb46@...> wrote:
>
> leeleduc,
>
> I use Brother Printer(s) HL-5250 and HL-3570 for all of my Toner Transfer
> Projects, because they are the only printers I have access. And besides,
> when I started (several year ago), I did not know they could not, or should
> not, be used for TT.
>
> See my Blog, showing many of my Toner Transfer Projects:
>
> http://wa0uwh.blogspot.com/search/label/TT
>
> or, the Home Page, at:
>
> http://wa0uwh.blogspot.com/
>
> and,
>
> http://goo.gl/yxvaJ
>
>
> Regards,
> Eldon Brown
>
> 72 - Eldon - WA0UWH - CN88xc - http://WA0UWH.blogspot.com/
>
>
> On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 8:41 AM, leeleduc <leeleduc@...> wrote:
>
> > ∗∗
> >
> >
> > I may have a possible solution to using Brother Laser printers for Toner
> > Transfer PCB's. I was at Staples and was able to get a sample print out of
> > a Brother HL-2240 laser printer. The paper was standard 20lb laser printer
> > paper, nothing special. The MSDS for the toner cartridge says it is
> > polyester based. I found that acetone dissolved the lettering on the
> > printed paper and is a solvent for this toner. I tried the following
> > experiment.
> >
> > 1. I took a sample of the printed paper and exposed it to acetone fumes
> > for 20 minutes in a sealed plastic food container. The toner became
> > slightly tacky to the touch.
> >
> > 2. I ran the paper and pcb through a GBC laminator 8 times.
> >
> > 3. I soaked the board in warm water for a few minutes and peeled off the
> > paper. The toner fused to the copper very well. You can feel the raised
> > toner on the copper with your finger.
> >
> > 4. The paper left a film on the toner which I removed with soapy water and
> > a soft tooth brush. While the toner does have some pinholes, it is
> > definitely fused to the copper.
> >
> > If you have a Brother laser printer it would be interesting to experiment
> > using a known good type of paper and finding an optimum exposure time to
> > the acetone fumes.
> >
> > The results are in the photo section in the Brother "HL-2240 experiment"
> > folder.
> >
> > Happy experimenting!
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>