pnp blue tips please?

[darron]

hey! cold somebody out there please give me some tips on working with pnp blue? i'm trying to use it on the mxr style encllosures. i've had some luck (http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=45690.0) but it takes me FAR too many tries to get a good transfer.

here's what i usually get. actually, it's a bit better:



my theories are that the sruface may not be flat enough, or the temperature/cooling is wrong? i have had perfect transfers before. generally i wil sand the box with 300 grit, then something above 600. then i will wash it, dry it with a hair dryer, clean it with metho, dry it again. i don't touch it. i've intentionally left non-masked blobs in the last attempts in hope that it will transfer better if there's less area to cover.

i've tried moving my iron around, that works best. maybe i'm not getting enough heat? if i don't use paper between the pnp and the iron the pnp WILL melt to the iron if i leave it long enough to give you an idea of the iron's MAX temp.

sorry, i've said alot. any help would be very appreciated. ive nearly used a whole packet of pnp blue.

thanks in advance guys!

[brett]

Hi
From my experience with PnP, do not use the highest temperature setting.  Use the "wool" setting, or about where the steam comes in (but set the iron to "dry").  I use paper for a minute or so, until the transfer is 99% stuck, then lift the paper off and look for anu unraised bits that might not have stuck.  You can see them quite clearly - when PnP is properly stuck, the toner adds a little bit extra thickness, resulting in "bumps" and ridges.  If there are any parts that aren't stuck down, I finish off by using the tip of the iron to stick them down.

Also, I find that getting the amount of toner just right helps.  Too little is definately a problem.  Not sure about too much.

cheers

[darron]

Hi
From my experience with PnP, do not use the highest temperature setting.  Use the "wool" setting, or about where the steam comes in (but set the iron to "dry").  I use paper for a minute or so, until the transfer is 99% stuck, then lift the paper off and look for anu unraised bits that might not have stuck.  You can see them quite clearly - when PnP is properly stuck, the toner adds a little bit extra thickness, resulting in "bumps" and ridges.  If there are any parts that aren't stuck down, I finish off by using the tip of the iron to stick them down.

Also, I find that getting the amount of toner just right helps.  Too little is definately a problem.  Not sure about too much.

cheers

hi brett. thanks for the tips! i'm about to try another one now. i feel like i've tried every temperature setting but i'll try to find the spot where the steam would come out
i think using the tip may be a really good thing for me to be doing more often since i'm beginning to suspect that the issue also lies with the surface of the enclosure being uneven.

any tips on how to get more toner on the transfer? the toner looks a bit streky in places i suspose. the level was set to max though on the printer and trying to get it to run through twice in near impossible without losing detail.

wish me luck

[markm]

Please read this http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album24 maybe it'll help 

[darron]

Please read this http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album24 maybe it'll help 

i've read that before. it's a very good tutorial with lots of depth (: but it didn't help me out.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH BRETT!! haha! you told me where to find that perfect temperature! there was a marking on my iron (i don't know how to operate one of those things by the way?! lol) which showered the range where the steam works, which was naturally disabled though.

thanks again! i got it perfectly! sure, it took me 5 sheets of pnp blue, but you nailed it in one shot!

[markm]

Please read this http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album24 maybe it'll help 

i've read that before. it's a very good tutorial with lots of depth (: but it didn't help me out.

[JisforJustin]

I have my iron set just below being to hot. I am not at home, but I'll check the exact setting later. If the iron is too cold, it does not transfer . If it is too hot, you will see your pic start to warp slightly. Set it just below that temp and iron for just a minute or too. You can use the tip of the iron to work intricate areas better. The key is to make the metal hot. Then quickly run it under cold water and peel the PNP off. Any areas that did not transfer well can be filled in with white out. I use a white out pen for intricate areas, and regular brush on white out in large areas. Good luck!

Justin

[RaceDriver205]

got it perfectly! sure, it took me 5 sheets of pnp blue

Mmm, one could always pre-heat the metal. It must be the metal sapping the heat away from the transfer.

[darron]

got it perfectly! sure, it took me 5 sheets of pnp blue

Mmm, one could always pre-heat the metal. It must be the metal sapping the heat away from the transfer.

i thought of that. but then the transfer might stick on first contact and i wouldn't be able to align it. anyway, it worked. i'll definitely post some pics after i etch it and spray it (:

thanks again

[Aharon]

I use a Philips Comfort iron for pnp,not for any reason except that that was what I had at hand.
I found that the optimum setting was between wool and silk.
Sand the box first make sure it's flat and clean with alcohol before applying the transfer.
After you iron it on,quench it in cold water.....other than that there is no secret to pnp transfer.
If you melt the pnp sheet you are using too much heat,it it does not adhere,maybe not enough.One thing,it's been my experience that the pnp has to be printed with the toner setting on normal,too much toner on the pnp is useless and might even be counterproductive as it will bleed when heat is applied.
I have done very intricate PCBs with pnp and it works well with a little practice.