Toner transfer for etching - heat source??

[Giglawyer]

So I am going to experiment this winter with etching.  I have had some mixed luck in the past using and old iron.  As I was cooking bacon last night on my griddle, I wondered, why not use the griddle?  I can control the temperature, and I could do multiple boxes at once.  It has handles, so I could apply pressure. 

Any thoughts???

[Kevin Mitchell]

I feel your results won't be as good since you can't carefully cover the entire surface and work the transfer in where need be. It's a metal box not a pancake. If you had some sort of iron press (a panini grill) maybe you could figure something out. But again... results would obviously vary especially when you're ironing more than one at a time.

But for the sake of science I encourage a bit of experimenting.

[Mark Hammer]

The effectiveness of any given method will depend on:
a) the size of the pattern and board it is going to be transferred to, and
b) the medium one is using to transfer the toner pattern.

What you'd use as the preferred method for etching a simple 2-transistor fuzz for a 1590A-sized box, using press-n-peel, would likely be different from what might work "best" for a large-footprint complex circuit using photo paper.

[deadastronaut]

what was wrong with the iron....i use my iron hot, never any issues...

you must sand, prep the surface, clean it..iron. done..

use a block to sand, these boxes look flat to the eye , but they are not...

they have high and low spots....they must be flat to take on a full transfer...

[diffeq]

use a block to sand, these boxes look flat to the eye , but they are not...

What would you recommend to use as a sanding block? Will something "flat enough" found in the household do?

[Sooner Boomer]

use a block to sand, these boxes look flat to the eye , but they are not...

What would you recommend to use as a sanding block? Will something "flat enough" found in the household do?

And another (probably silly question) - do you put the circuit board down, then sand on top of it, or put the sanding block down and move the board across the top?  Sounds like the same thing, but the difference in technique can result in different outcomes, esp. with flexible boards.

[vigilante397]

It's a metal box not a pancake.

Looks like it's finally time for me to release my breakfast series of pedals

[Giglawyer]

I feel your results won't be as good since you can't carefully cover the entire surface and work the transfer in where need be. It's a metal box not a pancake. If you had some sort of iron press (a panini grill) maybe you could figure something out. But again... results would obviously vary especially when you're ironing more than one at a time.

But for the sake of science I encourage a bit of experimenting.

LOL.  I was imagining putting the enclosures on my workbench, turning the griddle upside down and using it like a giant flat iron.  I will try it and post some pics. 

[Shaggy45]

i ordered one of these for enclosures after using an iron for a while.

https://www.amazon.com/Cricut-EasyPress-Press-Iron-projects/dp/B07G51DZ45/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542149555&sr=8-2&keywords=circuit+easy+press+2

Hopefully i will get to test it out this weekend.

[deadastronaut]

use a block to sand, these boxes look flat to the eye , but they are not...

What would you recommend to use as a sanding block? Will something "flat enough" found in the household do?

use a flat piece of hard wood...wrap paper around it....but worth investing in getting a good sanding block..

handy for other jobs too....

[deadastronaut]

use a block to sand, these boxes look flat to the eye , but they are not...

What would you recommend to use as a sanding block? Will something "flat enough" found in the household do?

And another (probably silly question) - do you put the circuit board down, then sand on top of it, or put the sanding block down and move the board across the top?  Sounds like the same thing, but the difference in technique can result in different outcomes, esp. with flexible boards.

i think we were talking about box sanding.....with pcb as long as you scratch the surface it'll be fine.

i use a green fibre dish washing thing....scotchbrite some call it i think...

[italianguy63]

Best sanding blocks are the hard rubber ones... I think 3M makes them (one source).

Don't waste your money on a cheap lightweight plastic one.

MC