Cacique Caribe | 27 Aug 2013 5:43 p.m. PST |
So
Is this what madness feels like?
link Now, off to cut the patterns
Thoughts? Dan TMP link |
MrHarold | 27 Aug 2013 5:49 p.m. PST |
Wow
that seems ingenious, as long as it fits in your printer! Does the ink stay on pretty well? |
Mako11 | 27 Aug 2013 5:52 p.m. PST |
Those actually run through a printer? If so, impressive! Certainly saves a few extra steps in the process, e.g. printing on paper, and gluing the paper to the styrene, before cutting the patterns out. |
Cacique Caribe | 27 Aug 2013 5:54 p.m. PST |
"Ingenious" or obsessive manic insanity? I'm noticing some smudges, where my fingers have touched the ink while still wet. Dried in a couple of minutes though. I think all I need is the basic lines to cut the patterns. Once cut and folded, the pattern has done its job. And I can add other layers for greater depth, as Paul Lesack explains on his blog: link PDF link TMP link However, I don't think my system will take anything other than simple line patterns, without too much "texture". Dan |
Mako11 | 27 Aug 2013 5:55 p.m. PST |
I'm not sure the ink will actually ever dry on the styrene, so you'll need to be careful about that. |
John the OFM | 27 Aug 2013 5:56 p.m. PST |
Then don't touch the ink while it's still wet! |
War Monkey | 27 Aug 2013 6:02 p.m. PST |
"For Sale" signs what a great idea! |
gameorpaint | 27 Aug 2013 6:03 p.m. PST |
Genius. That's an inkjet, right? I'd be cautious of doing same with a laser printer or traditional xerox type photocopier. The fuser works by melting the toner to the page and some of them can be VERY hot. |
Cacique Caribe | 27 Aug 2013 6:05 p.m. PST |
LOL. That's why I waited until my wife was out of town to use her printer for my experiment. :) YouTube link Dan |
deflatermouse | 27 Aug 2013 6:10 p.m. PST |
finally putting them to good use. |
CorSecEng | 27 Aug 2013 6:19 p.m. PST |
It will probably work for printing patterns but I wouldn't expect it to last long. There are different inks for printing on styrene. I've been researching the topic due to a crazy idea of offering pre-painted (or printed) versions of my buildings. However, the printer is about $20 USDk :) |
War Monkey | 27 Aug 2013 6:47 p.m. PST |
Mmm waiting till the wife is out of town, huh, that is another great idea! Why haven't I thought of that one before! Hold on a minute let me give this a try be right back. results; (Me) Hey Sweetie do you want to go visit your Mom for a few days? (wife) Okay what's going on, what are you up too? (me) Nothing, I just thought you might wanted to go see her. (wife) Yeah, right!? Okay who is she? I'll have to get back with you guys later |
Cyclopeus | 27 Aug 2013 7:04 p.m. PST |
My neighbor has some of those signs in front of his house! What a perfect opportunity! |
Mako11 | 27 Aug 2013 8:07 p.m. PST |
"However, the printer is about $20 USD USDk :)". A mere pittance in the age of quantitative easing, and sure to be even less expensive very soon, if the inflation rumors are true. |
elsyrsyn | 28 Aug 2013 5:56 a.m. PST |
I've run .040 styrene (which may even be cheaper than those signs, when bought in a 4'x8' sheet) through an inkjet before, and it worked fine, but as noted – the ink is prone to smudging and while it may dry, it never really sets, since it cannot penetrate the material. For patterns like this, that doesn't matter. When I want to use styrene to reinforce a paper model where it does matter, I print the paper model onto full sheet labels, then stick those to the styrene. I've also tried printing on paper and adhering that to the styrene with 3M 77 spray contact cement, but the label paper works better. I definitely would NOT try this with a laser printer, unless it's one you don't mind throwing away afterwards. Doug |
TheBeast | 28 Aug 2013 7:20 a.m. PST |
One thing to consider is laser printing to paper, in reverse, and using heat to transfer the image to the plastic. Can be heat gun or low heat iron. Takes some practice, and MASSIVE CARE, but I've seen not-to smudged/shifted prints done this way. As the heat affixs the toner to the paper, so does it affix SOME of the image to the plastic. Doug |
Sgt Slag | 28 Aug 2013 8:02 a.m. PST |
Running the plastic through a laser printer will damage the fuser unit, and it could also destroy the paper output assembly -- repair costs would exceed $300 USD in parts alone
(PC Technician, 23+ years.) The inkjet ink is water-based. It will never adhere to the plastic, even when dry. As stated already, it will work best for patterns. elsyrsyn has the best option, that of printing on 8.5"x11" label sheets, and then applying those to the plastic, then cut, fold, glue, etc. Toner, the type of ink used in laser printers, is a plastic material. It is deposited on the surface of the paper, within the printer, in the image transfer process (electro-static, designed for paper, likely won't transfer properly, if at all, with a plastic sheet), then it is run between a teflon-coated, and a rubber set of rollers, high pressure, high heat, to melt the plastic toner particles into the paper. By pressing a printed page against the plastic sheet, and applying heat, and pressure, you can get a little of the toner to transfer, but it will be spotty, at best. Again, elsyrsyn has the best, most reliable option. Cheers! |
War Monkey | 28 Aug 2013 8:31 a.m. PST |
Print it, let it set then spray it with "Aqua Net" Hair Spray, it should do the trick
|
Mr Pumblechook | 28 Aug 2013 4:21 p.m. PST |
I've done the 'iron on the laser printed image onto sheet styrene' trick quite a few times. You need to use a piece of brown paper between the iron and the paper to give a bit of extra heat buffering but I've never run into any problems. |