Transfer artwork to steel?

[ken3983]

I know this sounds kinds strange and I won't bother you with details, but is it possible to transfer laser toner artwork to steel? I was thinking of printing out as dark as I can and the use like a skillet or hotplate to heat the metal and artwork together. I can use something to apply pressure on the paper as the metal gets hot enough to make the toner adhere to the metal. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

Ken

 

[mneary]

Sounds like it should work, from my experience. Getting the temperature right could be challenging but not impossible.

After the toner is transferred, would you then etch it? If so, you'll want to protect the other side.

 

[Pommie]

If you can, I would put the metal in the oven at 150°C. Heating it on a skillet will probably be too uneven and too hot, if it gets too hot the toner smudges badly.

Mike.

 

[ken3983]

Well... I'm not going to etch it. I'm basically going to cut it out. You see, other than a passion for electronics, my other passion is firearms. I like making my own parts to experiment and fabricate cause buying hard-to-find parts can get costly. That's why I was wondering about transferring artwork to steel.

Ken

 

[jpanhalt]

I use laser-printed patterns all the time for metal work. Just print on paper, cut to approximate size, then use an artist spray adhesive (non-water based). Spray a light coat, stick it to the metal and machine away. If you are going to use coolant, you need to scribe through the paper, as the adhesive will be loosened. I suspect you might have the same problem with toner transfer.

My laser printer is not very accurate (+/- 0.004 per inch or so), but it works for approximate work. You may have to fit critical dimensions. The LJ4101 stretches in the lengthwise direction. An older LJ4 is actually better in that regard.

An additional variable is the paper itself, which can change size quite a bit. I am looking at higher grade rag and synthetic papers to see if I can get the variation down.

John

 

[ronsimpson]

Many of us use this method to transfer laser images to copper but it should work on steel. Some people use “rice” paper. It dissolves when wet, leaving the ink on copper. You need to print a mirror image of what you wont.