Any Beginner Practice Drawings I Can Print?

[Zukiidesigns]

Watching @SamAlfano Beginning engraving video. Where can I find basic practice drawings like the ones in the video for Leafs, scrolls, etc to print out? And, what transfer paper should I get for my brother laser printer? FYI, I did try and search the forums for the drawings.
Thank you!

 

[Gunsmith]

Watching @SamAlfano Beginning engraving video. Where can I find basic practice drawings like the ones in the video for Leafs, scrolls, etc to print out? And, what transfer paper should I get for my brother laser printer? FYI, I did try and search the forums for the drawings.
Thank you!

If you buy the digital download from Sam there is a pdf you can print with his designs on ,you can print and transfer for practice , helped me loads ,

 

[Zukiidesigns]

If you buy the digital download from Sam there is a pdf you can print with his designs on ,you can print and transfer for practice , helped me loads ,

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Got’em!
Do you know what transfer paper I need or do I just print them on regular paper and use acetone?

 

[Mike576]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Got’em!
Do you know what transfer paper I need or do I just print them on regular paper and use acetone?

Any regular paper will work, at one point I was using heavy weight card stock when I ran out of normal paper, took a bit more acetone to wet the paper but the transfers were still great.

 

[DaveAtWeirs]

I've used really really cheap paper that was practically see through, still works, you just need less acetone. No matter the paper, just make sure to set the print quality to high.
oh and high quality/purity acetone. I've tried it with acetone nail polish remover and MEK, neither work as well as straight acetone

 

[Kyle]

You can also easily transfer your own pencil drawings. I just take a photo of my pencil drawings on my phone then edit them into a true black and white picture. Then I just open them on the computer, resize, print and transfer.
I also just use regular paper and straight acetone.

 

[AllenClapp]

Several Comments RE: laser printing
1. If you have an older Brother laser printer, it may not work. I have several and the toner does NOT transfer well. I wrote Brother about the issue and was told that there is no solvent that will make it work. In recent months, I have seen several comments from folks who have a Brother laser printer that apparently does work. I used to see those comments only from people who used less expensive aftermarket toners in their Brother printers, but some recent ones are getting transfers with their Brother toner. I had to buy an inexpensive HP laser printer to use that method.
2. You will find some engravers that swear that only pure acetone works well and others that swear that only the nail polish removers that include other nail-friendly chemicals work well. I suspect the answer lies in the type of toner being used, so try several nail polish removers to find what works best with your toner.
3. ALWAYS set your printer to print in best print mode. Economy modes do not lay down enough toner or ink.
4. The finish on most mild steel practice plates has kind of a bubbly surface. As a result, you only get contact of the printed transfer sheet with the tops of the bumps. You may find that you need to smooth the surface with sandpaper to get a better print. If so, you may need to start with as low as 220 grit, then go to 320 grit paper. It may or may not be necessary or desireable to go to 400 grit paper.
5. To get a great transfer, you may need to thoroughly clean your metal several times with acetone and then follow with an alcohol wipe. Many people burnish a piece of clear packing tape onto the metal after it is cleaned to get anything left on the metal off and leave a slightly tacky surface that they claim helps adhesion of the toner.
6. For most people, a good laser transfer is all that is needed. However, for some more intricate designs, you may find that an inkjet transfer from film will give a better transfer. The inkjet transfer method requires two things: (a) preparing the metal with a receptor surface to capture the ink and (b) the use of PIGMENT INK. One of the best available transfer fluids is Tom White's Transfer Magic. It comes in clear and white versions, the latter used when you want to draw on it or to dull reflections. Dye ink does not transfer--only pigment inks transfer. Many color ink printers use a black pigment ink and dye color inks to produce better photos. Make sure to tell such a printer to use black only. Some color ink printers use pigment inks for both black and color. The color inks will print if they are pigment inks. However, you may not be able to see the yellow. Red and blue can be seen under the microscope. Some engravers like to print red lines or blocks at strategic places to remind themselves NOT to cut a line across a space, such as where a backbone stem crosses under a leaf or another stem.

 

[AllenClapp]

Here are some files that I made for myself. I find it useful to cut a few before tackling a project if I have not been engraving for a bit. It helps to loosen up old athritic hands. Hope that you find them useful. Certainly they are NOT fine art, but they do let you get your hand-eye-foot/hand control coordination back before working on something important.

 

[allan621]

Allen's file might be the best starter sheets going. None of the initial designs are difficult to cut once you get confidence in using the graver. But once you think this is easy, the difficulty comes with getting the thickness of the lines uniform., the shapes engraved to match the samples The more you do these exercises the better your engraving will come along. I've been professionally engraving for forty five years and every once in a while I still transfer these to a copper plate. Keep in it your files.
Best of luck and keep practicing.
Allan