After a couple of days of transferring with lamp black I have to say that it's extremely messy. It works well but gets all over everything and makes a bloody mess. Or maybe I'm just a klutz 
Lamp black + transfer wax + clear tape
- Thread starter sam
- Start date
Well you are a klutz but you probably learned it from me. A person can also use a colored artist pastel stick- black works well but other dark colors also work. I have also used charcoal pencils. These are not as fine as lamp black- which I also have and yes it is messy adn used only when nothing else works- but they usually work fine and mirror images come out very nice. The pencils and sticks are not quite as messy.
I dip my finger into the black powder (usually just on the inside of the jar is enough) and smear into cuts/scratches which take not very much powder. I also use my finger to wipe off excess and clean my finger on a paper towel which I have learned to keep close by. When using this method to transfer from cut patterns, the powder can easily be wiped out of the engraving with a cloth towel. I don't find this to be all that messy but my finger may disagree.
Southern Custom
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
When I cut all that silverware I mentioned in another post, I just used a soft pencil rubbbed across the letters in the master plate. Dust off the excess and it makes a pretty clear transfer. For less messy. The graphite also sticks to the beeswax very well.
Willem Parel
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
After a couple of days of transferring with lamp black I have to say that it's extremely messy. It works well but gets all over everything and makes a bloody mess. Or maybe I'm just a klutz
But I noticed on this forum Sam that we do learn the most of starting these kind of topics, so thank you for being a klutz...
zzcutter
Elite Cafe Member
Sam, could you show us how you mirror the transfer thanks, ZZ
delder
Elite Cafe Member
Thought this link might be useful to some http://www.naturalpigments.com/drawing.html?limit=all&c=natural-grounds
Jon, not sure which Sam you meant but here is my way...
The photos, in order left to right show the tape on the blackened scroll pattern, the second the tape doubled onto itself, the third shows the reverse pattern on the waxed metal and the last and widest photo shows the transfer on the wax and also the tape placed on the left as an extra guide for me as I scribe the design onto the metal. Hope this is clear enough. Let loose any questions.
The photos, in order left to right show the tape on the blackened scroll pattern, the second the tape doubled onto itself, the third shows the reverse pattern on the waxed metal and the last and widest photo shows the transfer on the wax and also the tape placed on the left as an extra guide for me as I scribe the design onto the metal. Hope this is clear enough. Let loose any questions.
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zzcutter
Elite Cafe Member
Thanks Sam W. for posting your method. I have tried this and never can get a good clean transfer from one piece of tape to the other. Thanks again for the response. Jon
That was one of the problems I had with lamp black. I blamed it on my magnetic personality (or was that static?).
I have been finding that 6B pencils work best for me with Dammar. After scads of experimentation, I settled on the Lindsay 96 detailing for acrylic templates. Knife ripped up the edges, onglette wasn't too bad but not as good, and some others made good lines but didn't transfer well because (I think) they just didn't hold enough powder. After going up and down the scale on the Lindsay system I settled on the 96 with a really short heel. With work, it's possible to get enough detail to see very small letter outlines under the scope that you can't read with a 7 power visor. (of course, my wife's question was.... "Why??")
As an aside, I've learned scads of lessons in graver control cutting acrylic that would have been less apparent and not so easily noticeable in metal.
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