Pattern transfer question

Rolland

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Was watching facebook and saw a process whereby the engraver transfered the pattern to an rounded surface using a paper pattern and sprayed a liquid on the pattern to transfer it to the surface. I am using the plastic transfer sheets (still learning) and they are too stiff to use on rounded or irregular surfaces. I would like to try a different method for a project I have in mind.
Could someone explain the process
 

monk

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I am working on drawing but that does not answer my on how the transfer works with the paper.
at least for me, such would be a pain in me hind parts. it takes much "fiddling" with such a transfer that you ask about. it's possible using with paper. make several patterns. you may get lucky with one. good luck in yer attempts
 

dhall

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From your initial description, it sounds like it might be an acetone transfer? Just a guess . . . .
With a simple black and white copy from a copier or printer, place the paper image side down on the metal surface. Dab the paper with a pad (paper, cotton ball) wetted with acetone (or in the case of the video you saw, spray acetone on the paper) and then gently burnish the paper and the acetone helps release the image from the paper and it lands on the metal.
Not enough acetone and nothing happens. Too much acetone and it gets smeary and melted looking. It's very much a Goldilocks process that needs to be "just right".
 

mitch

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With a very gentle compound/spherical curves - large radii and not much of it- you can get passable results with transfers and a little luck. Before applying the paper transfer, first mold it to the curved surface as much as possible. While GENTLY forming the paper to the curve, breathe on it to moisten it- close, hot, heavy breaths like you’re trying to fog a mirror. With a little patience you should be able to get it formed to the surface well enough. Let the paper dry completely, then give the transfer a shot. Good luck!
 

WWC

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I am working on drawing but that does not answer my on how the transfer works with the paper.
It was probably acetone, but it might also be true that you need a little more info on that. Mirror the image & print using a laserjet. The paper is applied to the project with the ink side down and the acetone applied to what would normally be the back, unprinted side. Apparently, it will not work with inkjets. If you don't want to use acetone, you can use an artist's blender. However, all blenders are not created equal. The Prismacolor PM-121 is alcohol based and will probably not work. The Chartpak AD marker P-0 (201) as I understand it is xylene based and should work in place of acetone. Use with ventilation per instructions. There is another way of doing it with inkjets and an ink tank additive, but I don't use inkjets. Compound curves are tricky, but people use patterns all the time to checker rifle grips and there's plenty of compound action going on there, but if you are trying to do something with relatively small radius curves, good luck. You might be able to do it with Procreate & camera Lucida without paper or plastic, but you'd either have to (a) find a bidirectional "weave" type intermediary surface to transfer the art to and then use that to transfer to the compound curve project surface (Speedball has some semi flexible stuff that might work & there are some alumalite & dental products that could be explored), or (b) go directly to the surface using the Camera Lucida projection that might require something like a miniature stock checkering cradle attached to an engraver's ball vise. FWIW No idea if those would work.
 

mdengraver

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You can also do a partial transfer and draw in the areas that don't transfer well because of the 3 dimensional aspects of the piece.
 
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