Working with Rock Slate

[MREDD]

Hi All

I have a couple of questions for those of you who work with rock slate plaques.

I use an Adkins press, sawgrass trupix paper & a Ricoh Sg3110DN printer.

Following suppliers pressing time of 7 mins at 200

Three issues two of which & intermitant & a third consant problem.

Two intermitant issues are either faded words, slightly blurred or bled words.

The constant problem is residue from the paper embedding into the plaques, I have to sit there using a soapy cloth & plenty of elbow grease! sometimes it nearly all comes off. other times not.

Anyone had any of these three issues?

TIA

Eddie

[Justin]

Are you sure you're printing onto the correct side of the paper (brightest side) ?

Are you using a felt pad over the slate whilst pressing?

[JMugs]

Preheat slate for 1 minute to drive out moisture. I press with silicon sheet over the top, so slate, image, blow out paper, 3mm silicon sheet. Print at 210 degrees for 8 minutes. Give the paper a few minutes to dry before pressing.

Slight blurring and / or fading can occur when the slate get too hot, ie the dye goes from the paper to the slate then as the slate gets really hot it releases the dye back out again.

[mags1892]

Preheat slate for 1 minute to drive out moisture. I press with silicon sheet over the top, so slate, image, blow out paper, 3mm silicon sheet. Print at 210 degrees for 8 minutes. Give the paper a few minutes to dry before pressing.

Slight blurring and / or fading can occur when the slate get too hot, ie the dye goes from the paper to the slate then as the slate gets really hot it releases the dye back out again.

What do you sue for Blow out paper ?

[JMugs]

I use chip shop paper from ebay, cheap and large so can be torn to any size, then used as packaging when scrunched up or squashed in the paper log maker.

[mags1892]

I use chip shop paper from ebay, cheap and large so can be torn to any size, then used as packaging when scrunched up or squashed in the paper log maker.

great idea . Can this also be used instead of teflon sheets ?

[JMugs]

Certainly can. Teflon sheets can carry blow through that isn't obvious. I learned this a few years ago. A t-shirt was creased, so popped it under the press to remove the creases, teflon sheet on top, and there were very light, marks all over it where the dye had come off the teflon sheet.
Another bonus is that the process releases water vapour, teflon sheets trap this. Chip shop paper allows it to pass into it, hence drawing it away from the print.

[MREDD]

Are you sure you're printing onto the correct side of the paper (brightest side) ?

Are you using a felt pad over the slate whilst pressing?

Hi Justin

I wonder if this might be the problem, when I posted this question I did not offer an explanation of how I present the slate into the press. Someone asked me this this afternoon & I said that I press it face up.

He said no, I should press face down & let the heat come through from the back.

Is that right?

TIA

[Justin]

No, rock slates should be pressed face up. Pre-heat for 1 minute, remove, affix transfer and press for 500 seconds, 197c medium pressure. I put the white foam pad on top and a silicon sheet over this as the image can bleed onto the pad. That's my way of doing them anyway

[soulclaimed]

I always print place slate over image and using the excess paper wrap the slate up like a badly wrapped christmas present and tape in place then press with silicone sheet I find that the wrapping along with the silicine sheet helps to stop the paper moving