Metal Bar Blade Printing Advice

[Matt_VII]

Hi guys, just wanted a bit of guidance with regards to the metal bar blade bottle openers. Purchased from Isub Supplies and printing on both sides is possible on them.

1. Should I print both sides at the same time or one side at a time? I'm guessing one side at a time is preferred as it'll be easier to line up perfectly.

2. Is there a change in press settings for the 2nd side press? Should I let the blade cool/douse in water before pressing 2nd side?

3. Is a full coverage print OK or is it likely the print will chip and wear quickly with regular use around the opener area?

4. Should I press with hot plate on the sublimation paper side, or flipped over pressing onto the metal

Any help would be awesome!
Thanks
Matt

[socialgiraffe]

I printed some bar blades many moons ago and the only things I remember was:

1/ I had to print both sides at the same time.

2/ They were a royal pita to print


Good luck

[Matt_VII]

Hahah thanks for that! I'm anticipating a whole new set of problems doing them

[John G]

I've only offered single sided print on these and it's normally text only - if I was to print 2 sided, I'd print both sides in one go, maybe turning the blade halfway through it's time and adding 10/20 more seconds to cover this.

[Matt_VII]

Great thanks John. I'll give them a go tomorrow and see how they turn out.

[Andrew]

If it is the same design both sides I would do them separately as one will be bolder than other if done at same time. If they are different designs then could have a go but you should shut the press whilst empty for at least 30 seconds to have any chance of a decent print. Need the mat to be hot so that it doesn't drain the heat. If you are printing one side at a time then press with paper side to heat platen. They are quite thick so would need longer the other way around.

[socialgiraffe]

If it is the same design both sides I would do them separately as one will be bolder than other if done at same time.

When I did them many moons ago I found completely the opposite.

This is because when pressing the second side the heat in the physical item reaches a high enough temperature to "release" the ink on the previously printed side meaning you get a blurred image on that side.

There is a slight difference in each side if printing the same thing, but I found that it ws so subtle it was barely noticeable.

Either way it was a royal PITA

[Matt_VII]

Thanks for your help guys. Had a day of mug and bar blade printing/pressing and it was very successful thankfully!

[socialgiraffe]

Thanks for your help guys. Had a day of mug and bar blade printing/pressing and it was very successful thankfully!

What times/temps and double/single sided options worked in the end?


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[Matt_VII]

I did 195 degrees, 65 seconds. Same on both sides but let them fully cool between presses. No burning, blurry print or change in colurs to the existing printed side.
Found out I got a much better result pressing the back of the bar blade with the sublimation paper on the bottom. Full coverage designs look powder coated if using a solid colour, stunning and hard wearing!