Lazertran can be used as mockups for ceramics and
stained glass or even as a decorative surface pattern.
Please note that Lazertran is not a glaze, or on glaze
colours as lazertran uses toners to provide the colour
and not ceramic oxides. The colours sit on the surface
of glazed ceramics, metal and glass and are not fused
into them. Because of this they will scratch off and
are not suitable for flatware that is going to be used
in the household.
There are several ways to apply Lazertran to non absorbent
surfaces.
-
The simplest is to cut to size soak in warer and
apply the decal then allow to dry. This can then
be protected with varnish. The decal is held onto
the substraite just by the gum on the back of the
decal.
-
Lazertran can also be stoved or baked onto ceramics,
glass and metal.
(i) Have the image printed in reverse or mirror
as the image is going to be placed face down on
the surface.
(ii) To make sure there are no tiny air bubbles
trapped in the toner, run a hot air gun over the
image until the toners go shiny or put in a hot
domestic oven until the same thing happens. This
will happen quite quickly.
(iii) Cut your image to size, (if putting on a tile
it is a good idea to cut the decal so it covers
the whole of the tile so edge can be seen.) It is
possible to remove the decal and so any edge but
I will cover that lower down.
(iv) Soak the image in water until the decal loosens
on the backing sheet and apply, face down onto the
substraite.
(v) Wash away any gum that remains on the back of
the decal as this will turn brown when baked. After
baking if any gum has been missed and turned brown,
it can be removed with hot soapy water.
(vi) Using a soft rubber squeegee, remove any excess
moisture and air bubbles from under the decal. If
the sustraite has a complex curve then the decal
can be heated with a hairdryer and any creases stretched
out.
(vii) Place in a domestic oven at the bottom sat
to the lowest possible temperture to dry out for
15 minutes then slowly increase the temperture over
the next 1.5 hours until the decal becomes shiny
like a glaze and then allow to cool. If you find
the decal starts to bubble then slow down. If early
on after putting in the oven, small bubbles appear
before the decal starts to melt, these are probably
steam. Take the piece out of the oven and rub or
push the bubbles out to the edge of the decal.
-
If you wish to remove the decal after baking, disollve
it by using either real turpentine or Isopropyl
Alcohol. This will leave only the toner on the substraite
but as they will no longer be protected by the melted
decal they will be more fragile.
Problems
If pin holes occur make sure the toners are fused properly
before applying to substraite. Also, if early on after
putting in the oven, small bubbles appear before the
decal starts to melt, these are probably steam. Take
the piece out of the oven and rub or push the bubbles
out to the edge of the decal.
On glass, as the toners are transparent, the image
may look a little thin. To cure this have a second copy
made and apply on top of the first giving the image
double pigment and the image much more strength.
When trying to remove the decal with turpentine it
has no effect. This is because the decal changes it's
nature at around 200 degrees C. If you want to remove
the decal then bake at a lower temperture. If not take
it higher as this makes the decal more scratch resisitant.
The decal pools or gathers into puddles. You have baked
the image too high.
If the glaze on your ceramics is crazed then water
will soak into the cracks when you apply the decal.
When heated this water will turn to steam and produce
blister along the cracks. Avoid crazed ceramics when
applying Lazertran.
back to top of page
| previous page
|
