Who needs brain cells anyway? It seems the stupider I get, the better I
carve! :-)

Re the ironing transfer: If I said that I've never burned rubber, I'd be
lying. In fact, my son squealed with delight as I peeled out of the gas
station this morning (true story). Sorry, I just had to offer that
way-too-lame "joke," I couldn't resist. Something about losing brain cells.
Seriously, though, I did burn a small area of the pink stuff once. Bummer,
but didn't affect the transfer (it was on the edge of the piece, not where
the image was). I use an iron on high, with a cloth between the iron and the
paper/carving material. I like the image it produces. I've never tried the
xylene method, but no doubt will try it some day! I have a blender pen from
several years ago, but it is the xylene-free kind (is xylene right? I'm not
even sure.)

DEF: Where do you notice the change in the surface of the carving block?
During carving itself? During printing? Both? I haven't noticed it, but I
haven't been paying attention. Do you notice this on all carving materials,
or just certain ones?

I still do the pencil transfer method a lot. I like having the images in my
tracing paper pad--it's historically interesting to me. Many things there
that never made it to the carving stage. This is a bummer for me about using
the ironing method. But, with lots of detail in an image, I just can't
capture it well if I have to draw it first--even just drawing over an image,
I always stray from the lines.

~zess~

On Jan 23, 2008 1:05 PM, gwendontoo wrote:

> I like the pencil rub technique as well but I do treat the rubber
> surface with acetone prior to rubbing. This seems to help the pencil
> transfer somewhat and I can kill off a few more brain cells while I'm
> at it.
>
> Don
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com ,
> Hikers & Hounds
> wrote:
> >
> > I print them out onto tracing paper, go ove the paper with pencil
> and then rub that off onto the carving material. Then go over
> everything with ballpoint before carving. No heat or chemicals for me.
> >
> > Ron wrote: So the less gifted among us
> won't burn the rubber??? LOL, how much
> > heat for how long do you iron?
> >
> > Ron
> >
> > --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com ,
> "zess the treehuggers"
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Oh, the blending pen has xylene? Is that it?
> > >
> > > How is that better than just ironing it on?
> > >
> > > ~zess~
> > >
> > > On Jan 22, 2008 3:42 PM, Diana Newton Wood, MD wrote:
> > >
> > > > You use them to transfer a laser or copier printed image (with
> > toner) to
> > > >
> > > > the stamp material zess!
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > zess the treehuggers wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Ron,
> > > > >
> > > > > What do you do with the blending pens?
> > > > >
> > > > > ~zess~
> > > > >
>
>
--
Happiness itself is a kind of gratitude - Joseph Wood Krutch

"..... The Bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began ....." Hop
aboard at:
http://groups.google.com/group/the-grateful-letterboxers?hl=en


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