Born.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Exterior Use is the main concern - dimensional stability the problem
I can easily read labels for materials and think that if I put one thing on top of the other then it will be good for external use, but time and time again I have been proven wrong. I have been working with making graphic designs that can go on magnets, both raised and flat designs and there are several issues that keep causing me to question the durability of the final product. At the store where I have been getting the magnets I am being told that people put stickers on the magnets and that's about it. The coating is PVC, or at least that's what we think it is.
Some inks, urethanes or epoxies bead up when I paint them across the surface. Others seem to bond well, but if I work on peeling them off I usually can. If I attach an object that is too thick to the magnet, then it is strong enough to bend the magnet away from the surface if it has a tendency to bend while being exposed to different temperatures and weather conditions. The conclusion here is that the item going on the magnet has to be either light and flexible to move with the magnet, or it has to be dimensionally stable itself in order to keep from changing the magnet and causing the entire piece to warp.
The testing is now back to basics, which is trying to make sure that I have a good surface on the magnet to print on and/or to attach an object to and to make sure the object is dimensionally stable. My most recent test were with vinyl sticker ink and a water based type of vinyl sticker ink by Nazdar. These are both compatible with screen printing, which is why I have gone with those first. I don't think these inks have any UV resistance in them, so I am thinking of them mostly as a bonding layer between the magnet and the next layer, which could be a print layer or an object. Epoxy and Urethane have been my materials of choice for making objects with and the potential of this one-part urethane I have been working with keeps me thinking that there is a place for that stuff in the process. Once the test pieces dry, then I need to put a layer of the urethane and the epoxy on to see if I can attach objects to the coated magnet sheet. If the objects will stay, then printing would not be an issue, so I have to test the bonding with an object that can be ripped off first.
My other test, the more interesting one, is to coat the back side of the magnet in the hope that I could coat the magnet with a clear layer that is easy to print on and then use epoxy or urethane as a print medium and use the magnet background darkish grey / black color of the magnet as the background color and print with light inks like silver or white.
The objects that I am going to attach will need to be more stable that some of the epoxy pieces I have been using. It seems that the urethane and the epoxy curl when exposed to wet conditions and heat tends to weaken the epoxy that would allow any substrate in the epoxy to bend internally. My solution is to use layers of carbon fiber, criss-crossed, to stiffen the back of the pieces that I am using. The expense is significant, but I don't think that if I just attach the piece to a sticker and stick it to the magnet that I will be able to sleep at night. Epoxy seems to be the best material for coating the carbon fiber with, but I can't help but think that if the epoxy gets warm then any tendency of the epoxy to bend will also allow the carbon fiber to bend. If I add too many layers then it will get more expensive and too difficult to cut out once the pieces are made.
My other project is to use a clear molded piece and then put the colored image behind the clear. I'll explain the reason later, but the big issue with clear is yellowing, especially with epoxy. This is where I think the use of the urethane will come in handy, but my first test with the urethane on the back of the epoxy was a fail. I have not put some epoxy behind the urethane and that looks promising, but without some good weathering I can't be sure that will work. The Urethane could be painted into the mold with thin layers, but this is much more time than simply pouring a little epoxy in the mold. I have heard of a clear epoxy that also has a UV resistance built in and I am going to have to get my hands on that if this urethane keeps acting up on me.
Some inks, urethanes or epoxies bead up when I paint them across the surface. Others seem to bond well, but if I work on peeling them off I usually can. If I attach an object that is too thick to the magnet, then it is strong enough to bend the magnet away from the surface if it has a tendency to bend while being exposed to different temperatures and weather conditions. The conclusion here is that the item going on the magnet has to be either light and flexible to move with the magnet, or it has to be dimensionally stable itself in order to keep from changing the magnet and causing the entire piece to warp.
The testing is now back to basics, which is trying to make sure that I have a good surface on the magnet to print on and/or to attach an object to and to make sure the object is dimensionally stable. My most recent test were with vinyl sticker ink and a water based type of vinyl sticker ink by Nazdar. These are both compatible with screen printing, which is why I have gone with those first. I don't think these inks have any UV resistance in them, so I am thinking of them mostly as a bonding layer between the magnet and the next layer, which could be a print layer or an object. Epoxy and Urethane have been my materials of choice for making objects with and the potential of this one-part urethane I have been working with keeps me thinking that there is a place for that stuff in the process. Once the test pieces dry, then I need to put a layer of the urethane and the epoxy on to see if I can attach objects to the coated magnet sheet. If the objects will stay, then printing would not be an issue, so I have to test the bonding with an object that can be ripped off first.
My other test, the more interesting one, is to coat the back side of the magnet in the hope that I could coat the magnet with a clear layer that is easy to print on and then use epoxy or urethane as a print medium and use the magnet background darkish grey / black color of the magnet as the background color and print with light inks like silver or white.
The objects that I am going to attach will need to be more stable that some of the epoxy pieces I have been using. It seems that the urethane and the epoxy curl when exposed to wet conditions and heat tends to weaken the epoxy that would allow any substrate in the epoxy to bend internally. My solution is to use layers of carbon fiber, criss-crossed, to stiffen the back of the pieces that I am using. The expense is significant, but I don't think that if I just attach the piece to a sticker and stick it to the magnet that I will be able to sleep at night. Epoxy seems to be the best material for coating the carbon fiber with, but I can't help but think that if the epoxy gets warm then any tendency of the epoxy to bend will also allow the carbon fiber to bend. If I add too many layers then it will get more expensive and too difficult to cut out once the pieces are made.
My other project is to use a clear molded piece and then put the colored image behind the clear. I'll explain the reason later, but the big issue with clear is yellowing, especially with epoxy. This is where I think the use of the urethane will come in handy, but my first test with the urethane on the back of the epoxy was a fail. I have not put some epoxy behind the urethane and that looks promising, but without some good weathering I can't be sure that will work. The Urethane could be painted into the mold with thin layers, but this is much more time than simply pouring a little epoxy in the mold. I have heard of a clear epoxy that also has a UV resistance built in and I am going to have to get my hands on that if this urethane keeps acting up on me.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Snakeskin Urethane - mixed results
The one part snakeskin urethane I have been testing provided mixed results today when I protruded my samples from the hot box. In one instance the thickly poured snakeskin appeared to have bonded with the light gel coat of epoxy I had previously coated in the mold. the back side shrunk in a little and bubbles were evident, making for a non smooth back side finish.
My other test was coating a piece of vinyl sticker paper with the urethane and it appeared to hold on the sticker paper, but did not hold onto the epoxy coated canvas that I pressed on top of the urethane, so as a bonding agent for coarse materials it is questionable. It is possible that if I had added some thickeners then it may have been able to bond better.
I did a test with uncoated canvas to wood with the urethane and it appears to have held. I don't know if it is strong, but it did hold for now. The material is rubbery and light, so I am thinking it will be a good match for the base of my coasters as the base. I should be able to make a light coating and then put epoxy behind it.
My other test was coating a piece of vinyl sticker paper with the urethane and it appeared to hold on the sticker paper, but did not hold onto the epoxy coated canvas that I pressed on top of the urethane, so as a bonding agent for coarse materials it is questionable. It is possible that if I had added some thickeners then it may have been able to bond better.
I did a test with uncoated canvas to wood with the urethane and it appears to have held. I don't know if it is strong, but it did hold for now. The material is rubbery and light, so I am thinking it will be a good match for the base of my coasters as the base. I should be able to make a light coating and then put epoxy behind it.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Rapid mold making and fast cure resins
Today I felt awkward and wasn't sure which project would take hold while I waited for some urethane projects to dry. My impatience got the better of me and I delved into making a quick mold with my exclusive Rapid Mold Making techniques to see if I could get a new setup going. I didn't have any polyester resin, so I visited the local boat store, West Marine, and got a small container of resin and hardener. Surprisingly, everything went well and 2 hours I had a finished object out of the mold.
The biggest issue now is the brittle nature of polyester resin, even though I added some flexible polyester resin into the mix, the pieces are brittle and more difficult to cut than pieces made with polyester. Breakage may also be an issue, but these pieces seem more durable than the ones I used to make. I used a circle design and they look like coasters. I am thinking about making a bunch of molds with the regular batch of designs for a run of coasters, just to get something more finished into production.
The big question will remain as to whether or not reliefs are any better than just plain stickers or foam coasters with a print on them.
The biggest issue now is the brittle nature of polyester resin, even though I added some flexible polyester resin into the mix, the pieces are brittle and more difficult to cut than pieces made with polyester. Breakage may also be an issue, but these pieces seem more durable than the ones I used to make. I used a circle design and they look like coasters. I am thinking about making a bunch of molds with the regular batch of designs for a run of coasters, just to get something more finished into production.
The big question will remain as to whether or not reliefs are any better than just plain stickers or foam coasters with a print on them.
Ethyl cellulose ink
On black t-shirts with titanium white, no binder. Test wash after 36 hours dry time.
Canvas, Epoxy, Carbon Fiber - Wash hands, repeat.
The same products keep coming up in my efforts to make the ultimate decorative practical object d' art. I don't want much, but I do want something that can sustain weathering, withstand some impacts, be relatively small or light and be able to be made from photographic images without having to use heavy equipment, lasers and die cutting devices. Handmade cool stuff is what I am working on.
The latest addition to my arsenal is a urethane that I am not convinced is all it is made up to be, or that can be all that epoxy is, but the ease of handling of this urethane is worth testing. My initial testing shows that thinner layers of the use of this urethane instead of the thick poured methods that I have been using. This would mean that the time I save from the ease of use of a one part material, would then be used by putting on multiple layers and waiting for them to dry. To me, thicker is better as it provides depth and strength in shape and form and the thicker something is then the longer it would take to break down. This urethane may be appropriate for putting on top of things and not being the thing as I had hoped.
Accepting the layering concept as a practical fact forces me to think of my substrate or base for the urethane and verify the bonding between layers as the strengthening of the final product. I coated a patch of canvas with the snakeskin urethane and surprisingly it did not curl and wrinkle as would be normal with acrylic gesso. One of the benefits of using epoxy is that it does not act like water-based mediums when I am using it on canvas and paper, so I do not have to deal with the after effects of wrinkling and shape distortions. Epoxy and urethane all my substrates to remain dimensionally stable, which allows me to move to the next step of actually bonding or printing something onto paper and canvas without having to stretch it or bond it first to something stable.
I did not like the way the Snakeskin urethane handled the pigments when I tried to print it, but I did like the way the Tortoise Shell urethane handled the pigments and I was able to make a printable paste that seemed to render a decent print. I did not use a good screen, so part of the printing inconsistency could have been from the screen clarity, or lack thereof. In a mold the Tortoise shell urethane cracked, so what works well for printing may not work well for casting. If I can bring canvas back into the fold as a substrate with the flexible urethane and print with the Tortoise shell urethane on top of the canvas, then I have a good working substrate and printable surface to use for a working surface.
The problem is that canvas isn't elegant when it comes to making things and the texture isn't something that I want to hide. The benefit of printing on canvas is that it is pretty much the same as printing on t-shirts and it matches my skills. My next step will be to see what the canvas can bond to and the two most likely subjects are sticker paper and magnet sheets. The difference here is that I don't have to apply the canvas to the substrate first to make it work. By being able to use a substrate without adhering it first to a base, then I can work on items and later apply them to a base, given the canvas itself could also be a substrate.
Can the canvas be the exterior surface and the final product without just being a piece of canvas? Canvas bumper stickers? Canvas magnets? Canvas shingles? I have already made some of these and they don't seem as finished as a poured epoxy piece. Also I worry about the natural deterioration of canvas as an organic material and if the exterior is compromised the interior may weaken faster than plastic polymers, metallic substrates or even wood. Finally, then bond of the canvas to something else is what will make or break canvas as a product. Will it become one with a substrate, or will it simply be an additional item on top of the substrate that can be ripped off?
I've wasted enough time writing for the first coat of urethane to dry, I'll go apply another coat.
The latest addition to my arsenal is a urethane that I am not convinced is all it is made up to be, or that can be all that epoxy is, but the ease of handling of this urethane is worth testing. My initial testing shows that thinner layers of the use of this urethane instead of the thick poured methods that I have been using. This would mean that the time I save from the ease of use of a one part material, would then be used by putting on multiple layers and waiting for them to dry. To me, thicker is better as it provides depth and strength in shape and form and the thicker something is then the longer it would take to break down. This urethane may be appropriate for putting on top of things and not being the thing as I had hoped.
Accepting the layering concept as a practical fact forces me to think of my substrate or base for the urethane and verify the bonding between layers as the strengthening of the final product. I coated a patch of canvas with the snakeskin urethane and surprisingly it did not curl and wrinkle as would be normal with acrylic gesso. One of the benefits of using epoxy is that it does not act like water-based mediums when I am using it on canvas and paper, so I do not have to deal with the after effects of wrinkling and shape distortions. Epoxy and urethane all my substrates to remain dimensionally stable, which allows me to move to the next step of actually bonding or printing something onto paper and canvas without having to stretch it or bond it first to something stable.
I did not like the way the Snakeskin urethane handled the pigments when I tried to print it, but I did like the way the Tortoise Shell urethane handled the pigments and I was able to make a printable paste that seemed to render a decent print. I did not use a good screen, so part of the printing inconsistency could have been from the screen clarity, or lack thereof. In a mold the Tortoise shell urethane cracked, so what works well for printing may not work well for casting. If I can bring canvas back into the fold as a substrate with the flexible urethane and print with the Tortoise shell urethane on top of the canvas, then I have a good working substrate and printable surface to use for a working surface.
The problem is that canvas isn't elegant when it comes to making things and the texture isn't something that I want to hide. The benefit of printing on canvas is that it is pretty much the same as printing on t-shirts and it matches my skills. My next step will be to see what the canvas can bond to and the two most likely subjects are sticker paper and magnet sheets. The difference here is that I don't have to apply the canvas to the substrate first to make it work. By being able to use a substrate without adhering it first to a base, then I can work on items and later apply them to a base, given the canvas itself could also be a substrate.
Can the canvas be the exterior surface and the final product without just being a piece of canvas? Canvas bumper stickers? Canvas magnets? Canvas shingles? I have already made some of these and they don't seem as finished as a poured epoxy piece. Also I worry about the natural deterioration of canvas as an organic material and if the exterior is compromised the interior may weaken faster than plastic polymers, metallic substrates or even wood. Finally, then bond of the canvas to something else is what will make or break canvas as a product. Will it become one with a substrate, or will it simply be an additional item on top of the substrate that can be ripped off?
I've wasted enough time writing for the first coat of urethane to dry, I'll go apply another coat.
Life is simple, if you follow the rules.
There may be an easier way to do the things I am trying to do. If I purchased the right products for the right job and then followed the instructions, then I may actually be able to finish something and call it complete. It's just not that easy to follow the rules when you aren't completely sure what you want to make. Every time I get close to having a clear idea of the final product, there is some fact about the materials or the texture that make me want to start over.
In this case I am working with printing and coating previously coated magnet sheets. I am pretty sure the coating is PVC or a type of vinyl coating. The coating itself may be printable with special inks and you can definitely put a sticker on it and cut it out, but that doesn't really mean it would be of exterior quality and be able to survive any significant weathering. I have even considered the idea of magnetic shingles, but the coatings on the magnets, or PVC, may deform at 120 degrees F. A roof, especially a metal roof may indeed hit that temperature in the middle of summer. A coating that reflects the heat, could reduce some of the effects of the heat, but a higher temperature resistant material would be required. I don't think standard coated magnet sheets are capable of that type of heat absorption without breaking down. This even brings up the issue of what are the magnet particles themselves being suspended in and most likely that is a vinyl too.
There are uv cured inks that go through an ink jet printer that are made for printing designs on magnet sheets and rolls, but that would be too easy. Full color images of any design I want, just printed on demand, c'mon already. Much too easy. First off, I don't trust it for long term exterior exposure. These types of printing techniques are only as good as the thickness of the material and by the very nature of the printing techniques the print layer cannot be very thick and it is on a special coating which can also breakdown and release from the substrate. Thicker and stronger bonds are necessary and of course I am a screen printer, so I don't want to be out of a job. Screen printing the right inks directly onto a magnet sheet should provide a thicker more durable type of coating that can survive outside. The big question is whether it should be compatible with the PVC coating or printed directly on the magnets themselves.
My conceptual magnet shingle project is based on the magnets attracting themselves to a metallic surface, or coated surface that will work like a piece of metal and provide enough pull to keep the magnet down in a good storm. To keep the magnets from lifting off each other I think printing one half of the top surface of the magnet with a coating and allowing the other half to work with the magnet placed on top of it to hold them together is a good design technique. This provides guidelines for assembling a matrix of shingles and allows the maximum pull to come one magnet to the other.
Currently I am testing a urethane coating appropriately called Snakeskin with the hopes that it will bond to the pvc coating on the magnet. My first attempts to print with this stuff were unsuccessful, but that could be for a number of reasons besides it just simply not going through a screen. I like this materials because it is supposed to be uv resistant, flexible and it is a one-part liquid that can handle pigments. It is supposed to be able to bond to itself, which means it can be layered or even used as a glue to connect items to a substrate. I coated the top of a magnet, some canvas, a piece of acetate and a vinyl sticker. We'll see if Snakeskin is as thick as I want it to be; thick like a snake.
In this case I am working with printing and coating previously coated magnet sheets. I am pretty sure the coating is PVC or a type of vinyl coating. The coating itself may be printable with special inks and you can definitely put a sticker on it and cut it out, but that doesn't really mean it would be of exterior quality and be able to survive any significant weathering. I have even considered the idea of magnetic shingles, but the coatings on the magnets, or PVC, may deform at 120 degrees F. A roof, especially a metal roof may indeed hit that temperature in the middle of summer. A coating that reflects the heat, could reduce some of the effects of the heat, but a higher temperature resistant material would be required. I don't think standard coated magnet sheets are capable of that type of heat absorption without breaking down. This even brings up the issue of what are the magnet particles themselves being suspended in and most likely that is a vinyl too.
There are uv cured inks that go through an ink jet printer that are made for printing designs on magnet sheets and rolls, but that would be too easy. Full color images of any design I want, just printed on demand, c'mon already. Much too easy. First off, I don't trust it for long term exterior exposure. These types of printing techniques are only as good as the thickness of the material and by the very nature of the printing techniques the print layer cannot be very thick and it is on a special coating which can also breakdown and release from the substrate. Thicker and stronger bonds are necessary and of course I am a screen printer, so I don't want to be out of a job. Screen printing the right inks directly onto a magnet sheet should provide a thicker more durable type of coating that can survive outside. The big question is whether it should be compatible with the PVC coating or printed directly on the magnets themselves.
My conceptual magnet shingle project is based on the magnets attracting themselves to a metallic surface, or coated surface that will work like a piece of metal and provide enough pull to keep the magnet down in a good storm. To keep the magnets from lifting off each other I think printing one half of the top surface of the magnet with a coating and allowing the other half to work with the magnet placed on top of it to hold them together is a good design technique. This provides guidelines for assembling a matrix of shingles and allows the maximum pull to come one magnet to the other.
Currently I am testing a urethane coating appropriately called Snakeskin with the hopes that it will bond to the pvc coating on the magnet. My first attempts to print with this stuff were unsuccessful, but that could be for a number of reasons besides it just simply not going through a screen. I like this materials because it is supposed to be uv resistant, flexible and it is a one-part liquid that can handle pigments. It is supposed to be able to bond to itself, which means it can be layered or even used as a glue to connect items to a substrate. I coated the top of a magnet, some canvas, a piece of acetate and a vinyl sticker. We'll see if Snakeskin is as thick as I want it to be; thick like a snake.
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