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Home Curing Waterslide Decals

Home-Curing Waterslide Decals onto Ceramics, Glass or Metal

Both Original Lazertran and Lazertran Inkjet waterslide decals can be baked onto ceramics, glass or metal using your home oven.

Properly baked, the image will be shiny and waterproof, similar to a glazed item, though still not dishwasher safe.

Images to be heat-cured are usually printed in reverse and applied upside down so that the toner or ink melts directly onto the artifact.

Your printer has an option to print in reverse or to print a mirror image. You already know about this if you have ever done t-shirt transfers. If not, get out your printer’s manual or just poke around the printer setup menus until you find such an option.

When heat is applied, the toner or ink molecules will melt and attach themselves to the ceramic, glass or metal. They do not fuse into the substrate (as I mentioned above) but are melted onto the surface.

If you leave the waterslide decal film on, the color has an extra layer of protection; though it could still be scratched off if treated very roughly.

Home-Curing Original Lazertran Waterslide Decals

Print your artwork in reverse onto the shiny side of a sheet of the waterslide decal. Pass a heat gun back and forth above the surface until the colors turn bright and shiny. This dries the toners and removes any air bubbles that would mar your design.

The toners can be dried in a hot oven as well; but it’s trickier to time the process. Check every 30 seconds.

Trim away excess from your design. Consider how you plan to finish your item to determine how to trim.

For example, if you do not want to remove the film backing, the film’s edge will show. In that case, you might decide to cut the decal in the shape of your item giving it an embossed or layered look. If you plan to remove the film, trim close around your design.

Soak the waterslide decal in lukewarm water until the backing paper loosens. Lift the decal with backing paper still attached from the water. Position the decal face down on your object and slide the backing paper away. Smooth with your fingertips to force out any air bubbles.

Wash away the gooey mucilage with a damp sponge. Any traces will turn brown when baked. The browned glue can be removed after baking with hot soapy water; but it’s easier to do a good job beforehand.

Check again for air bubbles and gently force out any that you find. If the item has a curved surface, heat gently with a heat gun or blow dryer and stretch the film over the surface contours.

Place on the bottom rack of your oven preheated to 250 degrees F. Leave the door open for 15 minutes; close the door for 15 minutes. Check for bubbles.

At this point, any bubbles are likely caused by steam. Remove the item from the oven and force out the bubbles before continuing.

Turn the oven to 300 degrees for another 15 minutes; then to 350 for 15 minutes; and to 400 for 15 minutes. If your oven’s thermostat is accurate, you should notice the decal has become quite shiny. Watch for the sheen before proceeding.

If you want to remove the film so there will be an absolutely smooth surface, with no decal edges remaining, remove your item from the oven and allow to cool. Wipe the surface with pure turpentine to dissolve the film layer. [If you have one of the newer desktop laser printers which uses a different formulation of toners, turpentine won’t work. You need to use isopropyl alcohol to remove the decal film. Several applications will be required.]

If you want to leave the protective film in place, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees for a final 15 minutes. The last 50 degrees hardens the decal film making it even more scratch resistant.

Home-Curing Lazertran Inkjet Waterslide Decals

Print your artwork in reverse onto the creamy side of a sheet of the Lazertran Inkjet waterslide decal. Let the ink dry for at least an hour at which point it will be waterproof; or heat set with a heat gun held at least 6” away for about 30 seconds.

Too little drying time and the ink will run when you soak the decal.

Cut to size. Remember that the decal edges will show (and in this case, the film cannot be removed with turpentine), so you will want to work the edges into your design somehow or use several layers of varnish to even out the surface of your finished piece.

If you want the uncolored parts of the decal to dry clear, coat the inked side with oil-based varnish and let dry completely. Two coats are sometimes needed to be sure enough oil seeps into the absorbent film.

Soak the waterslide decal in lukewarm water until the paper releases, about 30 seconds. The paper will curl up before flattening out. Wait for the paper to uncurl.

Meanwhile, coat the area where the decal will be placed with mucilage glue. Since you are putting the varnish-coated layer 4 (the ink) directly against the hard surface and layer 3 (the glue) will not be in contact, you have to supply your own glue.

Be sure to use mucilage because most other types of glue will make the un-inked portions of the decal film dry white. [That is of course, unless you what white edges.]

Remove the decal and backing paper from the water. Place the decal varnished side down against the mucilage you have spread and slide the backing paper away. Smooth with your fingertips to force out any air bubbles.

Wash away the excess mucilage with a damp sponge (both the manufacturer’s and that which you applied). Any traces will turn brown when baked. The browned glue can be removed after baking with hot soapy water; but it’s easier to do a good job beforehand.

Check again for air bubbles and gently force out any that you find. If the item has a curved surface, heat gently with a heat gun or blow dryer and stretch the film over the surface contours.

Place on the bottom rack of your oven preheated to 250 degrees F. Leave the door open for 15 minutes; close the door for 15 minutes. Check for bubbles.

At this point, any bubbles are likely caused by steam. Remove the item from the over and force out the bubbles before continuing.

Turn the oven to 300 degrees for another 15 minutes; then to 350 for 15 minutes; and to 400 for 15 minutes. If your oven’s thermostat is accurate, you should notice the decal has become quite shiny. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees for a final 15 minutes. The last 50 degrees hardens the protective film making it even more scratch resistant.

Alternate Method for Curing Waterslide Decals

I’ve read that turpentine or isopropyl alcohol can also be used to clarify the un-inked portions of Lazertran Inkjet waterslide decals.

It seems that the decal film does not dissolve like the type used in Original Lazertran but rather is made transparent. This method has some advantages, as well as potential disadvantages or even dangers.

Two advantages are that the images are not reversed and do not need to be coated with varnish before application. Another is that you don’t need to apply your own mucilage.

Once the ink has dried, soak the decal as before until it loosens and the paper uncurls. Thoroughly wet the hard surface (ceramic, glass, etc.) with turpentine or alcohol. Slide the decal off its backing paper and into place. Smooth out any bubbles and allow to dry completely.

Before proceeding, be sure the item is absolutely dry since alcohol and turpentine liquid and fumes are flammable and could ignite in the oven. The artist who told me about this method uses the oven to cure the ink but has only experimented up to 350 degrees.

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