Using Lazertran - page 2

Because the directions for Lazertran Silk used on silk fabric require that you iron the image (using parchment paper to protect the image) once the fabric was dry, I thought I’d try it with Lazertran Silk on cotton.  It wasn’t a happy experiment as the image suffered from the ironing.  Which is probably why it’s not recommended! 

Figure 6

Figure 6 shows the damage which was inflicted by ironing.

 The next logical step was to try Lazertran Silk on silk fabric.  All I had on hand was Dupioni silk which as it happened caused some problems, though experimentation is the way to find this out!  To apply Lazertran silk to silk fabric the same steps are followed as used with cotton fabric, with the exception of spraying the image with 3M Photo mount spray before ironing, which is skipped.  Once you put the fabric in the water and the paper has separated from the image the fabric is taken to the ironing board, placed face down and ‘dried’ by applying slight heat from a coolish iron with no pressure to the fabric.  Repeat this several times, moving the image each time, until the fabric is dry.  Flip the image over, cover with a sheet of baking parchment, and iron the image through the parchment paper.  Allow the paper to cool and then peel it away from the image.  I wasn’t as impressed with the results on silk, but that was probably due to the inherent bumpiness of the Dupioni silk which cause the image to flake off in a lot of places.  Where the image remained intact, it was shiny just as it was with Lazertran Silk on cotton fabric.

Figure 7

Figure 7 shows my experiment with Lazertran Silk on Dupioni silk fabric.

Now that I’d played with Lazertran Silk it was time to move on to regular Lazertran.  I used this version of the product on 100% cotton fabric only.  The instructions don’t identify any fabrics that the regular product should not be used on, but I stuck to cotton for this experiment. 

The directions for Lazertran are quite simple.  Once the image is copied onto Lazertran you simply heat your iron to cotton/wool hot, place the image face down on the fabric and iron it well until the image is totally stuck to the fabric.  The directions then suggest that you wet the Lazertran paper, peel it off the image, wipe the “gum” away from the image and allow the fabric to dry.  Because I don’t always read directions well, I submerged the fabric in water and allowed the paper backing to float off the image in much the same way as with Lazertran Silk.  I didn’t find any “gummy” stuff to wipe off, but then again it probably floated off with the paper backing!  Once the fabric has air dried you have to iron it until the image really sinks down into the fabric.  I’m not sure why, neither the website or the instructions that come with the product elaborate about this requirement.  Use parchment paper as with Lazertran Silk to protect the image from direct contact with the hot iron.  I found that it took several attempts to really sink the image into the weave of the fabric.  After each ironing I waited for the whole thing to cool off and then peeled the parchment paper off before I ironed it again.  In all it probably took 3 ironings to complete this final part of the process

Figure 8

Figure 8 shows Lazertran on 100% cotton.

So what then is the difference between the two products aside from the names and the intended applications?  The photos alone can’t tell the difference, primarily because the actual differences are quite subtle.  Visually the most obvious difference between the finished products is that Lazertran Silk produces a much shinier image on either cotton or silk than Regular Lazertran does.  What you don’t see from the photos is the change in the “hand” of the fabric.  Both products make the fabric feel thicker and stiffer than usual, but Regular Lazertran causes a much more noticeable change in the way the fabric feels than Lazertran Silk does.  Depending on your application, that may work to you advantage, or you can choose to use Lazertran Silk instead if you need less stiffness to the final piece.

Transferring Images to Polymer Clay 

I was really excited about the idea of using Lazertran Silk (Regular Lazertran is not recommended) as I wanted to transfer images of flowers to clay and use it as a cabochon type head for a doll. 

 My original plan involved a circular piece of clay with beveled edges.  I wanted to bead around the edges of the piece to hold it to the background fabric and to finish the edges much like you would any other cabochon.  With that though in mind I created a circular shaped piece of clay and smoothed it to a lovely cabochon shape.  What I failed to realize until it came time to transfer the image to the clay is that the beveled edges were going to be trouble!

 Transferring an image from Lazertran Silk to clay is stunningly simple when the clay is totally flat.  You place the Lazertran Silk image side down on the clay, burnish with a bone folder or something else that will ensure that the entire image comes into contact with the clay, and let it sit – generally for 30 to 60 minutes.  The longer you leave it the better the image transfers.  Once you’re ready to remove the backing paper you submerge the entire piece in water and let the paper backing float off.  Carefully pat the clay dry or let it air dry.  That’s it – it really is that simple.  If you allow the unbaked piece of clay to sit longer, the toner from the printer really begins to sink into the clay and you can model the clay very slightly without disturbing the image.

Where I got into trouble was with the beveled edges of my cabochon.  Knowing that the Lazertran had to be in contact with the clay for the image to transfer I decided that I would make little clips around the perimeter of the clay so I could make tucks in the Lazertran paper and shape the paper around the beveled edges of the clay.  The idea wasn’t bad, but it was doomed to failure.  No matter what I tried I wasn’t able to keep the Lazertran properly in contact with the clay and each time I soaked the paper off I would see bits of the image come loose as well.  The end result of two attempts were cabochons where the entire image did not transfer. 

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figures 9 and 10 are from my failed experiments. 

Once I decided that a flat clay surface was the way to go I got out my trusty pasta machine and created a slab of clay on the first setting.  It wasn’t as thick as I needed so I doubled it which gave me what I was looking for.  From there it was a simple process to transfer the image, soak off the Lazertran paper backing and let the clay dry.  I cut it with a cookie cutter to give it a more interesting appearance, poked some holes in the edge so I’d have a place to stick some wire in and then baked it according to the manufacturer’s directions. 

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 11 shows the baked piece and figure 12 illustrates the piece with the wire “hair” that I gave it.  This piece will eventually become the face for a small beaded doll. 

I enjoyed working with and trying Lazertran and know I’ll use it again and again.  It’s so versatile and can be mixed with virtually any media which leaves the sky as the limit for how to use this product.

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Do you want to buy Lazertran?  I carry all three varieties; Inkjet, Silk and Regular.  Click HERE to see the Lazertran!

Copyright 2004 Barbara Strembicki.  You may not copy, reprint, or redistribute this article without explicit written permission.

Questions? Comments? Please email barbara@joggles.com

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