I purchased some transfer-rite masking and ended up getting a lower tack than I meant to. It doesn’t stick to wood at all. Any tips on how I can salvage the roll?
Note. I tried rubbing it on hard, standing on it, and putting it in timeout. Nothing would make it stick.
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Use it on your paper and leather projects. (I did the same thing.)
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Ahhh. There we go. haha. I’ll go buy some painters tape for the wood. Thanks Jules. Can always count on ya.
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I use transfer rite on unfinished wood all the time. Are you using a squeegee of some sort or just pushing with your hands/fingers? If you’re using your fingers, that’s not going to do it. Use a credit card or a piece of scrap about that size and really get it on there.
For best results, mask just prior to cutting and remove it just after. Like a lot of tapes, if you leave it on, it can get really stuck there.
As for finished wood, I would imagine it adheres even better? It’d depend on the finish. I suspect oil stuff might interfere with the adhesive. I do all my finishing post cut, which solves that.
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I can’t get it to stick to cutting boards, especially bamboo. I use it on big box store birch ply to make a sort of DIY… well, usable material.
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which transfer-rite did you purchase?
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i use the medium tack. i use a burnishing tool to rub it on smooth. haven’t had any problems. but as others have stated, if you don’t use something to rub it on tight/smooth, you may have issues like that.
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Thanks guys! Its their low tack one. Haha. I’ll try the credit card and see if that solves it!
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I’ve got some rolls of the TransferRite 582U, which I believe is their medium tack one, and I haven’t had any issues getting good adhesion to any woods, including some that were pre-finished. I use a few different sizes of plastic putty knives (3" – 8") depending on the size I’m covering) to get it down.
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I’ve found with mine (same stuff) that sometimes on rougher BB ply that i’ve needed to sand the surface with 200 grit to get good adhesion.
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Oh, I hadn’t thought about sanding. That’s a good call.
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You might look into plastic sign making squeegees for applying vinyl films, those will let you really crank down some pressure onto the masking.
But low tack is still going to be tough for wood surfaces.
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I make sure to hit it with air blast from the compressor to get the dust off or that really messes up adhesion!
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the medium tack works well for me on acrylic and metal. If I have to use it on unfinished wood, I will sometime lay a sacrificial layer, peel it away (along with dust and loose fibers and junk) and then lay a fresh piece.
I always use a squeegee. For the initial placement of masking onto 12"-wide sheet materials (like the BB Ply that I order, or to re-mask Proofgrade), I start with a BigSqueegee 14" YardSign tool, and then finish with a standard 4" vinyl squeegee. I prefer the nylon ones; gold P.A.-1 from 3M, and silver RC-4-NS from Lidco products. this picture also has several of the yellotool squeegees (which are also very nice, but more pricey), and the lower quality (but still very functional) poly ones, which often come packaged with phone/tablet screen covers.
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Oh, now that’s a good idea!
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the 582u low tack one sticks to paper well but you do need to use an applicator of some kind to firmly and smoothly press it down. I’ve been doing that with a really thick square of cardstock and it goes down fine. When I initially was using my fingers, it would peel up from the air assist.
On wood, can’t you just not use masking and lightly clean it up with rubbing alcohol after? I just did that on a cutting board and it worked a treat, no masking involved.
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I read somewhere recently that 582 works best on smooth surfaces and 592 is best on rough surfaces like wood. I use 592 and have to say that, even when I burnish it onto the wood piece prior to lasing, it will still lift after the beam hits it in some places, especially on fine, delicate images where the cut/score lines are close together.
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Part of my voodoo involves wiping off the surface with 99% isopropyl alcohol before applying the masking. Then I put it on and burnish the bejezus out of it with a hot pink chizler (color is very important for proper technique).
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Just going to have to make do as best I can with a brown one.
Ho hum
