Lazertran Techniques

Lazertran used on ceramics , metal and glass

Lazertran and our new Lazertran Inkjet Decal paper, can be used as mockups for ceramics and stained glass or even as a decorative surface pattern.

Please note that Lazertran is not a glaze, or on glaze colours as Lazertran uses toners to provide the colours and not ceramic oxides. The colours sit on the surface of glazed ceramics, metal and glass and are not fused into them. Because of this they will scratch off and are not suitable for flatware that is going to be used in the household. I believe there are acrylic coatings available for ceramics that can be applied over the Lazertran decal but I have not used them. There are several ways to apply Lazertran/ Lazertran Inkjet, to non absorbent surfaces.

The simplest way is to cut to size soak in water and apply the decal then allow to dry. This can then be protected with varnish. The Inkjet version will dry white but oil based polyurathane varnish will make the decal transparent. The decal is held onto the substraite just by the gum on the back of the decal

Lazertran, but not Lazertran Inkjet, can also be stoved or baked onto ceramics, glass and metal:

1. Have the image printed in reverse or mirror as the image is going to be placed face down on the surface
2. To make sure there are no tiny air bubbles trapped in the toner, run a hot air gun over the image until the toners go shiny or put in a hot domestic oven until the same thing happens. This will happen quite quickly
3. Cut your image to size, (if putting on a tile it is a good idea to cut the decal so it covers the whole of the tile so edge can be seen.) It is possible to remove the decal and so any edge, but that will be covered later
4. Soak the image in water until the decal loosens on the backing sheet and apply, face down onto the substraite
5. Wash away any gum that remains on the back of the decal as this will turn brown when baked. After baking if any gum has been missed and turned brown, it can be removed with hot soapy water
6. Using a soft rubber squeegee, remove any excess moisture and air bubbles from under the decal. If the substraite has a complex curve then the decal can be heated with a hairdryer and any creases stretched out
7. Place in a domestic oven at the bottom set to the lowest possible temperature to dry out and start to change it's state, for at least one hour then slowly increase the temperature over the next hour or so until the decal becomes shiny like a glaze and then allow to cool. If you find the decal starts to bubble then slow down.

 

Problems

On glass, as the toners are transparent, the image may look a little thin. To cure this have a second copy made and apply on top of the first giving the image double pigment and the image much more strength. When trying to remove the decal with turpentine it has no effect. This is because the decal changes it's nature at around 200 degrees C. If you want to remove the decal then bake at a lower temperature. If not take it higher as this makes the decal more scratch resistant. The decal pools or gathers into puddles. You have baked the image too high.

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