Name plates

[Robert Rosensteel]

Hello Everyone could some one help me locate name plates brushed aluminum or brass than can be lasered. They would need holes on each end at center, and have rounded corners. They will be mounted in Masonic Lodge and I don't want to lose this order, with the way things have been so far this year.Thanks Robert

[James Rambo]

How many do you need johnson plastics cut metal or plastic in any size, but in quantaties. Try alumamark.

[Brian J Rogalny]

Give IDPLATES.COM a try they have exactly what you are looking for and I have used them a few times with no problems.

[Mike Null]

Your laser option is to use Alumamark.

Brass plates have a lacquer finish that cannot be Cermarked.

A better option is laser sublimation.

edit

Just noticed you have a sandblaster. You can use brass, laser the mask and sandblast then oxidize.

[Robert Rosensteel]

Thank You James, Brian and Mike I sent some emails out, waiting for replies. Mike laser sublimation? is that done by laser or ohter equipment used in the process.??

[Mike Null]

Laser sublimation is done by printing a transfer with a laser printer and sublimation toner cartridge. You need a heat press as well. The process is fast cheap and looks like a million bucks.

The picture is of course a large version but you can see the effect.

[Bill Cunningham]

Jeeesh Mike!! the last time I looked at sublimated text on a brass coloured plate, it looked like it was printed with a semi dry rubber stamp.. Things seem to have come along way in the last 18 or 20 years..I'm impressed...

[Mike Null]

Bill
Thank you. As you can tell that was a large plaque so I had to piece together 6 sheets of transfer paper to get it all on and in alignment.

What you see is my second try on the small text. It is brass, by the way.

The beauty of the process is that it's inexpensive and looks very good. It also uses plain paper for transfer.

[Dee Gallo]

Bill
Thank you. As you can tell that was a large plaque so I had to piece together 6 sheets of transfer paper to get it all on and in alignment.

What you see is my second try on the small text. It is brass, by the way.

The beauty of the process is that it's inexpensive and looks very good. It also uses plain paper for transfer.

Very nice work, Mike. What do you mean "uses plain paper for transfer"? How does that work? I guess I don't understand the dye-sub process very well. It's all in the ink, not the paper?

thanks, dee

[Mike Null]

Dee

With laser sublimation you change the toner cartridge in your printer (mine's an HP) to a sublimation cartridge. You do all you printing on ordinary paper that you buy from the office supply store. With dye sublimation you must have dye sub inks and dye sub transfer paper which is more than ten times as expensive as ordinary paper. (that's not as bad as it sounds)

I do black only laser sublimation.

[Stephen Beckham]

I've got both the laser and the Sawgrass Inks... I've switched totally to the ink system and have even put my four color cartridges up for sale (on woodworker classifieds). I do like the quality of the black and deep reds on the laser versus that of the inkjet - but the other qualities of the inkjet outweigh the laser in my needs.

For instance the color photo's that I do in ink I could never get to work in the the toners. And the toner wouldn't work on T-shirts as the inkjet does. The paper size was limited to 8.5" wide - the inkjet will do 11" wide.

Now I've settled for inkjet on everything for customers and have replaced the toner for doing my business cards and other card stock printing on the laser printer...

I've attached a couple photos of the ink on metal... Two are on the gold metal and two on the white... Notice to get white in the flag, you have to do it on the white metal first...

These also works really well with the new Laser SUB metal - lets you do full color then laser back down to brass. Awesome pairing - if we could just get a large company to carry the metal in the states...

[Robert Rosensteel]

Ok so I have hp 1200 laser jet and I can buy a cartridge to fit that and buy special paper to print on. And that get a heat press and put it on some metals? I also have a large format hp desk jet color printer can this be done by buy a special cartridge and paper too?

[Dee Gallo]

Dee

With laser sublimation you change the toner cartridge in your printer (mine's an HP) to a sublimation cartridge. You do all you printing on ordinary paper that you buy from the office supply store. With dye sublimation you must have dye sub inks and dye sub transfer paper which is more than ten times as expensive as ordinary paper. (that's not as bad as it sounds)

I do black only laser sublimation.

WICKED! I thought that dye-sub and laser-sub were the same thing! Wow - my eyes are open now. Thanks! Now I'll have to see if my laser printer has those sublimation cartridges (Konica-Minolta).

too many new toys to think about... :) dee

[Mike Null]

Talk to Rich Hilton at Subtoner.com and he can give you the lowdown on laser cartridges.

If you want to do color then dye sub is the answer. Just buy a heat press and contact mytransfersource.com, Ron Hill will run your transfers at a price you won't believe. He does all my color work now.

[James Rambo]

Mike, What HP printer model do you have? I am wondering if I can get the correct sublimation cartridge for mine. It's a HP Laserjet 1000 series. Thanks
I just went back and read Robert's post and mikes answer to it . I will also call to see what I need.Thanks again.

[Dee Gallo]

Talk to Rich Hilton at Subtoner.com and he can give you the lowdown on laser cartridges.

If you want to do color then dye sub is the answer. Just buy a heat press and contact mytransfersource.com, Ron Hill will run your transfers at a price you won't believe. He does all my color work now.

Thanks Mike, I just went to the website and it looks like he only fills HP cartridges. But he's got some good deals on used equipment, something to consider. I'm bookmarking Ron Hill's site- that could come in handy one day.

cheers, dee

[Tim Bateson]

Just what I need, more toys I can't afford. :(

[Mike Null]

Dee

I bought a refurb HP4000N from Dolphin Enterprises for next to nothing with warranty and cartridge. That's black only.

[Robert Rosensteel]

Hey kinda lost here! Mike you are saying you only do black from your laser printer. And others are doing color from inkjets. And all you have to do is replace the cartridge and use some type of transfer paper and a heat press.Is there info on any companies that show how this is done. And list what you need to get started? Thanks Robert