Corian 1st job

[Bill W. White]

I talked one of my customers into trying corian for their volunteer awards in this years marlin tournament. My first real attempt to do something with the new heat press and sublimation stuff. 1st off I got a little warping in the circles, not enough to kill the award but close. The main question is there a wax that will really make the corian and the picture shine a little more, it's ok but a little dull seems like it needs something. Also whats the best method to clean the corian after cooking. I used windex and "OOO" steel wool and it didn't seem to do any damage to image or letters. I also used the heat tape to secure the paper and it didn't make a mark on the corian. Any help would be appreciated Bill W. I will post a pic as soon as we get order ready to go

[Ken Dolph]

Two bits of advice:

The warping comes from uneven heating/cooling. This can be eliminated it two ways. The first is to apply a heavy flat piece during cooling. The second is to thoroughly heat the piece before applying the transfer. I use an oven that will heat both sides rather than relying on the press.

When done properly the transfer should embed .002" - .003" into the Corian. You can sand it with 400 grit then 1000 grit and I go to 2500 grit. Then a plastics polish like Novus 3 then Novus 2. Waxes or other additive polishes will eventually wear off. So it is best just to polish the Corian. You can get a mirror finish if you like. Going through ever higher grits of MicroMesh will work as well as the above procedure. It is available to 24,000 grit.

I hope this helps.
Ken

[Bill W. White]

Thanks Ken, when you preheat in oven what tempt. and how long . Where would I find the Novus products HD or Lowes ? How long is process of sanding with 400 to 1000 on to 2500 grit . More I learn and work with the corian sublimation I certainly understant why it never caught on . I really got some nice comments about a cheese board and cutting board I sent to a bahama tournament. I sublimated the tournament logo on them and they really turned out super. Thanks again Bill W.

[Scott Shepherd]

You can search the internet for "Novus #1,#2,#3" or call a plastic supplier. #3 has some abrasive material in it, #2 has fine abrasive in it, and #1 is a spray polish. You start with #3, then #2, then #1.

There are also sample packs of the #2 and #3 out there, so you might ask someone for samples to get started, but it's not very expensive and you can get some small bottles.

[Ken Dolph]

Between 300 and 325 degrees F. Never higher than 350! 12 to 15 minutes. Sand less than 60 seconds with 400 and less with each higher. Experiment. Scott had good info on Novus.

[Keith Outten]

I use counter top polish on a white 3M pad on my ROS to polish Corian plaques. This will also remove any paper residue from the dye-sub print if there is any that is sticking to the surface of the plaque.
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[Bill W. White]

Keith I asked my auto paint store about the white 3m pads for ROS and he didn't know , do you have a product number or description where to get them..Ken thanks for sanding tips I didn't want to get involved in a long drawn out sanding thing...the way you described it sounds doable. Scott thanks for novus info will order tomorrow and then I will compare the 3 options and post my findings and humble opinion. I hate to admit this but a few days ago I was cooking some corian and forgot to change then temp. from 400 to 320. When I openned the heat press after 20 minutes I expected a puddle of corian and damage to the heat press. What I found was no smell, and the corian looked exactly like it did with the lower settings, the colors were much darker but there wasn't any melting...I checked the Temp of heat press with a IR and also a cooking therm. and it's dead on 400 deg. What I've got is sink cutouts that I got from a guy who "said" it was corian,,,is it possible I have a generic knock off? Thanks for help..I deliver my last big order for season this Monday in Key west and then I will have time to really get into this Bill W.

[Keith Outten]

I purchased a ten year supply of 5" diameter hook and loop 3M pads from Industrial Abrasives several years ago, I doubt I can provide a product number. You should be able to do a Google search and find a pretty good list of suppliers these days. The sets usually include white, maroon, gray and green. Each color has a different level of abrasive.

I use the 3M disks for polishing my cast iron tops and for an easy way to rub out finishes on woodworking projects with paste wax as the polishing medium.

When I need a very high polish on Corian i use 3M Trizac disks with water as the polishing medium.
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[Larry Bratton]

What I've got is sink cutouts that I got from a guy who "said" it was corian,,,is it possible I have a generic knock off? Thanks for help..I deliver my last big order for season this Monday in Key west and then I will have time to really get into this Bill W.

Bill, yes, that is possible. LG Himacs is one of them, although they might debate as to whether they are a "generic knockoff" or not. They say that their product is identical in chemical composition as Corian. It will also sublimate. Do you know what the actual color name is for what you got? That might give a clue as to whether it is actually Corian or not.

[Ken Dolph]

Bill,

You have a polyester based solid surface. Of course polyester also takes the dye-sub image. It is what they spray on ceramics and some metals to take dye-sub. The melting temp of polyester is above 425 degrees F. You may have noticed that you can't bend it when it is hot. It is probably about half the weight of the same size piece of Corian

The downside for dye-sub on polyester is that it will fade in the sun or other UV sources. The acrylic in the Corian protects the image from UV. The polyester itself breaks down in UV.

I hope this helps