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So you could post you were having a shower and that you were going to bed but won't tell us how you made them? You tease!
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Nathan
Part of things
Posts: 291
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Very cool Mr. Mystery!
Put me down for one of each please ;D
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tri
Posted a lot
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Chances are from my experience: the Blues will be a "yes, at cost" and the yellows will be a "no, please use official artwork." I would like to be proven wrong though, as I'd kill for one of each  |
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 I forgot how to retro...  |
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I have a sneaking suspicion... do I get a prize for revealing your e30zone nickname?  HaHa.....I've been spotted on here (don't go on the 'zone' much any more now that I don't have my Touring) You've got a good memory seeing as I haven't posted on the zone in nearly a year! So you know who I am over there (ZedOne) but who are you??  Someone else made a comment on here about knowing me - but I have no idea who they are! Small world ain't it?? |
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So you could post you were having a shower and that you were going to bed but won't tell us how you made them? You tease! Sorry - I did come back to say I was too tired to explain last night....brain just wasn't in gear and my typing finger wasn't having any of it! The mugs are made by printing an image (in reverse) onto a special coated paper using a full colour laser printer. Photos, anything can be printed. I use a specific type of printer designed to do this sort of work...it has been modified to cope with the thicker paper used in this process (normal printers will jam) Once you've got the image on the paper, cut it to size and stick it to a special 'printable' mug with a small amount of heat-proof tape on each end. Now put the mug into a heatproof clamp which presses the image tightly onto the surface of the mug all the way around the outside. The mug/clamp are now put over a wierd type of oven/press which has a mega (MEGA) powerful halogen bulb. This heats the mug up to  ?degress and the image on the paper fuses with the surface of the mug. This is then cooled in cold water, the clamp removed and the paper is peeled off to reveal the design on the surface of the mug. The mug is then placed over the halogen bulb again and heated once more which finishes the surface with a smooth glaze effect. Cool it in cold water once more and dry the mug.....FINITO! The oven/press can do two mugs at a time and the whole process takes around 20-25 mins for two mugs. Here is my beast of a printer - it's quite nice being able to print full color A3 (and not have the expense of regualr cartridge changes like in inkjet printers!)  And here is the press: doesn't look much but costs over £700!! Bulbs are £19 eachand don't last that long....bummer! The clamps are in the forground.  |
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ezzysi
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,189
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Sad barsteward that i am, i'm interested in how your printers been modified to feed thicker stock.
(Love a mug too!)
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1991 Mk2 Golf Gti 8v
2005 Passat tdi (daily)
1971 Mk1 Escort
2004 Touran (her's)
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Sad barsteward that I am, i'm interested in how your printers been modified to feed thicker stock. I'm not sure about the technical side of things, but these printers are able to run normal thickness (up to 100gsm) then have a setting for 'thick' and 'extra thick' for heavier weights of stock. There is also a setting for board but I've not run anything heavier than 180gsm through, so have never used this setting. I guess they have a means of adjusting the roller spacing to allow thicker materials to pass through without jamming. A few times in the past I have forgotten to change the settings and tried to run 150gsm on normal - only to be greeted with a nicely mangled bit of paper in the rollers and then have to run 5 or 6 'sacraficial' sheets through to clean all the curse word off the rollers! On anything thicker than normal you have to use the 'pass through' manual trays where the stock is fed straight through right to left, but on normal you can use the paper trays and have it feed through bottom to top (like a lot of photocopiers) Sorry I can't give you any more details - I just bought it 'as it is' because I wanted to be able to print thicker materials full colour up to A3. |
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I have a sneaking suspicion... do I get a prize for revealing your e30zone nickname? HaHa.....I've been spotted on here (don't go on the 'zone' much any more now that I don't have my Touring) You've got a good memory seeing as I haven't posted on the zone in nearly a year! So you know who I am over there (ZedOne) but who are you?? Someone else made a comment on here about knowing me - but I have no idea who they are! Small world ain't it?? Thanks, I doo have a good memory  I'm just me - same nickname on the zone, we haven't met. I remember you because everyone was raving about your artwork. 'Tis a small world indeed! £700 for that oven!!! Can't help but think there must be a better way, something like propane heater, then again I'm not sure of the technicalities, whether it needs heat, light or both to cure. |
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Thanks, I doo have a good memory I'm just me - same nickname on the zone, we haven't met. I remember you because everyone was raving about your artwork. 'Tis a small world indeed! Thanks for that comment - I originally designed the club logo for them and then made all the zone stickers - but they kept changing their minds about merchandise, so only ended up producing very few hoodies, t-shirts etc....(the ones that HartgeH27's wife was seen modelling!  ) I do miss the place, met a lot of cool people there. Still in touch with Oldskool, but not really anyone else... £700 for that oven!!! Can't help but think there must be a better way, something like propane heater, then again I'm not sure of the technicalities, whether it needs heat, light or both to cure. This oven/press thing blasts the mugs with such intense heat over a short period (about 3 or 4 mins) I doubt you'd get the same effect with any other heater? It's passive heat (no airflow) and needs to be done from the inside because the clamp cover the entire outside (clamp is needed to press the image firmly on the mug during baking) Once the mug has been heated, it literally sizzles and fizzes when immersed in cold water - hopefully this gives you some idea of the heat involved in transferring the image? £700 was a lot to pay out - plus the cost of the printer (you don't want to know!) plus the special papers, the mugs temselves - not a cheap thing to buy into.....but handy once you have it. |
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Oh, I see - I was being dim, didn't realize you stick the mugs ON the oven covering the heaters.  With the printer - my rough guess would be circa 2x the oven price Best of luck with it! |
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Hotwire has just given the thumbs up - but I'm awaiting more details from him before I go ahead and make any more.....
.....watch this space.....
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rodit
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,683
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I will be requiring two in blue if possible for collection at rr08 gathering. ;D
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Low and slow
Why can't i tune it?
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I will be requiring two in blue if possible for collection at rr08 gathering. ;D Sorry Dude, I'll be up to my axles/  in mud somewhere on Salisbury Plain that weekend!! If I hear back from Hotwire, I'll try and get some over to him in time for the meet (or anyone else who is near me that is attending?) Still waiting to hear from him about the finer details and can't do anything more until I do |
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grant
Part of things
Posts: 206
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Nice! Really good job u've made there!
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[*]
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?degress and the image on the paper fuses with the surface of the mug.
I'm just me - same nickname on the zone, we haven't met. I remember you because everyone was raving about your artwork. 'Tis a small world indeed!
)