Homebrew PCBs

Has anyone tried printing a circuit onto Reynolds Non-stick Aluminum
Foil, and using that to transfer the toner onto the copper pcb?  The
one attempt that I made looked pretty good, but did not try to etch
it. 

Transfer was rapid and all of the toner transferred to the copper,
leaving the silicone coated Reynolds clean, using just the wife's
electric iron.  The aluminum foil released instantly, no soaking or
rubbing required.

If you are going to use the wife's iron, be sure that it does not
touch the toner directly, or else clean it very thoroughly before it
is used on clothes.  :-(

73, Curt W4QBU

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 00:57:39 +0200, curtgood <curtgood@...> wrote:

> Has anyone tried printing a circuit onto Reynolds Non-stick Aluminum
> Foil, and using that to transfer the toner onto the copper pcb?  The
> one attempt that I made looked pretty good, but did not try to etch
> it.
> Transfer was rapid and all of the toner transferred to the copper,
> leaving the silicone coated Reynolds clean, using just the wife's
> electric iron.  The aluminum foil released instantly, no soaking or
> rubbing required.


I'm surprised you can print on aluminum foil with any sort of density.


> If you are going to use the wife's iron, be sure that it does not
> touch the toner directly, or else clean it very thoroughly before it
> is used on clothes.
> 73, Curt W4QBU

You mean, make sure you are not seen taking it and clean it before the  
wife is back home, else you have to buy a new one no matter if there is  
any residue ;-)

ST

I would think that the aluminum foil would raise hell with the toner 
drum and scratch the hell out of it.  Not sure if this thing is the 
toner drum or not, but there is what appears to be a glass (or 
plastic) roller that I believe transfers the toner to the paper 
(aluminum foil).  If this thing gets scratched, the toner cartidge 
is ruined.

I wouldn't want to try this on a good laser printer - stick with 
paper products.





--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan" 
<stefan_trethan@g...> wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 00:57:39 +0200, curtgood <curtgood@y...> wrote:
> 
> > Has anyone tried printing a circuit onto Reynolds Non-stick 
Aluminum
> > Foil, and using that to transfer the toner onto the copper pcb?  
The
> > one attempt that I made looked pretty good, but did not try to 
etch
> > it.
> > Transfer was rapid and all of the toner transferred to the 
copper,
> > leaving the silicone coated Reynolds clean, using just the wife's
> > electric iron.  The aluminum foil released instantly, no soaking 
or
> > rubbing required.
> 
> 
> I'm surprised you can print on aluminum foil with any sort of 
density.
> 
> 
> > If you are going to use the wife's iron, be sure that it does not
> > touch the toner directly, or else clean it very thoroughly 
before it
> > is used on clothes.
> > 73, Curt W4QBU
> 
> You mean, make sure you are not seen taking it and clean it before 
the  
> wife is back home, else you have to buy a new one no matter if 
there is  

> any residue ;-)
> 
> ST

>(aluminum foil).  If this thing gets scratched, the toner cartidge 
>is ruined.
>  
>
  Drum rolls around with the paper though, scratches are usually from 
things like paper clips that hit the drum and then move against it.

  Put tape over all 4 edges of a rectangular piece and the result makes 
a baby's butt look like sandpaper.

  And I'd bet there is some oil or film coating on the metal from 
processing, bare aluminum foil stays shiny almost forever, which I 
wouldn't expect of raw aluminum exposed to oxygen.  At any rate, prints 
fine on my HP and did a few tests, but I'd still rather eliminate the 
transfer part.  Toner does tend to push into the foil a bit, so lines 
are a little thinner than on paper.  My own tests looked pretty good 
too, but I haven't had time to even look at it lately.

  I'd still much rather get rid of the transfer process though.

Alan