Re-sublimation while pressing

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falls
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Re-sublimation while pressing

Post by falls »

Hi everyone, just a quick question as to whether you have encountered a sublimated topsheet sublimating its graphic onto the aluminium cassette layers while pressing.
I press at 80C for 1hr 15 min after a 30 min ramp to temperature (so hot for quite a while). The second last pair I made the ink printed onto the aluminium top cassette sheet, somehow through the clear masking film miller uses on their topesheets. I could see the graphic very faintly on the aluminium.
Unsure how to get rid of it I cleaned the cassette sheet up and waxed it for the latest pair I made on the weekend. Now I can see a very faint ghost of an image from the aluminium on the latest pair's topsheet (particularly in the white areas). I haven't peeled the clear masking off yet so I have the hope that it has just transferred back onto the masking film and not back through it and onto the actual topsheet (fingers crossed).
Any thoughts?
Probably press for less time I guess and maybe a bit hotter for less time. Any ideas on cleaning sublimated ink off aluminium (or really it's in the aluminium now?).
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OAC
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Post by OAC »

Interesting... I get alot of ink onto my masking tape, but it's quite thick and not transfer thru it. I haven't recognized any distortion on the top sheet during final pressing. (I don't use Miller Studio)
Regarding sublimation, I don't know if the reverse process applies? Anyone? I mean, how many time can it be sublimated?
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falls
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Post by falls »

Definitely when I peel the masking film off the topsheet it is coloured from the graphic. I have seen this on internet videos too (eg moment) so I think the heat and pressure resublimes the inks during pressing.
Don't wait up, I'm off to kill Summer....
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falls
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Post by falls »

Update:

After I finished the skis and peeled the clear plastic protective film I can very vaguely see the yellow/red circles from the previous pressing on the white areas of this topsheet.
I guess it makes sense because the gaseous ink would have had to get through the protective film to land on the aluminium cassette originally.

I can't really see much ink if any on the aluminium now.

Prob the lesson is to find a way to clean off any ink from the top aluminium sheet prior to next pressing. (Maybe easier said than done). Or maybe press hotter and shorter to not give enough time to cause a problem?
Don't wait up, I'm off to kill Summer....
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chrismp
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Post by chrismp »

We still press with a sheet of parchment paper as protection for the top aluminum sheet and have no problems with re-sublimation whatsoever. The trick is to keep the parchment paper slightly under tension while putting it on top of the layup in order to avoid indentations from creased paper.
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