Do you press with a soft material on top?

[beansnow]

Hi,

I searched and only found a little info so....

I was just wondering, of those of you who have pneumatic presses, do you put like a high durometer rubber on top of the top sheet before you press? We've been getting some imperfections under the top sheet and I think its because of the uneven destribution of pressure due to just having the aluminum against the top sheet. I added a sheet of base material and it helped but i wasthinking of getting like a 50A or 60A hardness sheet of rubber to put in there.

lmk
Thanks

[teleman36]

Hey Bean Board guys, Yes I do use a rubber mat[1/8th]. It does leave a nice smooth topsheet, but I started using a rubber sheet because i am pressing raised logos of aluminium and wood about 1/16th thick. No info on durometer, but I picked a fairly soft material due to the fact that I needed it to really conform to the outline of the logo. Good luck and let me know if you need a source.

[meremademe]

Hey I've been looking for a rubber mat as well to ensure a good even distribution of pressure but I cannot locate one. Where did you get yours? and was it on the cheap?

[teleman36]

I got my rubber from a rubber gasket maker in Worcester. It was a very funky place in the basement of an old factory building, but was loaded with rolls of all sorts of natural, latex, neoprene of many thicknesses. I am currently experimenting with closed cell expanded neoprene that we perforate for bonding. More on that later. I would imagine that any industrial city in your area would have some type of gasket manufacturer. I used 1/8th that covered two skis 165mm at the tip. Cost about 35.00. PM me if you need more details.