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What surface do you lay your project on? I have a large cutting mat on my desk, it is a replacement because I warped the one I had by laying my stamped image on it, and using a heat gun to emboss on top of the mat. I tried a small wooden cutting board, but the heat from the gun emits off the sides of it. I tried holding my project up in the air.......ouch! Burned my hand! I tried holding my project with tweezers, and it blew out of the tweezers. What do all of you do to not ruin your desk/cutting mat?? Thanks so much for any tips.
You must have SOME heat gun! Mine doesn't blow enough to "blow off the sides". I usually hold my item with tweezers or keep it lying down in my emboss recovery (plastic) tray.
I heat emboss on a porcelain tile left over from my kitchen floor job. Takes the heat beautifully, and actually will speed up the process as the heat reflects back up from the tile onto the back side of your project. Especially if you have multiple images to heat up. To hold them down, I use long needled nosed pliers stolen, ummm, I mean borrowed permanently from my DH's tool box. I also use a very heavy metal screwdriver that my daughter made in Grade 9 shop class years ago - it was too heavy to actually use as a tool, but perfect for me.
__________________ Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
Thanks for the tips. We do have some extra 12 x 12 tiles, so I may just grab one! The cutting board I was using is a "mini" one, not the large one LOL! My heat gun does blow stronger than my hair blow dryer, and much hotter! Is that supposed to be the case, or do I have a bad gun?
I think you may have a ringer. It should generate heat but with a gentle light breeze. If it blows more than your hair dryer - you may want to try out a different model. How do you keep from blowing all the EP away?
I think you may have a ringer. It should generate heat but with a gentle light breeze. If it blows more than your hair dryer - you may want to try out a different model. How do you keep from blowing all the EP away?
LOL! My next question was going to ask advise on how far away to hold the gun..or if I need to heat set it from the bottom, because most of my ep blows off before it sets! Definately not a gentle breeze...no wonder why I'm not having much luck with embossing. And burning vellume!
Oh great idea with the silicone mat! I have tried various surfaces but end up using my alligator clip that came with my chalk set from years ago. It has a long enough handle that I don't burn my hand, but if I'm not careful it will leave "teeth" marks on my project! Funny I never thought of a tile...my scrap desk is actually a patio bar table that has a gridded top made of 12x12 tiles!! Built in heat embossing surface and I never knew it. Figures!;)
LOL! My next question was going to ask advise on how far away to hold the gun..or if I need to heat set it from the bottom, because most of my ep blows off before it sets! Definately not a gentle breeze...no wonder why I'm not having much luck with embossing. And burning vellume!
Holy cow - where did you get this heat gun?? Almost sounds like it is a paint stripper gun, or industrial one used in a workshop for heating up wood to bend it into curved shapes. You should be able to hold the gun about 5 or 6 inches away from your project and not blow off the ep. Also, you should keep the gun moving while you emboss - I just make small circles as I go. For embossing vellum, you might try holding the gun about 7 or 8 inches away, emboss for a bit on the front, then turn your project over and emboss from the underside - might help control warping and burning.
__________________ Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
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I use a small wooden clipboard from the dollar store. I taped aluminum foil to it. The clip part will hold your paper from blowing around. I've been using this same clipboard for years and can't remember who's idea it was originally.
I use a piece of cardboard, wrapped in aluminum foil, which is attached to a clipboard. The foil directs the heat up to the back of your card, keeping it from warping. This also helps speed up the embossing. AND if you have the wall space, you can hang the clipboard, so you'll always know where it is (did I say "always"?), while at the same time freeing space in your work area.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Sorry for the almost duplicate reply - Dee must've posted while I was typing my message.
Great minds think alike, huh?
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
'Ya know.....I've seen smaller heat guns before in walmart, and hobby lobby....and oriental trading..and thought mine seemed awfully large. But I thought mabe it was because I have one from about 6 years ago, and mabe the newer ones were just smaller. Ummmm.....I need a smaller one LOL! A friend gave me the one I have along with some inks and ep to introduce me to cardmaking. She got the stuff at a garage sale. It's just black, with nothing on it as to the maker. I'm going to walmart tomorrow for ribbon, mabe they still sell them. The last time I went through their craft isle though, they stopped selling most of the SB stuff they carried and went back to page kits and jolee type stuff. No ink at all, no artists oms, nothing I needed. Hopefully a heat gun they will have, because HL is an hour away, and I have already placed two online orders, if I keep getting packages in the mail, my husband might get to checking into how much I've spent lately! Way to much LOL!
I use a small wooden clipboard from the dollar store. I taped aluminum foil to it. The clip part will hold your paper from blowing around. I've been using this same clipboard for years and can't remember who's idea it was originally.
Okay, besides the gun I have being way to hot and needing to be replaced, would a mini clipboard work? Did you tape the foil on the back of the board?
I use a porcelain tile. I guess I do things differently (What else is new?), because I don't move my heat gun around. I emboss one area at a time. If I constantly move it around, it takes forever and doesn't melt the powder evenly. It's also important to let your heat gun heat up before you use it.
I used to use a clip board, but found that using a disposable aluminum baking pan works really well. I just lay the card inside and heat away. I store it under my desk & it was really cheap. Maybe 3 for $2 or something. And I'm still using the first one I had.
__________________ Keep what is worth keeping
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
I use the cardboard that comes in the back of the SU designer series paper. I stack 3 or 4 and that seems to work just fine. But I love the idea of the floor tile! DH has some in the garage. I'm gonna snag one!! TFS
I have foil wrapped cardboard but generally just hold it with my hand and heat, just what I'm used to. I move my gun all over, I've yet to scorch or burn anything. If I notice the cardstock warping a little I heat from the back for a while. Everyone has their own method, pick what works for you.
do you have a crafter's heat tool or a paint stripper??? i think they blow a bit more than a crafter's heat tool.
when embossing i'd hold the gun about 2" from the paper or card and hold it still over a single area. once you see the ep change, move along to the next bit. don't waft your heat gun as you won't know how long you've embossed an area for.
This is a "duhhhh" question, but for those of you that use a clipboard, are you using a wooden one? I assume you haven't chosen a plastic one, but maybe the tin foil protects it? I've always been a hold with a handle tweezers kind of gal, but thought it would be nice to use a clip board. I like the idea of the baking pan, too. I think all of the ideas are great I just think sometimes it is nice to be sure the piece of paper can't move around as it is being heated.
This is a "duhhhh" question, but for those of you that use a clipboard, are you using a wooden one? I assume you haven't chosen a plastic one, but maybe the tin foil protects it? I've always been a hold with a handle tweezers kind of gal, but thought it would be nice to use a clip board. I like the idea of the baking pan, too. I think all of the ideas are great I just think sometimes it is nice to be sure the piece of paper can't move around as it is being heated.
I usually hold mine in my hand (if it is large enough) or use a tiny surgical clamp for those that are tiny. The clamp holds without me having to exert pressure and the handle is long enough to keep my fingers from getting burnt. Either way, I slowly move the heat gun across the image as it embosses. I don't wave it around or circle it ever since I took a class from Fred Mullet and he said that was a no no! For UTEE or multiple layers, I always have a problem as I would like to lay it down on a tile, but it seems to blow around a bit. I usually put it in a lid so I can at least "corner" it some.
Your heat gun sounds like a monster! It really shouldn't blow that much (one of the reasons a hair dryer is not recommended)!
I have an old metal serving tray that was my husband's grandmother's. It's ugly as sin, but works wonderfully because it reflects the heat back up. My SU heat gun blows pretty hard. I usually don't have to hold down my project, though, unless it is a small piece. I will use my crafter's tweezers to hold small pieces down.
Thanks for the tips. We do have some extra 12 x 12 tiles, so I may just grab one! The cutting board I was using is a "mini" one, not the large one LOL! My heat gun does blow stronger than my hair blow dryer, and much hotter! Is that supposed to be the case, or do I have a bad gun?
Bet you have a Milwaukee Heat Gun...the original use for those guns was as a paint stripper. Stampers started using them way back in the late 80s and haven't stopped. That gun heats up to about 1700 degrees...embossing powder melts at 260 - 280 degrees. And Milwaukees are black. Using a Milwaukee is about the same as using a sledge hammer to kill an ant. When you use it, hold it a good distance from the paper (and your fingers). ALWAYS unplug the gun when it's not in use.
If you want another gun, check out JoAnns for a Darice gun...cheap and long lasting. They were on sale for about $12, but I don't know if that sale is still one.
What surface do you lay your project on? I have a large cutting mat on my desk, it is a replacement because I warped the one I had by laying my stamped image on it, and using a heat gun to emboss on top of the mat. I tried a small wooden cutting board, but the heat from the gun emits off the sides of it. I tried holding my project up in the air.......ouch! Burned my hand! I tried holding my project with tweezers, and it blew out of the tweezers. What do all of you do to not ruin your desk/cutting mat?? Thanks so much for any tips.
I usually emboss on my ironing board. To protect the surface, I iron freezer paper to the ironing board cover (shiny side on paper to cover, med hot iron). When the paper gets grungy, I tear it off and replace it with another piece. Since my board is adjustable, I can either sit or stand when embossing.
One note...the embossing Powder Candy Store site is being updated, so you'll be sent to another page to link to the site.
I hold mine up in the air. Keeps me from blowing away any excess powder if I've forgotten to put it in the bottle! If the paper is small, I use reverse tweezers. The ones you squeeze to release, not open. I have an older heat gun too but it still heats gently and doesnt blow away my powder! I agree, sounds like yours is industrial!!
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
Very cool to see how each of us uses & manages heat tools!
For a very long time, I've worked atop a left-over floor tile.
Additionally, I keep my trusty 8.5"x11" chipboard covered with aluminum foil right at hand. This provides a larger 'safe' area, and I hold the item with wooden tongs to protect my fingers. ;)
When heat setting / embossing.....
