Health & Fitness
Thermofax: Soitenly Crafty Techy Fun! Soitenly!
I'd heard about the wonderful Thermofax machine. I had to have one...
It's non-descript. The outside markings are few. 3M Transparency Maker, it reads. And there is a control. A single dial with markings from 1 to 12. One is the darkest, and 12 is the lightest.
So... this is the wonderful Thermofax machine. I couldn't wait to try it out!
The Thermofax machine is old technology used in an exciting new way. It was made for creating transparencies. Today, it is used with silk screening material and carbon based images. Feed it through, and the heat causes a reaction between the silk screening material and the carbon. The plastic on the carbon areas magically melts away, leaving behind a silkscreen grid where the image once was.
The images are small. I tried it on a T-Shirt with Speedball paints.
It will never fully replace a silk screen, but for those who want a way to make custom patterned fabric... or add patterns to jeans, bags, skirts and shirts... Whoo hoo!
The video shows how easy it is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vL24m4bDu8