Transferring designs onto your wood

[bigmama717]

HELP! I have a block of teak that I tried to use graphite paper to transfer a design onto the wood, but the wood is too dark for the graphite to show up. I thought about gluing the design straight onto the wood, but the last time I tried that, the glue was an absolute bear to get off after I no longer needed the pattern. Does anyone have any ideas?

[againstthegrain]

Did you print the design from a laser printer?

[bigmama717]

It's a deskjet - I don't know if that's a laser printer or not.

[Terry Vance]

I think that you can get paper that transfers white. Maybe Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

Keep carvin'

[pallin]

Is the teak rough or milled? If rough, you might smooth the surface you want to put the pattern on. Or, you might cut through the pattern with tailor's chalk.

[brian-bailey]

I would use a white charcoal pencil to cover the layout lines on the back of your pattern.

Then use a red ball point pen to trace the pattern lines on the block of wood. The white charcoal will show up nicely on the dark wood.

[bigmama717]

The white charcoal pencil idea is brilliant. After you mentioned that, I remembered that fabric stores carry tracing paper (like carbon or graphite paper) that comes in white and different colors. I'll try that - thanks everyone!

[Claude]

I recently did a relief carving on a large slab of very dark walnut. I glued the printout onto the wood by spraying the backside of the printoout with some spray adhesive that is same as used to make the little -It notes. I just carved right through the paper and the scraps peeled right off. The spray adhesive is in all the Home Depot/Lowes/etc. stores.

Claude

[Keoma]

I use a piece of white chalk and rub the entire back side of the design. Then it works really well. I do that with my walnut pieces.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Claude... I'd remember either yourself or someone else mentioning previously that hint that if you spray the pattern instead of spraying the wood that the pattern will peal right off when needed. That's a great technique to keep socked away in the back of your mind!