Image/Template Transfers to EVA Foam

I've been doing a lot of experiments on image transfers and I can not find a method that will work on the patterend side, I've tried acetone transfer w/ toner based images I've tried all the different Inkjet method's works fine on the non patterend side, or paper or many other mediums but nothing seems to adhere to the patterend side, I'm trying to find a way to not have to draw my patterns on but still get a great amount of detailing lines there for me to work from maybe other brands of foam's texture side are less of a pain I dont know I've been doing all these tests w/ some scraps of Harbor Freight foam I have laying around... anyone got any ideas?

I wonder if a tattoo stencil would work. Plus, applying with deodorant will eliminate the "Foam Fog" that's evident every time you open a new pack! lol Serious about the stencil idea though. I wonder if that thermal copy (purple ink) would transfer to the foam.

Reverse the image and transfer to the smooth side, so when you cut it out you have the correct piece?

Kevin Gossett said:

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Reverse the image and transfer to the smooth side, so when you cut it out you have the correct piece?

flipping the foam defeats the purpose, any of the image transfer methods I tried actually work on the foam side including ink jet and water and burnishing,.. its the roughside that I cant find a working method for, well at least using commonly available materials

Now I'm interested.

There are two things here:

1. You said you successfully transfer an image on the smooth side. Mind sharing that?

2. To make pattern, the fabricator use hot mold and press against the foam. Heat will close the pores, therefore ink/dye will not stick to it.
What I have in mind (still in theory):
a. Sanding it lightly (but it has the risk of ruining the pattern)
b. cover it with paper/paper mache (I don't know how conformable paper to the pattern)
c. do fabric printing, and glue it to the patterned foam, and use pressure so the fabric is conformed with the pattern.
d. try to ruin the foam surface chemically (acetone/porcelain cleaner/acid?) lightly and wash it quickly.

Okay, I have a couple of ideas borrowed from the world of art quilts.....

First is the pounce method--hey, if it was good enough for Michael Angelo, it's good enough for me!! It it helpful to have a pounce wheel and a pounce bag of powdered chalk available at places like Joanns fabric and Hobby Looby, but you can get by without htem.....

Draw your design on paper, then perforate the paper with pounce wheel. You then tape the perforated paper in place on the foam and "pounce" the bag of chalk dust along the perforated lines and the dust falls through the holes and marks the design line.

This is used on quilts so as not to leave behind a permanent mark after the quilting stitches are put in, you just brush the chalk dust away. If the pattern is for cutting lines, you will probably want the mark to be of a more permanent nature, so you'll have to careful go over the chalk lines with a pencil, pen or marker then you want have to be careful of rubbing off the chalk as you work with the foam.

Depending on how big and/or how intricate the pattern is, you can also run it though a sewing machine set on a long stitch length without threads in either bobbin or needle to perforate the paper or if you're up to the tedium, just use a hand needle or pin to pick through the lines of the design. And instead of the powdered chalk you could use flour or cornstarch tied up in some thin loosely woven fabric.......or use a very thin leaded mechanical pencil or a very sharply sharpened regular pencil and twirl it in each pin hole to leave a mark on the foam.

Also, if you are marking a cutting line, you might try taping the pattern to the foam and then just poking a needle or pin through the paper and foam in one easy step.....not sure if the foam would be too self healing for this to show up or not?

Hope this method or some variation there of works out for you! Good luck with your project.

Shylaah

Nevermind......I see now it says IMAGE transfer......
don't think this would work for images unless you did all the little pixels
in different colors of chalk

SS

IMIM2 said:

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Now I'm interested.

There are two things here:

1. You said you successfully transfer an image on the smooth side. Mind sharing that?

2. To make pattern, the fabricator use hot mold and press against the foam. Heat will close the pores, therefore ink/dye will not stick to it.
What I have in mind (still in theory):
a. Sanding it lightly (but it has the risk of ruining the pattern)
b. cover it with paper/paper mache (I don't know how conformable paper to the pattern)
c. do fabric printing, and glue it to the patterned foam, and use pressure so the fabric is conformed with the pattern.
d. try to ruin the foam surface chemically (acetone/porcelain cleaner/acid?) lightly and wash it quickly.

sure the methods I have had success w/ on the smooth side
are,
the Acetate Transfer Method:
this method requires the Printout to be Either Laser printed or
Photocopied, because its all about the Toner, Inkjet doesnt use toner
to do this take your image lay it printed side down on your surface
the take some acetone pour a some on a paper towel and rub it onto the paper where the pattern is, not to much acetone as you dont want to disolve the toner completely just keep going @ it. when you lift the sheet you will see
a reproduction of your rubbing on the foam

another method I found today, the simplest of all works w/ a standard Inkjet
and Plain ole' water, moisten the surface and moisten the image lay it printed side down and burnish the back of the image, IE take something like a back of a spoon or a bone folder or a credit card and rubb it along the image/lines w/ a little bit of pressure you should see the ink transfer to the foam,

those are the 2 simplest methods I've found most are variations along those lines using various chemicals or whatnot.

writing on the textured side is no problem IE sharpie or other marker but that rubber coating and maybe the texture seem to repel the ink from transferring, so I've just been trying to eliminate a step when copying my template to the foam, and as for sanding the texture well again defeats the purpose so projects call for incorporating that texture. some people say I'm overthinking things and complicating it. I just have extra free time and am trying to simplify future projects

Thanks for the tips. Darn, I don't have laser printer. I want to try the inkjet one for sure!

I am not sure if I read yours right.
So the textured side repels the ink/toner while the smooth side is not?
Is it because what I wrote earlier that the textured side has been heated and pressed so the surface actually has no pores?
So what you need is to "ruin" the closed surface, make it porous again.
That can be done thru sanding or chemical.

I don't have a laser either, i just had some parts printed at office depot, cost me a buck and yeah, the Pattern repels ink toner

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