rub-on transfers

[mrp4352]

Ok - I see all these wonderfully cute transfers at the craft stores, but everytime I try to use them, I end up having to redesign the page to cover the messed up transfer... I follow the directions, but somehow can't make it work. Am I just not patient enough and stopping too soon, or is there some little trick I'm not aware of?

 

[catalexander]

well... I dunno...

are you actually cutting out the item that you want to transfer from the sheet? That helps prevent getting "other" rub-ons on your page.

What are you using to rub with? A Popsicle stick works fine, as does an empressor, etc..

You can generally "see" the image move from the backing to the page... are you seeing it all pull away before you lift the backing?

It does take a bit of patience.... but it's pretty straight-forward...

 

[huge mickey fan]

I have only tried them once. I noticed you could see the image transfering but it took quite a while. I used the popsicle stick it came with and my hand was really sore when I finished. I have heard other people say that EK Success has a tool for this. I haven't tried that but maybe it's worth a try.

 

[nicurn]

the "cheap" ones I have bought from ac moore never work. I won't buy them anymore. They do not rub off no matter what you do. I would say just stick with the "name brand" ones like making memories, SEI, Basic Gray, etc. They at least rub off. (and it's a shame because the cheap ones are really cute! ) maggie

 

[patchchild]

Gotta agree with the brand names only philosophy. The cheep ones just never seem to work right and they tend to scrape off.

I went to a BasicGrey class last year and they asked if we knew how to tell the difference between a good and bad rub-on. I was expecting them to tell us that the good ones are all made by BasicGrey but that wasn't their point. The good ones are made in America and the Chinese ones tend to be terrible. BasicGrey has a lot of their production done in China, but not their rub-ons because they just don't make them well. From what I've seen, this seems to still be true.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Gotta agree with the brand names only philosophy. The cheep ones just never seem to work right and they tend to scrape off.

I went to a BasicGrey class last year and they asked if we knew how to tell the difference between a good and bad rub-on. I was expecting them to tell us that the good ones are all made by BasicGrey but that wasn't their point. The good ones are made in America and the Chinese ones tend to be terrible. BasicGrey has a lot of their production done in China, but not their rub-ons because they just don't make them well. From what I've seen, this seems to still be true.

Yep I heard that too in the same class. I personally recommend the EK Success rub on tool. It is really nice. Also in that above mentioned class they said to cut the rub on you want out while the whole thing is still in the package. It keeps everything else in tact. Then use the stick or rub on tool until you see that the rub on has started to separate from the backing. Then, and here is the cool part, when your rub on is on the layout, that that backing piece and rub the shiny side over the rub on gently. It helps set the rub on.
Now if you make a mistake, get yourself some UN-DO or Scrappers Solution drop, some on a Q-tip or paper towel and rub it over the rub on. This will remove the rub on without damaging your paper. It also works great for stickers you want to remove.

 

[MazdaUK]

I love rub-ons! It reminds me of when I was a kid - if we were sick my mum would stop off in the stationers after picking up our prescription and let us choose something to keep us amused, like a paper dress-up doll or a book with transfers (stickers were not around much then). So I already knew the best way to make them stick is to rub them over afterwards with the backing paper

I find some of the bigger ones do take longer - so I tend to use small designs I also peel the paper back very slowly, and if it looks like tearing I put it back down and have another rub.

 

[mrp4352]

I think I was managing to commit several newbie mistakes - like trying to rub an image without getting the others and not having a name brand. I was using the popsicle stick included, but when I try again, if I can get it to work, I'll probably invest in the fancy tool!

I knew y'all would solve my problem!! I LUV the dis!