So, do I understand you right:

-first you must have the clean acrylic
- then there will be the silicon layer
- then the vellum or tracing paper
- then maybe some protection layer

But the projection image will appear mostly on the vellum or tracing paper? Maybe a little bit also in the silicon.

And will the silicon stick very hard with the paper it has dried for many hours?
But id surely doesnt have to stick unremovably on the acrilic right? or we have a problem.

So if one creates the vellum/paper - silicon combination---> then those materials are forever sticking together right?

But you can easily put it on the acrilic and later remove it?

Do you use vellum/tracing paper because it is very cheap?

Is it possible to just use silicon without a “carrying"-layer?  What would be the problem.

I’ve got great blobs, but I’m trying to put a protective layer on the vellum/acrylic surface.  Is there a good thread on this?  I’ve seen a few, but nothing very good.  I’m wanting to try to basically shrink rap the vellum to the acrylic with plastic.  The shrink plastic I want to use is for windows.  My question is, will the shrink rap push the silicon vellum into the acrylic causing light frustration, or does the frustration occur because of the way the light interacts with the finger?

I ended up using drafting vellum which has a smoother surface and found that it doesn’t need a protective layer.  It’s not 100% water-proof but it’s sturdier than normal vellum and does wick away some moisture.

Found it at a local art supply store.

I have vellum on, but I was hoping for something more water resistant.  I’ve got the plastic on, and it is very rough/sticky to the finger.  It may not be a good choice of material for protecting the surface anyway.  I will try it anyway just to see what happens.  I can cut the plastic off easy enough.

CLEAR FILM PROTECTION TECHNIQUE, TRIED AND TRUE BY TINKERMAN:

Take two sheets of vellum with the silicone applied to one side, and stack them so that the silicone layers are against each other. Now run the two sheets through a double sided laminating machine and you’ll have two sheets with protective plastic on tHE vellum side ONLY. Simply make a cut around the perimeter to separate them, place one sheet on your table with the silcone side down and you’re ready play!

Hi as been discussed in this post before, I can see that this method is wonderful and gives best results with tracing paper. So has been our experience so far.
However we are now trying this with Rosco Grey to make it more durable and very first issue we face is that silicon (normal window sealent + toulene 1:1)doesnt really stick to the Rosco. It kinda peels off after cured.
1. So how do I ensure silicone sticks to the Rosco. Do I need to add extra chemicals?
2. Any tips on how to maintain the texture uniform because during the second layer onwards at some places it creates bumps which then aggravate in subsequent layers.
3. Which roller is preferable sponge roller or foam roller with furs?
Pl do reply
Thanks

Hey there,

thanks for all the great tips during the whole thread! We experimented a lot and finally the blobs are that bright as we excepted them to be. We rolled a thin layer of silicon on the back of our back-protection-plane and placed that on top of the acryllic.

Everything’s working perfectly, there’s only one stripe which will glue to the acryllic and cause gigantic blobs. I don’t know what happended, maybe the silicon is quite a bit thicker in this area and hasn’t completely dried yet. We waited 3 and a half days to get the silicon “dry”.

Today we experiented with a hair dryer but it’s not working, the silicon will glue to the acryllic again.

Maybe some of you bit more experienced guys can help us with a tip - we have a presentation this week and the stripe is right in the middle of the display - which is not a good place :(

Hi there,

After viewing the Thinkermans method youtube video I did create my own rosco grey + silicone kit layer.
But instead of using Xzylol which is carcinogenic (read dangerous! Can give you cancer!) I use something different to make the kit fluid.

Luckily I’m building my MT table at my university. So I went out to the Chemistry Lab to see if they could help me out.
After a long day of trial and error whit different substances we found one!

I’ts called ”Ethyl Acetate” a substance that will make your silicone kit feel like glue.
We did a couple of test layers and I must say it’s really a fantastic result. Rolling on the silicone kit was like using normal paint. It really was a breeze.
But keep in mind, this substance will give quiet an smell so I strongly suggest you to use it outside!!

I’m not familiar with buying this substance, because I could get it at the lab. But I figure it can’t be that hard as Xzylol since it is not a dangerous substance.
I will post some pictures soon. But believe me it works!

greets

hey

I just discovered this new silicone replacement its called “C.T.1. Clear”

This stuff is crystal clear, there was a demo in the hardware store and It was like looking at glass.

I’m wondering if it will work as a compliant surface when this stuff is rolled it will be like glass but the same consistency as silicone.
I will test it out in the next few weeks and post results..

unless somebody get there first and lets us know.

looks promising you can check it out here at its website http://www.ct1ltd.com

webmonkey

Hi everyone, I’m looking to build one of these into a coffee table for my winter break project. I’ve been researching how to do this for a few weeks now, and I think I have a good idea on how to do this. But I have one important question:

I live in Wisconsin, and the high temps of the day are in the single digits Fahrenheit, and it gets below 0 over night. I know that applying the silicon to the tracing paper needs to be done outdoors (I live in a small apartment with no ventilation, but I have a garage to work in) and it takes a while for it to cure. So will there be any problems with doing this in such cold temps? and will there be any problems brining it from outside, to indoors with expanding, cracking, or warping material? (an 80 degree temperature difference).

Thanks for your help, this has been a very informative thread.

Since this method sounded really easy to realize I gave it a try - and I am quite happy with the results!

I used a waterproof drafting film and some very cheap basic clear silicone (no thinner). I only applied one layer, using a foam roller.

The results so far are pretty good! I put some pictures here:
http://eis.comp.lancs.ac.uk/~dominik/cms/ftir-compliant-surface.html

I have basic questions about this method:
I will build a 1,2m x 0,9m screen with FTIR technology.

So I need an acrylic, the compliant surface and the projection layer. Using Tinkermans method, I will use tracing paper and laminate it. Then I put silicone/thinner on it. So I hace a compliant protected surface which I put onto the acrylic. How do I stick it together? And, where is the projection layer like Digiline Contrast / Rosco Gray?

What are the best materials? GE Silicone 1, Xylol and which kind of tracing paper?
Wikipedia (tracing paper): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_paper
Which one will be okay? How many g/m^2?

Thanks a lot in advance & Best Regards.

Update to my previous post:

I bought Xylol and rollers. The projection surface will be a projection layer like Digiline Contrast or Iceav Dupix, which is self-adhesive on one side.
So, my problem is: where should I put the silicone layer? On the acrylic, on the adhesive side of the projection layer or on the other side?

Does anyone know?

Best Regards.

I’ve built myself an FTIR rig and I’ve been experimenting with compliant surfaces using Tinkerman’s method.

So far I’ve tested thinning the silicone with white spirit and rolling it on in layers. I’ve got to the third layer so far, with quite a thin layer on the top. I’ve also made a surface without thinner. The best results I’ve had have been without thinner. I think this is because the silicone I was using is a bit thinner than usual and I’ve managed to get quite a nice spread. However, I had a lot of problems with sticking. I figured it was because I used some cheap-o silicone sealant from Wickes. I went and bought some Dow Corning 781 Acetoxy Silicone from Screwfix. I’ve done the same with this silicone as I did with the previous stuff: mixed some with white spirit and rolled it on in layers, and also made a surface without the thinner.

Without the thinner, the Dow Corning silicone doesn’t spread very well at all, and I couldn’t get anywhere as even a surface as I did with the previous stuff. However, the one I used thinner with seems to be a little better. They haven’t dried yet, so I’ll have to let you know how it goes on Monday.

Now, I’m an impatient person, so I started thinking about ways I could stop the original silicone from sticking to the perspex. I figured it might not be the silicone/thinner and instead be a problem with the perspex. I bought a couple of brands of household polish and tried it out on either side of the perspex. I found that Mr Sheen Original spray-on polish worked a treat, and stops the silicone from sticking almost entirely. I’ve got some really nice blobs with my setup, and I’m hoping that the Dow Corning silicone will give me even better ones!

I’ll post back when I’ve got more results

Edit:
Oh, I also tried talcum powder to stop the sticking but it was messy and didn’t work anyway!

Oh yeah, I am interested in how’s going on.
What perspex do you use?