Tutorial: Acetone Transfer Print

This is a really simple, easy way to get an image onto fabric or paper.

You will need:

• Acetone (you can buy online in bulk or at your local chemist). You do need pure acetone, and not just nail polish remover
• metal spoon (for burnishing, don't you know!)
• masking tape
• fabric or paper
• laser copied image (a photocopy will do, or a laser print. It must be laser as you need the toner ink to transfer. This method will NOT work with inkjet print outs).

NB: The image will come out backwards so bear this in mind when preparing your image. Flip it on the horizontal on your computer first before printing and copying. Also bear in mind that the image will be a lot lighter than the original, so consider saturating the colour before printing as well.

METHOD:

• tape down your fabric onto a plastic work surface (NB. Acetone WILL wreck wood/ remove varnish etc - trust me I know from bitter experience! - so make sure your surface is old or you don't mind it being wrecked) and tape your image down on top where you want it to be.

• Decant your acetone into a glass or ceramic holder (do not use plastic - it will melt it. Again, I learnt this the hard way!) Use a piece of cotton wool or a screwed up tissue to apply the acetone to the image a little bit at a time:

• Use the spoon to burnish (that's posh for rubbing it in a circular motion) the image where you have applied the acetone. Work quickly as acetone evaporates fast - and press as hard as you can. You may wish to anchor the image in place with one hand whilst burnishing with the other.

• Repeat until you have covered the whole image. You will be able to see where you have already worked, as the paper will become slightly transparent.
• When you have finished, peel back the paper with the image to reveal your transferred image.

As you can see, the image is a lot lighter than the original. Experiment with different types of fabric and prints to see what gives the best effect.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:
Acetone is a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE chemical. It will eat through all sorts of things and is dangerous to inhale. Wear a mask when doing this and if at all possible do it outside or in a well ventilated area. Keep away from children and animals.

ps. excuse the sh**ty photos :)