+wadekrew Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 I'm new to Geocaching and the kids and I wanted to make some wooden nickels for trading. I know we could have gotten them mass produced but we liked the idea of having many different designs. I found a really cool tutorial online that shows a neat way to make your own. Below are some from our first batch. We decided to make the fronts and backs different but keep our screen name the same and add the geocaching website url. Custom Wooden Nickels Tutorial Quote Link to comment
+lomocacher Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Very, very cool! I've been wanting to do something similar, but was planning on using a stamp and ink pad. The tutorial you posted is something I never would have considered! One question--are you going to add some kind of clear finish? Or is the imprint on the wood waterproof? Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Wow, cool. I carved stamps to stamp wooden nickels. They're fun, but yours looks more polished & professional. I might have to go get one of those markers and try it out. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment
+slowdownracer Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Hey wadekrew - If you're interested, there's a wooden nickel trading thread in the geocoin section of the forums. It hasn't been very busy for a while, but you might be able to find some traders there. Like me!!! Send me an e-mail thru my geocaching profile and we can work on a trade. Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. It dissolves the ink marks left by other markers, so that one can blend the colors together. Quote Link to comment
+Chokecherry Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. I was thinking of doing some wooden nickels and wondering where people got them done. Now seeing this I think I could do this all on my own. I'm very excited. Now I just need to find some blanks. Anyhow, if your Michael's are like ours here you won't find that marker or like product there. Unless scrapbookers have caught on to it. You'll find them more at like an artist supply store. Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. It dissolves the ink marks left by other markers, so that one can blend the colors together. I saw a marker that said it blends color pencials. Is that it? Maybe ill just amazon it Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. It dissolves the ink marks left by other markers, so that one can blend the colors together. I saw a marker that said it blends color pencials. Is that it? Maybe ill just amazon it The main "active ingredient" appears to by xylene. You might be able to find a xylene-based paint thinner at the hardware store. It's pretty nasty stuff, though. Be sure to read all the warnings on the label. Quote Link to comment
+The Chaos Crew Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 (edited) I have one of those blender pens somewhere, haven't used it in years, I hope it still works, because your nickels look great! from memory you need to use it in a well ventilated area because it gives off nasty fumes Edited September 27, 2010 by The Chaos Crew Quote Link to comment
+lomocacher Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. I was thinking of doing some wooden nickels and wondering where people got them done. Now seeing this I think I could do this all on my own. I'm very excited. Now I just need to find some blanks. Anyhow, if your Michael's are like ours here you won't find that marker or like product there. Unless scrapbookers have caught on to it. You'll find them more at like an artist supply store. Not entirely true--I got one at Michael's today. . .look where they keep the Prismacolor markers--the ones you can buy individually--and find one that seems to be white colored and labeled "colorless blender." Quote Link to comment
+Colonial Cats Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Or you can have some Noodles made. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 One question--are you going to add some kind of clear finish? Or is the imprint on the wood waterproof? +1 Is it waterproof? There appears to be several brand...another brand Quote Link to comment
+wadekrew Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 Very, very cool! I've been wanting to do something similar, but was planning on using a stamp and ink pad. The tutorial you posted is something I never would have considered! One question--are you going to add some kind of clear finish? Or is the imprint on the wood waterproof? The blender pen transfers all the ink front the print to the wood. So it's waterproof as long as you are using a laser printer or a xerox. Quote Link to comment
+wadekrew Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 Wow, cool. I carved stamps to stamp wooden nickels. They're fun, but yours looks more polished & professional. I might have to go get one of those markers and try it out. Thanks for sharing! Thanks! My wife carved an eraser to make a stamp for hers. I just have not had the patience to carve my own yet which I think is still cooler. The nice part with the this type of transfer is you can easily make a bunch of different designs. Quote Link to comment
+wadekrew Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead. It dissolves the ink marks left by other markers, so that one can blend the colors together. I saw a marker that said it blends color pencials. Is that it? Maybe ill just amazon it The main "active ingredient" appears to by xylene. You might be able to find a xylene-based paint thinner at the hardware store. It's pretty nasty stuff, though. Be sure to read all the warnings on the label. Here is the blender marker I am using. I paid $3 at a local art store. You might want to use it outside or at least next to a open window. There are a lot safer ways to get High If you are not sure where to buy one here is a link to some Chartpak Blender markers on Google Shopping Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 (edited) I have had success with acetone transfers. But it doesn't work with all inks. It has to be a toner type of ink. I have an HP Laserjet 5P and it works well. See for an example of a transfer onto eraser material. It works as well on wooden nickels, here's mine: Edited September 28, 2010 by Lone R Quote Link to comment
+Coyote's Girl Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 That is beyond cool. Can't wait to give it a try. Many things will want transfers..... Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Cool thread! I stopped at michaels to pick up that marker and they looked at me like I'm retarded. What exactly does this marker do? Only asking in case I can get a supplemental brand instead.I was thinking of doing some wooden nickels and wondering where people got them done. Now seeing this I think I could do this all on my own. I'm very excited. Now I just need to find some blanks. Anyhow, if your Michael's are like ours here you won't find that marker or like product there. Unless scrapbookers have caught on to it. You'll find them more at like an artist supply store. Not entirely true--I got one at Michael's today. . .look where they keep the Prismacolor markers--the ones you can buy individually--and find one that seems to be white colored and labeled "colorless blender."I will confirm that Michael's and AC Moore carry the blending pens, although neither had the pens in stock today. They sent me to the nearby Artist & Craftsman Supply where they had baskets of the things. They were also about a buck cheaper than the other places. (I also checked out the Speedball cutters I use to make the stamps, MUCH cheaper at A&C Supply...) Now I need to get some designs printed on something other than my inkjet printer. . . Oh, I guess I nee to come up with some designs, too. Quote Link to comment
+firemanjim903mfd Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 How can I flop the Image when I print it ( make it backwards ) to put it on a coin Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 (edited) How can I flop the Image when I print it ( make it backwards ) to put it on a coin Some printer drivers have settings for that. Click "Page Setup" from the program you're printing from (or click "Print" and a window comes up, where you can set preferences, just before actually printing the page). Search around in that window for a checkbox like "Mirror Image". Even if your printer can't do that, the program you use to make the images probably can. Edited September 29, 2010 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 How can I flop the Image when I print it ( make it backwards ) to put it on a coin Kunarion gave some good advice. You can also get the excellent free image viewer software IrfanView, which has a menu option for "Horizontal Flip." Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Pretty sure "paint" does that as well Quote Link to comment
+GeoBroke Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Thanks for the great idea & tutorial. Made up my templates yesterday in Publisher and will try to buy the coins and marker today! Am working on two ideas and will test to see what comes out the best. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Pretty sure "paint" does that as well http://maximumpcguides.com/windows-vista/h...icrosoft-paint/ Quote Link to comment
smokeybearfan Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 You can also print(using a laser or photo copier) to a transparency sheet and once dry you can use the images on the page as a rub-on. Just place the image over the object and take a Popsicle stick and rub the image and it will transfer to the object. I learned this from my wife, she does scrap booking and other crafts and has me printing her stuff out on the laser printer all the time. Quote Link to comment
+KDotBlueDot Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Finally eight years of art school pay off. You can use Oil of Wintergreen, available at drug stores as well. Works great on photocopies. You can also use Poly Clens, to transfer. This gives the best results, and works really well to transfer photocopies or even magazine pics or other pre-printed materials, but the stuff is nasty. It melts plastic, and your brain. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 (edited) OK, I just tried this, and the ink did not transfer. I am using an HP LazerJet with toner 12A. Maybe my paper is too absorbant? Mayby my ink is not quite right? I even have the same brand of blender and wood chips as the instructional webpage. Maybe I should try the photocopy meathod.... Edit: I used a PRISMACOLOR colorless blender. The instructional web page used a Chartpak Blender. Has anyone else had any luck with the PRISMACOLOR brand. Maybe I need to find the actual Chartpak brand... Edited October 3, 2010 by Andronicus Quote Link to comment
+John in Valley Forge Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 OK, I just tried this, and the ink did not transfer. I am using an HP LazerJet with toner 12A. Maybe my paper is too absorbant? Mayby my ink is not quite right? I even have the same brand of blender and wood chips as the instructional webpage. Maybe I should try the photocopy meathod.... Edit: I used a PRISMACOLOR colorless blender. The instructional web page used a Chartpak Blender. Has anyone else had any luck with the PRISMACOLOR brand. Maybe I need to find the actual Chartpak brand... Same here. I picked up the Prismacolor pen at Micheals and used my home laser printer with no luck. On a whim I thought about what nasty solvents I had in the garage. I tried Goof-Off and a cotton swab. It worked just great. Now I just need to come up with a personal logo design to print out. Quote Link to comment
+spotter/g Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I manage an art supply store. Back in the 80's we used the 'elusive marker transfer technique' all the time to complete our projects. The only markers that work are the Chartpak AD markers, as they have a xylene base. All other brands do not work as they have an alcohol base. Those brands that do not work: Prismacolor, Copic, Tria, and Pro-marker. I might suggest using a spoon to lightly rub the design after applying the marker so that all the toner gets transferred. Also let the marker 'ink' dry just a bit after rubbing so that the toner has time to dry on the wood. If you remove it too fast the wet toner might leave little toner strings. It is a great technique for getting images onto surfaces that do not go into a printer. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Same here. I picked up the Prismacolor pen at Micheals and used my home laser printer with no luck. On a whim I thought about what nasty solvents I had in the garage. I tried Goof-Off and a cotton swab. It worked just great. Now I just need to come up with a personal logo design to print out. If it helps any, my old HP Laserjet 5p printer images works with the acetone transfer method (I haven't tried any other product). Here's the info from about the toner from HP site: The HP LaserJet 5P and 5MP printers use an HP LaserJet print cartridge with Microfine toner (product number C3903A). Thanks for the tip about Goof-Off. I have some at home and will experiment tonight to see how it compares to an acetone transfer. I may give it a try with photocopies. I haven't been able to use the acetone transfer with photocopied images. Quote Link to comment
+GeoBroke Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I to purchased the Prismacolor blender to to avail. back to the supply store. Quote Link to comment
+John in Valley Forge Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Where does everyone come up with the templates for writing in a circle (the border around the coin)? I was able to modify some nice photos I took to make them look like a woodcut and resize them, but cant even think of how to write my name in a circular fashion. Quote Link to comment
+GeoBroke Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 For my template I used many ideas off the internet and then cut, paste, crop, etc. to get what I wanted. Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Where does everyone come up with the templates for writing in a circle (the border around the coin)? I was able to modify some nice photos I took to make them look like a woodcut and resize them, but cant even think of how to write my name in a circular fashion. Photoshop has a tool for that. GIMP will also do it, I think, and it's free. If you have Microsoft PowerPoint at home or at work, the "WordArt" feature will let you manipulate text into a circle, but the results won't look nearly as good as the Photoshop or GIMP version. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Same here. I picked up the Prismacolor pen at Micheals and used my home laser printer with no luck. On a whim I thought about what nasty solvents I had in the garage. I tried Goof-Off and a cotton swab. It worked just great. Now I just need to come up with a personal logo design to print out. Thanks for the tip about Goof-Off. I have some at home and will experiment tonight to see how it compares to an acetone transfer. I may give it a try with photocopies. I haven't been able to use the acetone transfer with photocopied images. Tried Goof-Off on a print-out from a Toshiba printer which uses a toner that won't transfer using the acetone method. Goof-Off did a very good job on a black and white transfer. Not so good on a color transfer. A well-ventilated location is needed. It contains xylene. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 I finally got the ChartPak brand. There is only one shop in all of Calgary that carries that brand. What is up with that? Anyway, haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but am very anxious. I am planning to make a replacement geocoin for one that recently went missing. (of course, I won't release it until a suitable amount of time has passed) My dauter (bookworm) is planning to make a hitchhiker for her new travel bug. Should be fun. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 5 for 6. One got screwed up. I knew I shouldn't have let my son (LarryBoy3) help. Quote Link to comment
+ipodguy Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) I thought I posted in this thread before, but I can't find it. I really like this. I've got about a gallon of Goof-Off which is xylene and acetone and I tried it on a scrap piece of wood. It didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but I think if I make copies on the darkest setting then I would get a better result. I'll give it another go soon and post my results. Edit: I've seen blending markers at Michael's and AC Moore, but they were the types that were not recommended by the tutorial (alcohol based). You can also buy straight Xylene from hardware stores. I've seen it in Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace. It's in the paint section. Edited October 23, 2010 by ipodguy Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) Green sticky covering tracking number. We are planning to attache this to a travel bug. More picks here http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=4510848 Edited October 24, 2010 by Andronicus Quote Link to comment
Sealed Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Wow how cool is that! Will definitely come in handy! Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment
+Outback83 Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 The wooden coins with tracking numbers... do they need a TB or can they be used by themselves much like a GeoCoin is used? Just wondering. May be a neat thing to do, but could also see the "market" flooded with these... Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 The wooden coins with tracking numbers... do they need a TB or can they be used by themselves much like a GeoCoin is used? Just wondering. May be a neat thing to do, but could also see the "market" flooded with these... I bought a travel bug, and used the tracking number from that. Technicaly, you wouldn't need to attache the actual bug dog tag. But I suspect someone would keep it thinking it was a normal signature item, not realizing it was actualy a trackable item. You can actualy buy tracking numbers from GS. But I hear you have to buy 100 (or is it 50) at a time. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 (edited) I just did this up. Until I can come up with a better idea, this is going to be my signature item. The survey marker side's ID number is my geocaching.com ID number. Edited October 26, 2010 by Andronicus Quote Link to comment
+Geoscouts.eu Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I have had success with acetone transfers. But it doesn't work with all inks. It has to be a toner type of ink. I have an HP Laserjet 5P and it works well. See for an example of a transfer onto eraser material. It works as well on wooden nickels, here's mine: How do you get the result so dark? I have made several attempts at this and had wishy washy results. I have a HP4l laser printer which I assume is up to the job but no such wondrous results as yours. Maybe the acetone here is inferior??? Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I have had success with acetone transfers. But it doesn't work with all inks. It has to be a toner type of ink. I have an HP Laserjet 5P and it works well. See for an example of a transfer onto eraser material. It works as well on wooden nickels, here's mine:... How do you get the result so dark? I have made several attempts at this and had wishy washy results. I have a HP4l laser printer which I assume is up to the job but no such wondrous results as yours. Maybe the acetone here is inferior??? You can set your print settings to 'dark'. I also push down on the paper after applying the blender to try to get a good transfer. I recently tried a grey scale image. Didn't work very well at all. Stick to normal black and white. Quote Link to comment
+mrcanoehead224 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I just did this up. Until I can come up with a better idea, this is going to be my signature item. The survey marker side's ID number is my geocaching.com ID number. That's cool, if I can make it to your event on Saturday I'd like to see more about this. It's given me ideas for the Mega planned in Alberta next year. http://www.cbgeocaching.ca/ Quote Link to comment
+cainbot Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 I was so glad to stumble on this discussion thread. After several attempts and discarded nickels, I finally perfected my technique. What do you think of these? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3174...p;id=1051263058[/img] Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 I was so glad to stumble on this discussion thread. After several attempts and discarded nickels, I finally perfected my technique. What do you think of these? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3174...p;id=1051263058[/img] Can you try again please. The file needs to end in .jpg, .gif, or .png Some of us don't have a facebook account so we won't be able to use the link you supplied. Quote Link to comment
+John in Valley Forge Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 I was so glad to stumble on this discussion thread. After several attempts and discarded nickels, I finally perfected my technique. What do you think of these? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3174...p;id=1051263058[/img] Here is her linked image. Nice nickles! Quote Link to comment
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