First try using PnP Blue... too hot?

[Justus]

Here's the result of my second try at using the PnP Blue paper for toner transfer.  The first try was identical.  Is this happening because I'm getting it too hot?

My iron is old.  Using an IR thermometer, on the highest setting I'm hitting 350+ F.  There's not a lot of info on ideal settings and/or how to use the PnP Blue paper, but I thought I read somewhere you want the iron between 250 and 300 F.  So on my second go-round I turned it down from setting 6/7 (cotton/linens) to setting 4 (cotton blends).  Should I set it even cooler for this paper?

Pic:

[PhiloB]

Someone suggested letting it cool for a while before dropping it in water.  This seemed to help a great deal for me.  Also, give the clad a once over with 000 steel wool before hand and heat up the copper before laying the PnP on it.
These were the few tips that helped me.  I had a lot of trouble:)


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[Stomptown]

If the transfer is warped then I would suspect your iron is too hot (I can't tell from the photo). If not, you may consider that 1) oils were not completely removed prior to transfer; or 2) the iron was not pressed firmly the the areas where the toner did not adhere to the PCB. If it is an oil issue you need to find a product such as naptha to properly remove all oils. If it has to do with applied pressure I would suggest taking a piece of paper or a paper towel and placing it between the transfer and the iron. I start off my laying the iron directly on the transfer and then after a sufficient time has past I will lift the iron and place the paper between the iron and the transfer to help with pressure.

[Justus]

I figured out that it likely was my iron being too hot.  When I placed it on the PnP the traces instantly turned black.  Further ironing (and emphasis on the area that lifted so badly) apparently led the toner to melt and re-adhere to the plastic film of the PnP instead of the copper.

Last night I turned my iron down to the polyester setting (setting 3) and it took awhile longer to turn the traces black.  Then, once they were all black and dark, I quit ironing.  After cooling and quenching in water, I lifted the PnP and all (nearly) the toner transferred.  There were only a few tiny spots in the ground polygon that lifted, so I covered those with a sharpie even though it probably wasn't necessary. 

Thanks for the input, it's all helpful!