Hi Guys! Today I’m sharing how I sublimate a metal key chain with products from Artesprix. I have been wanting to try sublimation… you’re gonna love how it turned out!
I love showing the process when I’m creating. I hope my tutorial and video help you see that, if I can make it, You Can Too!
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- Protective Paper Roll
- Protective Project Mat
- A Crafters Heart Clear Photopolymer 4×6 Stamp Set from Trinity Stamps
- LOL Crafting from Hampton Art – no longer available.
- Cricut Easy Press
- Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tutorial Video – Watch me sublimate a metal key chain!
Step by Step Instructions – Let’s sublimate a metal key chain
Step 1: Create your design.
Draw everything out on copy paper. First you need a template, so just trace around the blank and make sure that you have an inch or two around the outside of your image. Then create and color your image. I used a discontinued sentiment stamp from Hampton Arts stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Next, I turned the paper over and traced the words in reverse using a black sublimation marker.
Then I created a mask by stamping with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto some Post-it tape, and cutting around the words. This will prevent me from stamping over the sentiment.
For the rest of the design, I stamped the large heart from A Crafters Heart Clear Photopolymer 4×6 Stamp Set from Trinity Stamps in Artesprix Sublimation Ink and colored it in with the Sublimation Markers.
Step 2: Heat up your heat press or iron.
I used a Cricut Easy Press so I set it to 400 degrees.
Step 3: Attach your design to the blank.
OK. I have to admit it. Coloring was the easy part. Getting it ready to add to the key chain was the point where my nerves started getting me. Why? I hate wasting anything. And if I did this wrong, I would have wasted the design that I just finished coloring AND the blank. I needn’t have worried. If you follow the instructions (and Artesprix has GREAT instructions), you really can’t go wrong.
- All you do is line up your image with your blank with the side that has all of the sublimation ink touching the blank. Then you tape it down on all 4 sides. Ok… you might not need to do it on all 4, but that helps make sure that the paper doesn’t shift when you heat it up. Also, be sure to use Artesprix Heat Tape (not scotch tape!) on the outer edge of your design. If it covers some of the design on your blank, it could mess up the transfer. I did this by taping the blank to my paper. Paper with colored side up and the blank with the transfer side down.
Step 4: Create the “sublimation sandwich”
This part is super easy! I cut a piece of protective paper large enough to fold in half and enclose my project in it with lots of room to spare. I think the better habit would be to cut 2 pieces. Especially for larger projects, but this worked for me.
The sandwich works like this.
- Protective paper on bottom.
- My metal key chain blank with my design attached, face down. (This means that your design is on top)
- Another layer of the protective paper on top.
Step 5. Heat it up.
While you got the image attached to the key chain and got the protective paper ready, your heat press (or iron) should have gotten hot enough. Mine did.
So I placed my protective paper sandwich on the Protective Project Mat and used my Cricut Easy Press for 45 seconds. If you use an iron, you’ll need to press for about 3 minutes.
Step 6. Let it cool!
Remove the easy press or iron and let the metal cool down so that you don’t get burned!
Step 7. REVEAL!
You may want to pull back the edge of your design to make sure that it transferred before pulling it off completely… like I did. Fortunately, 45 seconds with my Cricut Easy Press was perfect for this project!
And, since you are done, turn off your heat so that you don’t burn anything.
Project Photos
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