Thermofax – Transparency Maker

Buying, using and taking care of your thermofax machine (These comments were originally published in TattoNow.com, 2009).

I am one of the largest sellers of thermofax machines in eBay. I rebuild them; thus, I have a good experience with these machines. I also sell parts and repair these machines.

1.- When buying a thermofax, do not be cheap. This machine is extremely important for your work, buy a good one and keep it in good shape. A service every 1-2 years is not much and will give you piece of mind that you have a working machine when you need it.

2.- Do not buy machines that have not been tested. You may get a good deal, but you may also get a headache. If you pay $300 for the machine and then need to pay $400 to fix it, why not to buy a good machine from the start. 

3.- Do not buy 15 amp machines. There are no replacement bulb lamps for these machines. If you can find somebody who has a new lamp, expect to pay $ 250 or more.

4.- Use a carrier for the spirit masters. Use two pieces of acetate. This is the transparency film for copiers that you buy in any stationary store. Put two pieces together with a tape on top. With a carrier, you can use small pieces of spirit masters, what saves a lot of money. Most importantly, using a carrier keeps the machine clean. You can buy a box of 100 pieces of transparency film. With this you can make 50 carriers and replace them every 4 weeks.

5.- If a machine is producing only a black copy, it may be that the motor is running slow or the clutch is not turning properly. The machine may need service. One way to work around the problem of black copies: use a carrier (as indicated in 4) and put a piece of paper between the lamp and carbon to reduce the heat intensity.

6.- If the machine does not stop, the likely cause is the switch you activate when inserting the stencil. Make sure that this switch is not touching the borders. It has to come back after the stencil has passed through.

7.- Keep the machine clean, center the belt every 1-2 months. Wash the belt from time to time with water and soap (kitchen detergent works very well). Clean the rollers. Start with water, follow with ethanol, and if this is not enough, try some cleaning solvent.  As pointed out in 4, the use of a carrier greatly reduces the dirt inside the machine.

8.- Several different brands of cheap thermofax machines are being sold today. They cannot compare with the old 3M Thermofaxes. These are very good quality machines that can last forever. Buy only the 12 amp models.

9.- Take care that there are several 3M copiers that look similar, but they are not thermofaxes, they cannot transfer a template on spirit masters.  The main difference between a copier and the thermofax is how much heat the lamp produces.  Thermofaxes use a ~1400 watts infrared heat lamp. To transfer a template in a spirit master requires a lot of heat.  On the contrary, copiers have incandescent lamps (less than 100 watts), which do not produce enough heat.

I have been selling thermofaxes in eBay since 1998. I sell refurbished thermofaxes with a 1 year warranty.  I buy broken machines and the 15 amp machines that you cannot get a lamp.  If you wish to sell or buy a machine, please, contact me by phone or email.

Rouben

EKTAS LC

rouben@ektalc.com

832-928-7934