Puzzle Questions

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Well I want to add a puzzle or two to my inventory this year but I have some questions that I hope all you puzzle people can answer for me. 

First I can not remember the man's  name who use to do the stamp puzzles and he used to do Christmas Card puzzles and I know that is my bad. ( I think it was Carter) But I did not remember if he ever sealed his puzzles that were made from paper such as stamps and cards and calendars. So if anyone does this type puzzle making do you seal the puzzle in any way to protect the paper side and if so with what?? 

I will be using paper as the top and bottom layers, what adhesive would you recommend to adhere this?/ I am thinking 3M Super77. 

I was thinking of using 1/4" Baltic Birch and using FD superior puzzle blades. Does this make sense??

Do you think I should use an 1/8" piece of BB with the pattern glued on it and taped to the 1/4" or would just clear tape on top of photo and adhering the pattern to it work as well??

After the puzzle is cut does it need to be sealed in any way with all those  bare wood edges. If sealed would this stop any expanding from humidity or moisture or is this not a problem??

Lastly I have seen Iggy and others seal their puzzles in clear film to keep from losing the pieces and to keep it together upon sale. Is this a good idea and what is used to achieve this?? Is it easy to open without cutting into the puzzle??  

Any other tidbits of info would be greatly appreciated. This is an area I never really got into but would like to explore somewhat. 

Thanks in advance for the help.

[JimErn]

search for shrink wrap bags on amazon, they come in different sizes, heat gun to shrink them, I think a hair dryer would do it too just take a little longer.

Given that all I have done is read about this process, my understanding is glue the pic to the 1/4 piece, glue the pattern to a sacrifice piece, and stack cut, sacrifice piece on the bottom, the pic piece and the pattern piece.  What I have read is that that you need that kind of sandwich to prevent the blade from ripping the picture on the upstroke and reduce fuzzies on the down stroke

I know there is something used in scrap booking that some use to cover the picture after cutting, just not sure what it is.

[kmmcrafts]

I'll try to answer some of the questions.. The name of the person doing those puzzles was Carter Johnson I believe.. I think he past away a few years ago? Anyway he helped me with my first puzzle cutting.. and he recommended just free hand cutting. I'll get to that in a minute..

I think he recommended using Arleen's (SP) Tacky Glue... Kinda reminds me of wood glue.. anyway you spread it out evenly on the 1/4 BB  and put you're picture, card, etc on the glued board then use a credit card or a roller to press it down and get the air bubbles out etc... Many others back in the day said the 3M 77 works real well too.. I used both and I think the spray works easier.. 

After applying the picture they always top coated with Triple Thick Clear Glaze.. Basically thick clear paint. 

Now I think it was Carter that did all those puzzles free hand ( no pattern or guidelines and encouraged others to try it this way.. Some mentioned to draw a square grid on the back.. I tried both ways with poor results, LOL But I think if I had gave it a try with some practice maybe after a couple tries I'd have the pieces somewhat similar in size.. I did this when I was quite new to scrolling so it's been 12-15 years ago.. Now that I'm more experienced I feel I could do it better without the pattern... I seen somewhere ( think it was Steve Good ) where they have some puzzle patterns.. also think ARPOP has some on his blog page. Anyway someone ( think Steve ) mentioned putting a soft paper towel between the top sacrificial 1/8 piece and the picture to protect the image because even with the edges taped tight with the stack.. light vibration will mar up the photo image.. I did this and it worked quite well..

Yes you want to use the FD Superior Puzzle Blades.. 

Nobody ever mentioned anything about sealing up the wood at all.. and to my understanding the back side it left alone too.. as many people do this as wedding guestbooks etc.. and leave it so they can be signed etc...

Jim is correct.. I use the 12 x 12 shrink wrap bags.. You can put in the puzzle and any other info.. I put a business card and a Choking hazard warning paper that I just print.. and then I use a hair drier.. I have a heat gun but haven't tried using it since it's always put away in the bottom of my tool chest.. and the hair drier has much easier access, LOL 

Have fun with it.. I hope I answered all the questions but if not ask again, LOL       

[kmmcrafts]

https://forum.scrollsawer.com/forum/scroll-saw/scroll-saw-puzzles/32116-carters-method-tutorial

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

2 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

https://forum.scrollsawer.com/forum/scroll-saw/scroll-saw-puzzles/32116-carters-method-tutorial

That is the person. Thanks. That is also good info in there but I can see I will need to practice using some of these methods and choose one that works for me. May just top coat with satin lacquer. What I want to do is have a photo on both top and bottom so it is like getting 2 puzzles in one. I will be using pre planned patterns from Steve Good. he has a whole book. A little out of my comfort zone but I am game to try something new. Thanks.

[kmmcrafts]

1 minute ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

That is the person. Thanks. That is also good info in there but I can see I will need to practice using some of these methods and choose one that works for me. May just top coat with satin lacquer. What I want to do is have a photo on both top and bottom so it is like getting 2 puzzles in one. I will be using pre planned patterns from Steve Good. he has a whole book. A little out of my comfort zone but I am game to try something new. Thanks.

LOL that would make a tricky puzzle, as you wouldn't know what picture is on what side.. Great idea.. I have only made a handful of them.. thought it'd be something I'd really like to make.. but.. just wasn't as satisfying as I thought it'd be..

There is a local craft guy that shows up at our local wood expo.. This guy is an awesome wood burner ( pyrography ) and he combines his wood burning skills and scroll sawing skills.. He burns a portrait and then cuts it up into puzzles.. the thing is.. they way he cuts and burns the image you cannot even tell it's a puzzle and cannot see any puzzle cutting lines in his work.. many folks go up to puck up a woodburned portrait only to get one of the pieces.. some folks thought they had broke it    

I've got the nice Detail Master wood burning kit with a whole bunch of different pens etc.. just never got into it like I thought I would

 

[dgman]

John, my very first jigsaw puzzle is my avatar and was cut freehand without a pattern. I took a scrap piece of 1/4” BB plywood and just started cutting.till I found what works. The picture was from a calendar. I mounted it using 3M 77 spray adhesive on the back of the picture, then mounted it to 1/4” BB plywood. Because it was semi glossy and thicker paper, I did not apply any top coating. Again, this was cut freehand, without any pattern. I don’t do a lot of jigsaw puzzles but they are fun to do!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

9 minutes ago, dgman said:

John, my very first jigsaw puzzle is my avatar and was cut freehand without a pattern. I took a scrap piece of 1/4” BB plywood and just started cutting.till I found what works. The picture was from a calendar. I mounted it using 3M 77 spray adhesive on the back of the picture, then mounted it to 1/4” BB plywood. Because it was semi glossy and thicker paper, I did not apply any top coating. Again, this was cut freehand, without any pattern. I don’t do a lot of jigsaw puzzles but they are fun to do!

What blade did you use and did you get any lifting of the photo as you cut it or did you top it with tape before  cutting?? Thanks.

[dgman]

I used an Olson skip tooth 2/0 blade. Flying Dutchman puzzle blades are a skip tooth 3/0. You don’t want to use a reverse tooth blade as the reverse teeth can lift the paper. After mounting the photo to the board I used a veneer roller to make sure the photo was firmly mounted without any air bubbles, so no I didn’t get any lifting of the photo.

I like this one old dog teaching another old dog new tricks!

[kmmcrafts]

My first puzzle I made I used too much glue and too thick on the board.. when I picked it up to move it my thumb sunk into the picture and made a dimple.. I never had lifting issue with this one.. My second puzzle I used too little glue but was nice and smooth.. however the glue was too lightly applied and also lifted off in several spots... I finally did it right on the last puzzle I made.. But I have to say.. I've never had issues with patterns lifting off while cutting.. and I think the 3M -77 would spray more evenly.. I'd either spray the photo quite wet or spray both the wood and the photo and stick it down quite wet.. 

Lacquer scratches quite easily.. and is quite thin film.. I think the triple thick glaze would protect better than the Lacquer. With the thicker layer if some areas did smudge a little one could probably clean it up with some buffing as one would do for smudges on a car..     

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

My first puzzle I made I used too much glue and too thick on the board.. when I picked it up to move it my thumb sunk into the picture and made a dimple.. I never had lifting issue with this one.. My second puzzle I used too little glue but was nice and smooth.. however the glue was too lightly applied and also lifted off in several spots... I finally did it right on the last puzzle I made.. But I have to say.. I've never had issues with patterns lifting off while cutting.. and I think the 3M -77 would spray more evenly.. I'd either spray the photo quite wet or spray both the wood and the photo and stick it down quite wet.. 

Lacquer scratches quite easily.. and is quite thin film.. I think the triple thick glaze would protect better than the Lacquer. With the thicker layer if some areas did smudge a little one could probably clean it up with some buffing as one would do for smudges on a car..     

I do not want gloss so will look into something with satin. As I said experimenting is in the cards. Speaking of cards that is one of the projects to do playing card puzzles. This will all tie in eventually with my pen turning and some boxes for these pens. I always said I like to combine both my hobbies. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, dgman said:

I used an Olson skip tooth 2/0 blade. Flying Dutchman puzzle blades are a skip tooth 3/0. You don’t want to use a reverse tooth blade as the reverse teeth can lift the paper. After mounting the photo to the board I used a veneer roller to make sure the photo was firmly mounted without any air bubbles, so no I didn’t get any lifting of the photo.

I like this one old dog teaching another old dog new tricks!

They say you are never too old to learn new tricks. As I mentioned to Kevin this will all make sense when I tie 2 hobbies together which is pen turning and scrolling. This will be my summer project along with making those tierd shelves for display this year for the shows. 

[John B]

John, the way I make my puzzles is to spray the picture (photo) with a clear lacquer. I also often spray the board I am going to fix the photo to with a clear or a coat of contact (Let it dry properly.) For the photo, this protects the surface and doesn't allow the contact to bleed through if put on a bit thick. For the board, this keeps the contact on the surface, not allowing it to seep into the board as this will make it loose grip.
I then spray the board and the back of the picture with with contact (Pressure pack) both vertical and horizontal. When both are tacky I press them together and using a laminate roller roll the picture down hard. I will then apply a 2nd coat of lacquer. after lightly cutting back the 1st coat with 360g paper. After I have cut the puzzle I make it up, and once again cut it back with 360g before applying a final coat of lacquer. The final coat not only protects the puzzle and provides a nice finish, it also serves to blend in the cut edges so they do not show white.

[spirithorse]

Hi, John T.,
I have made a few puzzles of people's wedding or engagement photos and, since they are done with 
an actual photo or from computer photo paper, I did not coat them with anything after they were cut
and the recipients have said there haven't been any instances of damage, lifting, fading or anything negative.

God Bless! Spirithorse

[teachnlearn]

On 6/13/2019 at 12:03 AM, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Well I want to add a puzzle or two to my inventory this year but I have some questions that I hope all you puzzle people can answer for me. 

First I can not remember the man's  name who use to do the stamp puzzles and he used to do Christmas Card puzzles and I know that is my bad. ( I think it was Carter) But I did not remember if he ever sealed his puzzles that were made from paper such as stamps and cards and calendars. So if anyone does this type puzzle making do you seal the puzzle in any way to protect the paper side and if so with what?? 

I will be using paper as the top and bottom layers, what adhesive would you recommend to adhere this?/ I am thinking 3M Super77. 

I was thinking of using 1/4" Baltic Birch and using FD superior puzzle blades. Does this make sense??

Do you think I should use an 1/8" piece of BB with the pattern glued on it and taped to the 1/4" or would just clear tape on top of photo and adhering the pattern to it work as well??

After the puzzle is cut does it need to be sealed in any way with all those  bare wood edges. If sealed would this stop any expanding from humidity or moisture or is this not a problem??

Lastly I have seen Iggy and others seal their puzzles in clear film to keep from losing the pieces and to keep it together upon sale. Is this a good idea and what is used to achieve this?? Is it easy to open without cutting into the puzzle??  

Any other tidbits of info would be greatly appreciated. This is an area I never really got into but would like to explore somewhat. 

Thanks in advance for the help.

Group of these fixative sprays used in art. One is for keeping pencil drawings from smearing. A light coat spray that may work if you trying to keep thickness down. RJF

https://www.dickblick.com/products/krylon-satin-finish-spray-fixative/

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, teachnlearn said:

Group of these fixative sprays used in art. One is for keeping pencil drawings from smearing. A light coat spray that may work if you trying to keep thickness down. RJF

https://www.dickblick.com/products/krylon-satin-finish-spray-fixative/

Sold. good call.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

21 hours ago, teachnlearn said:

Group of these fixative sprays used in art. One is for keeping pencil drawings from smearing. A light coat spray that may work if you trying to keep thickness down. RJF

https://www.dickblick.com/products/krylon-satin-finish-spray-fixative/

I just ordered from this company and they are very reasonable. I bought a few other things that I pay more for in a craft store. Thanks for that link. I saved it to my bookmark file. 

[teachnlearn]

10 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

I just ordered from this company and they are very reasonable. I bought a few other things that I pay more for in a craft store. Thanks for that link. I saved it to my bookmark file. 

I've had Dick Blick around for years and years. They started in 1911 and sold in 1947. Used in colleges, schools, artist. Have had catalogs from them for years and years. Its like thumbing through the old Sears catalog for art. They have good quality supplies, some will be found at your local craft store and and many specialized. I would say a high part of their supplies is high quality, higher price, though there are the few new tryouts that fail and disappear. if you want a scrape one shot brush, buy whatever. If your looking for something that last for years, they supply it. Art is always something I find to be pricey, so its a continuing pick and choose what works to invest in. Been tinkering with art for years since I love to work with my hands, but don't have formal training so I will never claim I'm an artist. For those that like hands on, they have light tables to trace patterns by hand. https://www.dickblick.com/search/?q=light table&unbxd_x=0&unbxd_y=0&unbxd_sp_cs=UTF-8&unbxd_s=unbxd

Worth thumbing through occasionally for techniques, ideas. https://www.dickblick.com/

They have the paper catalogs in categories of school, commercial, individual.  Download or have sent. RJF  https://www.dickblick.com/requests/bigbook/