Print Flattening Update: Completed System and Further Notes
(This is a reprint of an update I appended to the original post.)
The new magnets have arrived and I have been able to complete the flattening fixture. It continues to perform as expected.
The new magnets are solid 10mm x 3mm discs and are in fact stronger. I have modified the wooden strips the magnets are mounted in to include a 4mm through-hole behind each magnet. This allows me to push the magnets out again if needed or they become skewed.
In the end I found the magnets press-fit tightly enough in the 10mm holes I drilled that no adhesive was needed. I used a wood block and mallet to gently tap the magnets flush with the wood surface. The through-holes allowed me to adjust his if I tapped them in too deeply or they became skewed.
The next step was to cover the magnets in polyurethane varnish. I noticed with my first test print that the magnets had left a stain (see below). This is despite the claim they are corrosion resistant. Ideally the magnets never touch the paper but that is difficult to guarantee hence the precaution.
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Gray stains on the edge of the paper due to the magnets
corroding. (Yellow stain due to wood.) |
A couple of the blocks I have already added the sandpaper strips. All blocks I made from 18mm thick plywood scraps as the aesthetics are not important to me. The variety of lengths allow me to adapt to most paper sizes.
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| The panoply of different clamping blocks. |
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New blocks in use. (Note 4mm holes to allow magnets to be pushed out or adjusted.) |
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| New flattened test print |
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