Welcome back to the craft room and today’s Can I Sublimate a Make Market Slate Tile post. If you are anything like me, you have definitely seen the slate tile sublimation trend online. It has intrigued me for a while, but I have been hesitant to try it because the tiles are rather expensive. While shopping for supplies a couple of weeks ago, Michael’s had their sublimation blanks on a 50% off sale. I jumped at the chance and purchased 2 of the Make Market slate tiles. Come along with me as I try my hand with the first 6” x 6” tile. Will it sublimate as beautifully as I imagine? Stick around and find out!
The Slate Tile
When I first saw the slate tiles in person, I was a bit shocked at how heavy they are. I suppose in my mind it just didn’t register that we are talking about an actual piece of slate. The front of the tile has been sanded to a smooth even finish. One fun thing about most of the tiles I have seen is the chipped edges around the parameter. In most cases, this chipped edge also has the sublimation substrate on it.
Preparing the tile for sublimation is the same as any hard surface. I cleaned the top as well as the chipped edge with a coffee filter and 91% isopropyl alcohol. The next time I will change out the coffee filter with a soft rag. I did notice a few marks left on the surface of the tile. Nothing that interrupted the flow of the sublimation process, but it is something to keep in mind.
The Image
I found this beautiful image on the Microsoft website through my Word program. On a blank document, choose Insert from the top menu bar. Next choose Pictures and then from the drop down menu choose Online Pictures.
In the search bar I typed in the following – Three Crosses and the results produced several beautiful images, including the one I chose to use.
After adjusting the image to the desired size, I sent it to my Epson SureColor F170 Sublimation printer. It was printed out onto a piece of A-sub Sublimation paper and then set aside to dry for a little while.
Sublimating the Tile
As with all sublimation items, there are several different times and temperatures that work for different people. I have learned from making my sublimation wind spinners that the recommended times and temperatures from the manufacture is the best place to begin. For the Make Market slate tile, that recommendation is 356 degrees for 360 seconds.
Because I am using my much loved HTVRont Auto Heat Press there needed to be a few adjustments to these recommendations. For the temperature, the HTVRont press only works with increments of 5 degrees. So, the temperature options at my disposal were 355 or 360 degrees. I chose to go up to 360 for today’s project. Another quirk of the HTVRont press is the timer only goes up to 199 seconds. I’m not sure why that is, but I do know that number has increased from the original machine. Because of this, I am not able to sublimate the tile for the full 6 minutes. Instead, I set the timer for 180 seconds and pressed it twice.
Before I even bought the tile, I had been watching all sorts of YouTube videos to find the best way to do this. There are many schools of thought as to how to place the tile and image into the press. They have all worked, and they have all failed. I decided to follow the video How to Make a Perfect Slate with the HTVRont Auto Press by Kathleen Robinson. She also used the HTVRont Auto Heat Press and had amazing results. In her video, she placed the tile on the lower platen with the paper on the bottom and the tile next to the upper plate with butcher paper in between. Her results were perfect. I removed the silicone mat from my plate and put the original pressing mat back thinking the extra give would help the tile sink into the paper.
The Finished Project
Once the tile completed the full pressing time, it was scorching hot! I used a thicker pair of heat resistant gloves that came with my tumbler press. After removing the sublimation paper, I was shocked at how beautiful the finished tile was! The colors are bright and vibrant with black blacks, and a beautiful golden sunset. My only issue with the finished piece is it did not fully sublimate around the chipped edge. It is still an incredibly beautiful tile.
Included with each tile is a pair of base legs to make displaying your work of art easy. You simply slip the tile into place and proudly display it.
Thank you for joining me for today’s Can I Sublimate a Make Market Slate Tile post. Even though I am my own worst critic, I do love how this piece turned out. Perhaps the issue with the chipped edge can be resolved with a little more pressure. When I sublimated this one, I took out the extra silicone mat and just used the mat that came with the press. On my next slate, I add both mats and see if that helps. If not, and it turns out as beautiful as this one, I will be over the moon happy!
Let me know down in the comments if you have tried working with slate tiles before. If you have, what brand do you use, and did you have issues with the edges like I did? Until then, have a fantastic week and I will see you back in the craft room again soon.
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