DIY Wintergreen Oil and Solvent Image Transfers

You can use oil and solvent to loosen the toner from photocopied images. Once you've released the ink, you can transfer the image to another surface. This kind of transfer is a great way to place photographic images onto materials that can't go through a printer, to give photographs a painterly effect, and to collage images. This video walks you through the process of transferring an image with oil. For more about this project, visit http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/reframingphotography/

The wintergreen oil we use in this demo is a compound that's commonly found in health food stores and is used in very diluted forms for massage. The oil contains methyl salicylate (the main ingredient in aspirin), but in very concentrated quantities, so the oil should NOT be ingested or applied topically.

The image transfer process does not involve eating or touching the oil. As demonstrated in the tutorial, use the cotton swab to apply so that you do not get the oil on your skin.

In terms of safety, the oil is certainly preferable to solvents such as acetone and turpentine. But as with any chemical, prevent the vapor from being an irritant by keeping the bottle capped and by using the oil in a well-ventilated area or using a respirator if in confined spaces. If you need additional information, the Material Safety Data Sheet is online.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• photograph
• transfer
• solvent
• wintergreen
• oil
• artists
• tutorial
• photography
• instructions
• howto
• arts
• educational
• image
• rubbing

[AprilAnderson82]

Does this work on woodblock?

[playgallery]

@AprilAnderson82 Sure. You can use wintergreen oil and solvent to transfer to woodblock. Injket transfer works also. Step-by-step instructions for how to make a woodcut image transfer are in the Reframing Photography book, pages 225 to 228.

[rekatekaable]

could i use this to make a t shirt print?

[playgallery]

@rekatekaable you could use the wintergreen oil/solvent process to transfer to cotton (in the form of a t-shirt), but the image probably wouldn't make it through the wash.

[playgallery]

@rekatekaable If you want to print a more permanent image on a t-shirt, the best method is screenprinting (a very simple process that it is explained in the reframing photo book, pages 279-283), or cyanotype (also simple check out the book's website), special t-shirt transfer paper (works with an inkjet printer, but starts peeling after a few washes), special fabric that can be put through an inkjet printer, or a stencil and fabric paint.

[norm1961]

thanks! this is so helpful

[ThePrinthead]

Good post. I share all of these same thoughts!

[losergoescrazy]

I just did this with fingernail polish remover and I wanted to say thannnnkkkk you for doing this tutorial. =) 

[macdoodled]

Nice!

does this work with color toner?

[shareephoto]

very well done. Thank you!