Making your own toner chalks

To make it easier to acquire toner chalks and save on money, I have decided to disclose some of my early research into using toner to make a charcoal like drawing stick. While this method was not practical for large production of chalks, it works perfectly for the small amount any artist or printer would use. All that is required is an accurate scale and liquid measure as proportions are important for getting consistent results and control hardness of the chalks. Any simple flat container can be used as a temporary mold, but more complex systems can be developed if a constant supply of chalks are needed. Ordinary methyl cellulose paste and methyl hydrate is used to wet and finally bond the toner particles together after the sticks dry. For the number of chalks I had hoped to market, I built a complex hydraulic press with automatic valves to control quality. It was not a wise business venture.

Making Your Own Toner Chalks
- Nik Semenoff

History of toner chalks

When I first developed the toner wash technique, I realized that the powdered could be formed into some sort of chalk to produce charcoal like drawings. My first inclination was to use a weak bonding agent similar to making pastels, but while these early experiments did produce a good enough chalk, producing them in quantity would be a problem. I wanted a method that would not require the long drying period that moist chalks need to dry properly.

I next tried compressing the toner and soon found that perfect pieces of drawing chalk could be produced if a properly designed mold could be constructed. After many models, I finally developed a three-piece mold that would make six flat chalks that could be snapped apart as needed. While a simple hand pumped hydraulic system worked for the few chalks I needed in my research, the students at the university expressed enough interest that I went on to develop a more complicated piece of equipment. It consisted of a large electric motor driving multi-piston hydraulic pump, to which two double acting cylinder were attached. Special spring loaded valves were added to automatically release oil pressure to manufacture consistent quality chalks. By the time the equipment was finished, I had spent a considerable amount of time and money on it, but the hope of sales was there to bring my bank account back into shape.

The toner chalks were developed in the late 1980's, but sales never amounted to even start recovery of my expenditures. I would show the toner chalks at my workshops and create a favorable stir, but no one seemed interested in doing lithographs with charcoal like images. At Tyler Graphic's in 1990, Jim >Rosenquist did a portrait of me with toner chalks and had the printers produce a small edition for signing, but that seemed the end of artists' curiosity. My attempts to have them distributed through major art material outlets brought no response either - but that was at a time when my processes were little known. I gave away much of my production in the hope I could promote the chalks, but by the beginning of the new millennium I came to realize my commercial venture was a failure and I would never recover the cost of my complicated hydraulic system.

As other manufacturers started to flood the market with their version of toner chalks, I decided to abandon my venture and maybe dismantle my equipment. When artists talked to me about the cost of all chalks, I tell them that the price of toner is negligible. In my case it was the cost of the compressing equipment that set the price and that my packaging was kept simple to reduce expenses. Since toner can be obtained for nothing from laser cartridge recyclers, it was other costs that had to be recovered. After a serious discussion with a couple of artists, I decided to see if a way could be found for printmakers to make their own toner chalks very easily and not worry about prices.

Obtaining toner for free

In every community today there must be a recycling station for laser printers. Most of the toner will come from Hewlett Packard laser printers, as these seem to be the choice of business offices. When the cartridge is broken open for refilling with toner, the small remaining material has to be removed by vacuum and usually disposed of in a landfill. In some communities this is prohibited and the recycling company must pay a considerable amount per pound for disposal through proper means. In most cases, the recycler will be happy to provide you with as much toner powder as you will need and still have much left over. This material is perfectly useable for toner washes and for manufacturing of toner chalks. Unlike toner from commercial copiers that consists of toner left on the drum and removed before the next sheet is printed, laser printer toner is unused toner that is left in the cartridge and has to be discarded. While you can buy toner at Office Depot or other sources, I see no reason to use this expensive material.

Selecting the binder for toner

I have used both methylcellulose and polyvinyl alcohol, finding there is an interesting difference in the chalks I can produce. Since methylcellulose is easy to obtain at most art stores or from Daniel Smith, I recommend this material. I believe that this adhesive is better to control in making different hardness's of chalks.

The chalks I produced using >PVA formed a very thin skin that was helpful to make the chalks stronger and less likely to break, but this had to be removed by sandpaper or a sharp knife. The skin also produced a natural coating that kept ones fingers clean. Inside, the toner chalks was soft and deposited well on grained plate surfaces.

I have not tried other traditional binding agents used in manufacturing pastels but in the very small quantities required, these should not interfere with the bonding of the toner particles to the litho plate.

Controlling the strength of your binding agent

It is very important to know the binding strength of the glue you are using. I presume the methylcellulose we generally buy has the same quality and only needs weight measurement to get consistent results. Since methylcellulose expands a great deal on being put in water, use some standard measure to get a fairly viscous solution. For my research I used 5 grams of the powder to 400 milliliters of cold water and let it sit until all the cellulose had dissolved. This became my stock solution for farther research. Maybe 5 grams in 500 milliliters of water would be a better one to remember at a 1% solution, but the solution would not be quite as thick. This gum solution is mixed with methyl hydrate (wood alcohol) according to the hardness of chalks you want.

For those interested in trying polyvinyl alcohol, I recommend >Evanol 50-42 from Dupont. Dilute it 10 grams to 200 milliliters of hot water. Since alcohol will have an effect on this solution by producing a stringy mass, I presume this causes the thin skin on the finished chalk. Unlike the methylcellulose, you cannot produce a stock mixture of gum and alcohol.

Hardness of toner chalks

If you are using the back of recycled aluminium plates, then the chalks will have to be much softer than used for grained plates. By reducing the amount of binding agent, we can get some control over the quality of the drawing material as well. Since this is a matter of choice amongst artists, I will only give you some proportions that I have found useful.

I have used three different formulas and found all satisfactory for my needs. For softer chalks, I use two parts methanol to one part of the methylcellulose solution. A medium chalk was made from equal parts of alcohol and gum and a harder one was with two parts gum and one part alcohol. The alcohol acts as a wetting agent for the toner particles and also evaporates quicker than water.

For those trying PVA, I have used one part gum solution to two parts alcohol as my only test. This produced a substantial skin on the chalk, which indicates a lesser amount of gum may be used.

Mixing the batch

Much may depend on the toner you are using so I have not used any weight measurement for this material. In a good-sized mortar and pestle, I add the mixture of cellulose gum and alcohol to what may be about ¼ the volume of chalks I hope to make. Toner powder is added and stirred in with the pestle until I get a stiff mixture that tends to stand up rather than flow. This will ensure that too much binder has not been added to the mixture, making a harder chalk. Mix the mass thoroughly to make sure it is consistent in hardness when dry. The advantage of using a stock mixture of gum and alcohol is that some can be added if too much toner is put into the container. If the mixture is the right consistency, it will fall away from the walls of the mortar and easily removed with a flexible palette knife when you go to put it into a mold.

Casting the batch into a mold

I suggest sticks between ¼ and ½ of an inch thick and about 2.5 inches long. You could make up a frame from wood, or you may find a cardboard box lid that will fit your needs. First transfer the toner mixture to the mold container by using a palette knife to scrap the walls of the mortar. The mass will have a tendency to stand up in a lump and not flow into the corners. I have found vibrating the mold in some manner will bring the mass to the lowest level until it completely fills the area. Putting the mold on a small piece of plywood and tapping the base should bring about the desired results. If you have a >Vibro-tool, this is very effective if you can change the tip into something more substantial and introduce it directly into the mass. Another method I have explored is to put a slightly bent heavy nail into an electric drill so the point will be offset.

A simple and convenient mold for casting a batch of toner chalks. This is made from the top of a box for 4 x 5 sheet film and the separators are from .005 commercial offset litho plates. Slit the corners to extract the chalks.

After the toner mass is flat on the top and of even thickness, put separators into the material to give you the size of pieces you like. These can be made from thin sheets of litho plate cut to size. Put the mold aside to dry in an area not too hot, but with a good movement of air. Depending on the amount of alcohol in the mixture, the thickness of the chalks and the general atmospheric conditions at the time, one day of drying should give you dry enough chalks to try. If the drawing produces a coarse line, the chalk is still not dry enough to use.

Using the toner chalks

The softer the chalks, the more likely they will break if mishandled. Since I make my chalks in a square pattern, it is hard to cover them with paper to keep your fingers clean and give them some protection. Since there are charcoal sticks that have the same characteristics, artists should be already experienced to using such "dirty" materials. If this is a problem for you, then you can try the >PVA binder and get a stick with a hard skin. Making them is much the same as the cellulose binder, but they take a bit longer to dry.

Making an image on a plate

These chalks can be used just like charcoal and give you the same sort of image in your lithograph. If you don't like part of the drawing, the toner can be removed with clean water and some silicate solution. I recommend sodium >metasilicate over household detergent for removal of toner, as the detergent may leave a residue that will prevent any farther toner application from bonding. Sodium >metasilicate can be purchased as a TSP substitute - sold by >Bondex. Try Home Depot as that is where I have lately found it. Add a tablespoon to a quart of water for all kinds of cleaning in the studio. It is also used as a preparatory solution for recycled plates.

These chalks can be applied directly to grained plates and even to the smooth backs of recycled plates. I have also found that drawing done on newsprint or other textured papers, can be transferred to plates just like toner wash drawing on Mylar. Frosted Mylar can also be used very effectively.

Setting the toner image

I mostly use heat to set my toner images to aluminium plates, as I do not want the fumes of Coleman fuel in the studio. See my papers on using toner in traditional and waterless lithography.

Conclusion

I had worked out something similar in my early work with toner chalks, but when I decided to make enough for sale, I felt this method was too slow and harder to control quality. Since the average printmaker will not use large quantities in their work, a couple of hours of work should produce enough for an entire year. While I have made these test chalks square, I am sure round ones could be produced following the pastel method. I doubt the wet toner mass could be forced through and orifice like commercial pastels are made, but rolling it might work well enough. Round chalks could be covered with paper and keep your fingers clean, but I have found the there is enough skin even on the cellulose chalks that this was not too much of a problem. My compressed toner chalks are not covered and not too dirty to handle.

As with most of my printmaking innovations, I publish this method so artists could make toner chalks for themselves at a small fraction of those being offered for sale. Unlike the artists in the past, I feel today's printmakers are not as adventuresome it making their printing ink, grounds and drawing materials. It turns out to be very easy to do and gives the artist a better understanding of the materials being used, their strength and limitation. Besides, you can save a lot of money.

Posted August 2000, updated March 2003

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