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For the love of all things holy...

Someone please tell me how to get wrinkles out of this godforsaken Borco drafting board cover.

I found a site that said to leave it out in the sun for 15 minutes, but that did nothing.

It's not creased, just wavy on some parts.

AND IT'S DRIVING ME KRAZEE.

 
Aug 17, 04 9:22 pm
abracadabra

take two darvocet and keep goin..

Aug 17, 04 9:28 pm  · 
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David Zeibin

That's the problem: I haven't even started drawing yet. I'm just mounting it on the board. Ja, ha.

Aug 17, 04 9:37 pm  · 
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mdler

use a piece of matboard instead

Aug 17, 04 9:41 pm  · 
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dragthelake

steal a new one from a desk in the architecture + design building...avoid the ones with cuts in it already.

Aug 17, 04 9:41 pm  · 
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David Zeibin

These are all great ideas. Seriously.

However, I have this big ol' piece o' board that is fantastic and great. And I have this big ol' piece o' Borco that is fantastic and great, aside from the wavy wrinkles. And what I really want to do is combine the fantasticity and greatness into one monolith of awesome.

Maybe I'll just stare at it a bit longer until it goes away.

Aug 17, 04 10:02 pm  · 
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anatomical gift

Patience young Daniel San.

Aug 17, 04 10:19 pm  · 
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kn825

maybe if you put a really big book on it.

Aug 17, 04 10:20 pm  · 
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Ormolu

First, DO NOT attach it to the board with anything, even if it seems flat, until you've let it lie flat for at least a couple days. Put the Borco face-down (curling downward in the opposite direction from the the way it is rolled) and pile heavy flat things on top of it - like plywood.

Letting it lie in the sun will only work if it is hot enough to do a bit of shrinking - but you need to make sure it is flat and weighted down in order to do this. If you leave it in the sun warped or rolled you'll just bake in the wrinkles. One thing you can try with a particularly stubborn warp is to press it between two sheets of plywood and leave this lying flat in your car in the sun for a few hours.

Aug 17, 04 10:22 pm  · 
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David Zeibin

I've already let it sit in my living room, albeit not compressed or heated, for about four days. I'll throw something on top of it and leave it until tomorrow...

Aug 17, 04 10:34 pm  · 
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Tectonic

brother I hate to to tell you this ...............but.............my borco has had the same waves for about 4 years. Needless to say I've tried everything, even leting it sit for about 6 months between my mattress and my boxspring. Good luck, as of now I don't know anything that works. It appears to me that it does some kind of shrinking with heat, and once that occurs you will have the curse for years. It's kind of like breaking a mirror in the old days.

Aug 17, 04 10:52 pm  · 
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greengoblin

is it brand new?? if it is, you have to let it sit for at least a couple weeks. yeah, don't attach it to the board, or put anything on top of it. The wrinkles will eventually go away by itself, but moutning it to something right now will result in permanent wrinkles.

Aug 18, 04 12:36 am  · 
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David Zeibin

It is brand new. Why wouldn't I want to put anything on top of it? I am getting conflicting advice...

Sadly, I don't really have a couple of weeks. I need "action" by Monday morning...

Aug 18, 04 12:45 am  · 
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Ormolu

Well you don't want to put things on top of it that won't let it move independently, and you don't want to put things on it that don't cover the whole thing uniformly - i.e. no stacks of books and no clamping it between things. But, I've had success with the plywood method, because the Borco is able to expand and contract between the sheets of plywood, which are uniform and don't create any pressure points on it.

Aug 18, 04 9:17 am  · 
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design geek-girl

I use the vyco brand, which, from the sound of it, is a bit easier to work with. I never mounted mine, I use it as a travelling drafting board, by taping to any available desk in my vicinity. I roll it up against the curve a few times, and then in the opposite direction and it's good to go.

But, my teacher did suggest using a hardryer to soften it up. He also suggested placing it in a warm bath. Try either one.

Aug 18, 04 10:18 am  · 
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le bossman

dg2

i think your boss might've been getting at something else....

Aug 18, 04 10:35 am  · 
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le bossman

sorry, i'm just feeling like a perv today

that mightve been out of bounds heh heh

Aug 18, 04 10:36 am  · 
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design geek-girl

oh, it's ok, everyone has their dirty old man moments... even me.

heh, just kidding.

Aug 18, 04 10:40 am  · 
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le bossman

well in that case it would've been a lot funnier if i didn't apologize

i gotta stop doing that

Aug 18, 04 10:42 am  · 
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David Zeibin

After 13 hours of compression (full coverage), it's a bit better everywhere and a lot better near the edges. The little waves in the centre still persist but they don't seem as noticeable now. Thanks everyone.

Also, for the sake of interest, does anyone one know what Borco/Vyco is actually made of? I'm curious about all the shrinking/baking in/baking out/"melting" things I've heard.

Aug 18, 04 12:27 pm  · 
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le bossman

its some type of vinyl product. maybe PVC

Aug 18, 04 12:37 pm  · 
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Frit

I don't know what Borco is made of, but there was a guy in my first year class who figured rubber is rubber, so he went out a got himself a scrap of EPDM membrane to use as a drawing surface. This thing was 1/4" thick and looked like a spare tire stretched over his desk. Didn't work very well either.

Aug 18, 04 1:01 pm  · 
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sluggo

Vyco is made from VBC or Vinylbenzyl Chloride, a monomer. If you have an innovative use in mind for this material, Dow would like to help you.

Why I felt compelled to look this up, I have no idea.

Aug 18, 04 2:50 pm  · 
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aeaa

what is a drafting board?

Aug 18, 04 3:44 pm  · 
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post-neorealcrapismist

gas and a lighter, burn the s.o.b.

do everything by freehand, fight the machine

Aug 18, 04 5:13 pm  · 
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