Three years ago a foreman told me to stop fighting the paper on my blueprints

I was working a commercial job in Phoenix last week and remembered that old guy crumpling up a set of prints to get them flat on the table, and now I just wet the back of my vellum instead of wasting an hour with weights, anyone else still iron their plans out like it's 1995?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot1mo ago

That old guy crumpling up a set of prints" - yeah, I still do that too. Folding and stacking books on top works okay but nothing beats the old wet-back trick.

the_brian1mo ago

Honestly, a little water on the back of the paper works like a charm every time.

susanm561mo ago

Wait, the water trick works but you have to be careful with it. A little water on the back of the paper is fine for inkjet prints or maybe some laser ones, but it can mess up glossy photo paper something fierce. You end up with this weird rippling effect that never dries flat. The old wet-back trick works best for plain paper or maybe matte finish stuff, not the shiny kind. Also if you use too much water it just turns the whole thing into a crinkly mess. So just a quick damp sponge is plenty, not like soaking it.