In decoupage and the like, an emulsion composition of vinyl acetate, which is described in for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,005, has been heretofore known as a finishing composition for covering a surface of a product. This emulsion composition, however, is used as a decoupage finishing agent and merely as an adhesive for prints. Transfer Coat (tradename: manufactured by Gentie, Inc., transfer liquid) etc. is a so-called “decoupage transfer liquid” for transferring and applying pictures or drawings onto a substrate having a substantially flat surface configuration. This has drawbacks such that, even rewetted with water after coating and drying, elongation is insufficient and a film, which is sufficiently suitable for a substrate, could not be formed. Conventionally, printing paper, transfer paper or the like, which is covered with a film, exists, but a film separated from paper is hard and, thus, elongation was insufficient. Therefore, images were cracked and a complex surface could not be covered.
Regarding conventional transfer methods, the general procedure thereof and problems involved therein are described below.
(1) A transfer liquid is coated on paper having images printed thereon (e.g., general photographs and color copied images) 8 to 10 times. In this case, bubbles are likely to be generated even at the time of coating at room temperature.
(2) A transfer liquid is dried. Time required for air drying per coating is about 30 to 40 minutes. In this case, a conventional liquid cannot be warm-air dried because air bubbles are likely to be generated when warm-air dried with a hair dryer.
(3) Coated paper was allowed to stand overnight after coating. Because of a fear of cracks on an image-printed paper, which is incorporated into one with a coated layer prepared by coating of a transfer liquid upon immersion in water, the paper is immersed in warm water for about 15 minutes. In this case, a neutral detergent may be added in order to facilitate the separation of paper. The surface will be roughened if immersed for a long period of time and, thus, the paper should be immersed in water no longer than 40 minutes.
(4) Subsequently, paper, which was softened through immersion in water, was scrubbed over a long period of time and a residual image and a film (transfer film) for supporting therefor are collected. In this case, time and techniques are required in scrubbing of paper. A transfer film is sometimes damaged and the resulting image lacks clearness.
(5) A transfer film is applied onto a substrate to which the transfer film is transferred (transfer substrate). A film prepared from a conventional liquid can be applied onto a curved surface having a flat adhering surface. When there are irregularities on the transfer substrate, the whole substrate cannot be covered with a single sheet of film due to insufficient elongation of the film. Thus, the substrate can be only covered segment by segment and the film can only cope with a height of 3 mm to 4 mm. When forcibly applied, a film prepared from a conventional liquid is not likely to be reduced to the original size if excessively elongated. The film prepared from a conventional liquid is likely to be hardened and cracked and, thus, is not adequate to the dry storage as a transfer film.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate drawbacks of a conventional transfer liquid or transfer method and to provide a polymer composition for film formation providing a film having good elongation sufficiently coping with a surface of a substrate having sharp irregularities thereon and a transfer liquid containing the composition through the application of a polymer composition for film formation onto a substrate supporting by an object to be transferred, drying, and then rewetting with water.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a transfer method using the polymer composition for film formation and an article prepared by the transfer method.
The further object of the present invention is to provide a decorating method using the polymer composition for film formation and an article prepared by the decorating method.