April's Review	Andrea's Review	Penny's Review	Stephanie's Review	Pomaika`i's Review

Review by April

When I first saw Staedtler's Hot Foil Pen, I was intrigued by the idea of being able to write with a tool that heats up and transfers foil all while you are holding it like a pen. Since I always love trying something new and I have thoroughly enjoyed all the other Staedtler products I have reviewed, I was exited and looking forward to this review.

For this review I received one Staedtler Hot Foil Pen, and one package of Foil Refills. The hot foil pen is approximately 6 inches long with the cap on, it has a smooth metal surface, and the body of the pen is a little bit bigger than that of a regular paint pen. There were two reusable stickers, a few sheets of tracing paper, one die cut tracing stencil with images like palm trees, hearts, moon and stars, etc...and six sheets of foil (3 each silver and gold) included in the package with the pen. The package of foil refills contained 12 sheets of 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" foil with three each in rainbow, red, blue, and green.

To use the hot foil pen, you unscrew the top and place two AA batteries inside the canister. The batteries are not included with the pen and Staedtler does not suggest using rechargeable batteries. Next you lay the foil, shiny side up, over the surface you want to write on and then depress and hold the button located close to the tip of the pen for 5 seconds while the pen preheats. Then you just simply write or draw on the foil while keeping the button fully depressed. Even though the package states that the battery life span is about 35 minutes of on time, I was still a little concerned at first that the pen might eat up batteries faster than I could create, however I completed both my projects and a couple of other practice rounds with plenty of battery life still left for future uses.

On my first layout, I used the hot foil pen to dress up a chipboard star, and decorative chipboard border. It was a little bit difficult to color since I had to set the foil on top of the embellishments and basically just feel around the edges. The foil did come off fairly easy which was great, however since there is only one tip size, the foil only rubs off in thin lines where you have placed the tip and this made it hard to cover the entire surface area. I wanted to try out journaling with the pen so I decided to write "My Favorites" for the title using red foil. The pen instructions state that you need to apply stronger pressure when writing and also move at a slower speed. I thought this might be difficult to do, but it actually was quite easy and I was thrilled that it didn't leave any gaps or uncovered areas. Although I couldn't be exactly sure of where my letters would end up and on this layout the word ended up coming out crooked, I was still fairly pleased with the results and lucky for me, it almost looks like it's supposed to be crooked to coordinate with my son's handwriting below.

Title: Favorites of Memphis
Products used:
Hot Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Foil Sheets (Staedtler: Red Foil Sheets)
Patterned Paper (Creative Imaginations)
Chipboard (7gypsies)
Glitter Glue (Ranger Stickles)
Metal Clips (7gypsies)
Stickers (Heidi Swapp)
Die Cut Ticket (Creative Imaginations)
Brad (Making Memories)
Pens (Sanford Uni-ball, & American Crafts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

After getting more of a feel for the hot foil pen, I decided to try using the tracing paper included in the kit so I could have greater control while tracing an image onto my paper. I used a pretty clear swirl stamp to create the image, and then I taped the tracing paper to the top of the gold foil and laid it down on my patterned paper. If you were wanting an exact image or design this is the method I would suggest. You can see where the design on my layout does not look completely filled in, but again this is because the swirl lines were thick and the tip of the pen only rubs off thin lines. Since I am all about distressing, I decided to distress the edges of my photo and the patterned paper with the gold foil and I loved the results!

Title: Happy Together
Products used:
Hot Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Foil Sheets (Staedtler: Gold Sheets)
Patterned Paper (Making Memories, & Daisy D's)
Transparent Overlay (Hambly Screen Prints)
Buttons (From My Grandmother's Vintage Button Stash)
Flowers (Prima)
Decorative Brad (Paper Studio)
Die Cuts (Daisy D's, Autumn Leaves, & Jenni Bowlin)
Pen (American Crafts)
Stamp (Fancy Pants)
Rub ons (SEI)
Metal Clips (7gypsies)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I thought the Staedtler hot foil pen was definitely a unique tool and I appreciated the chance to review it. I do plan on using this pen again in the future, however I feel more comfortable using it on altered projects, or other art creations where I am not concerned about being exact or precise. There are a couple of changes I think might make it a little more user friendly. I would love to have a choice of different tip sizes, especially a couple of wider tips. The main thing I struggled with was having to hold down the button the entire time I was writing with the pen. Not only was it difficult to do, but it also hurt my fingers. I think if Staedtler could find a way to change the pen so you only had to push down the button to click it on and then just click it again to turn it off then that would be awesome! I also noticed that the package said the pen was only for use with Staedtler hot foil, but I tried it using other companies foils and it worked great so that was a huge plus! In my opinion, the Staedtler hot foil pen is a cool artistic tool that would be great for altered or abstract projects and it adds an interesting touch to one's creations.

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Review by Andrea

Yes, my name is Andrea and I am a self-professed scrapbook gadget junkie. Bring on that unusual trimmer, tool or pen and I'll try it out! Enter the Staedtler Hot Foil Pen. I had not experienced this product before even though it's been out for some time, believe it or not! How exciting, a new tool to play with!

The package has a great insert with full-color samples, lots of ideas and a starter package of silver and gold foil along with the pen. The Hot Foil Pen operates on two AA batteries (not included), so the barrel of the pen is about the size of a large paint or permanent marker. It's 6" long and a bit weighted when the batteries are in. The tip is about the size of a bullet tip marker and rounded. There is a button to press to activate the heat near the grip area with a small red LED below it, letting you know that the pen is "on". The tip does become hot almost instantly, so pressing the button is only needed when you're ready to work on your project.

The 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" foil sheets that came in the kit were great to start. Also included for the review was an additional foil pack of rainbow, red, green and blue. Tracing paper and repositionable stickers were also in the kit, providing those extra touches to make your design come out well.

The instructions seemed simple: heat the pen for 5 seconds, lay down the foil and trace or write. I tried a couple test areas first and found that it was definitely important to keep the foil from moving by using the included stickers. The less the foil moved, the crisper the design came out. Also, varying the pressure of the pen while operating gave different line widths. Overall, the pen did perform as desired and I improved with practice.

Adding another design layer to patterned paper, especially a beautifully foiled layer, was what I wanted to do for the first project. I used a mask across the page and foiled around the outside to get a simple outline design over the existing printed pattern on the paper. I had a little difficulty with the small sheets of foil on such a large design. I needed to keep moving the foil and turning it to get an unused area exposed to continue with the design. I really like the result and added some extra shading touches and filled the flower centers with more foil to really make it stand out. A large piece of foil would have been great to lay down, but also more difficult to hold taunt. I would like to try a larger piece just to see how it would work with a design like this.

Title: Backyard Beauty
Products used: Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye, Bohemia)
Hot Foil Pen and Foil Refills (Staedtler)
Flower Mask (Heidi Swapp)
Letters (American Crafts Thickers)
Ribbon (JoAnn's)
Calendar (Elle's Studio)
Stickles (Ranger)
Sketch (ScrapFriends)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Moving onto using a template, this next layout was much quicker with less detail than the first one. I laid the foil down and placed the template over the area to place the stars. This was a much easier process that went quickly and had a great result. Overlapping the stars was not a problem for the foil. It transferred very nicely to the cardstock and photos.

Title: July 4th
Products used: Patterned Paper and Ric Rac (My Mind's Eye, Confetti)
Hot Foil Pen and Foil Refills (Staedtler)
Stamps (Stampendous and Stampabilities)
Paint (Ranger)
Star Template (Fiskars)
Sketch (ScrapFriends)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For this card, I stamped the image on the foil and traced it to transfer the foil. Since this was a small design, it worked really well with the foil sheets. The gold foil was perfect for this treasure chest!

Title: Buck-eye Bob's Treasure
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Foil and Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Stamps (Starving Artistamps)
Ink (Ranger Archival)
Embossing Powder (Inque Boutique and Ranger)
Pens (Creative Memories and Sakura Glaze)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

This product was really a fun one! Foil embellishments and accents on patterned paper are both very hot right now. The foiled papers are rather expensive, so using this foil pen can create that look on any patterned paper for a lot less money. Having the ability to create your own foiled designs is really fun too and greatly adds to the creative process. I would like to see larger foil sheets and more colors, like pink, purple, brown and black. After all of the work I did, I still didn't need to replace the batteries in the pen. The package claims 35 minutes of "on-time", but I believe that's a conservative number.

I'm glad to have added this new tool to my stash! With more practice, I'll get even better at placing the foil exactly where I want. This will be great for accenting those holiday cards! Imagine buying a box of store cards and using this pen to embellish them just a little bit? NICE touch and a beautiful result that will impress everyone receiving a card! All from one Hot Foil Pen!

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Review by Penny

This month I had the pleasure of reviewing Staedtler's Hot Foil Pen. Similar in size and shape to a large-barrel ballpoint pen, this tool is easy to maneuver and store--both qualities that are essential for me to not only buy a new tool but to continue using it. The initial purchase of the Hot Foil Pen costs about $12.59 and includes everything you need to get started.

The Hot Foil Pen requires two AA batteries. Simply insert the batteries into the barrel of the pen and screw the point back on. The heating begins once you press a small button placed toward the bottom of the pen where your hand will be. Four seconds is all it takes to preheat the pen. There are a few tips instructing you to use a slow motion and firm pressure while applying the foil. Seems easy enough!

There are two foil refill packs available: Gold/Silver or Red/Blue/Green/Rainbow. The foil pieces are small in size--about 3 1/2" x 5" and cost about $2.20 per pack. I've experienced other foils to be sensitive to touch or creasing of any sort. The foil used with the Hot Foil Pen didn't seem as fussy and I was able to move it and place it on my desk without worrying about the foil becoming damaged.

There was a small chipboard template included in our review package with a small star, musical note, flower, leaf and several other shapes. I used the star shape to create the stars on my first project.

Title: Freak Out!
Products Used: Hot Foil Pen, Foil and Template (Staedtler)
Cardstock (Prism, Prima)
Patterned Paper (Jenni Bowlin, Prima)
Alphabet Die Cuts (Tinkering Ink)
Acrylic Paint (Making Memories)
Marker (Zig)
Stickers (Creative Imaginations)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Glue Runner, Elmer's Glue Stick)

For my second project I traced a rub on swirl by placing the included tracing paper overtop and tracing the swirl as a guide for my foiling. In order to do this you have to be very careful to place your foil and tracing paper exactly above the rub on. I accomplished this by placing the tracing paper down first to make sure my tracing was in line with the rub on then I carefully slid the foil sheet underneath and kept it steady with the two removable tape strips included in the package and my hand.

I did notice in this project that the foil does not transfer easily (if at all) to fabric. It may not be the right medium for the foil but I would like to try this again and see if I achieve the same results.

Title: Learn to Swim
Products Used: Hot Foil Pen and Foil (Steadtler)
Cardstock-Nautical Blue Light (Prism)
Patterned Paper (Luxe)
Brad (SEI)
Grungeboard (Tim Holtz for Advantus)
Acrylic Paint, Distress Ink (Tim Holtz for Ranger)
Stickers (Making Memories)
Border Tape (Prima)
Rub Ons (Heidi Grace)
Die Cut Arrow (Scenic Route)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Glue Runner, Elmer's Glue Stick)
Marker (Sharpie)
Other: fabric

Lastly, I used the gold foil to create a distressed border around the focal photo in this page. I achieved the distressed look by running the Hot Foil Pen around the photo several times.

Title: Life With Milo
Products Used: Hot Foil Pen and Foil (Staedtler)
Patterned Paper, Die Cuts, Stickers (BasicGrey)
Brads (Prima)
Glimmer Mist (on brads) (Tattered Angels)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Glue Runner)
Other: ribbon

I give two thumbs up for Staedtler's Hot Foil Pen. It is easy to operate and store and has a variety of uses. I also liked that the foil needed the heat to transfer making it seem less sensitive to handling than other foils can be. Seriously, this is a really cool tool!

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Review by Stephanie

I had the opportunity to review Staedtler’s Hot Foil Pen and Foils this month. I honestly had never seen this product before. Staedtler makes awesome art supplies, so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed in this product selection.

I received the complete package which contained a hot foil pen, 2 reusable stickers, tracing paper and 3 sheets each of gold and silver foils. I also received a second package of foils containing 3 sheets each of red, green, blue and rainbow, as well as 2 sheets of tracing paper, reusable stickers and some small chipboard shapes that could be used “as is” or as stenciling pieces. Each foil sheet measured approximately 3 ½ x 5.

The hot foil pen uses 2 AA batteries. The instructions indicate that the batteries last about 35 minutes with continual use. And I did find out the hard way that the batteries do need to be replaced, because once the batteries fail, the foil does not melt. Once you insert the batteries, wait for the pen to heat up, which takes just a few seconds, and remember to keep your finger on the button so the pen stays hot enough to melt the foil.

I first decided to play around and see what the foils would do. I was able to use the foils quite successfully on acrylic pieces, on chipboard (both raw and painted), on grungeboard, and with stencils. I also found that the foils worked really well on textured cardstock. The foil transferred easily and effortlessly, as long as you maintained an even pressure and depressed the button to maintain the heat flow. I forgot several times and needed to redo a section or two. But, since everything is taped down in advance to avoid movement, that did not create any major issues.

Here are a few items on which I tried the foils.

Once I created some samples and was comfortable with the foils, I decided to create some cards. These cards look great with the foils, and took very little time to create. Once you have selected your cardstock, place the foil (shiny side up) on the cardstock, then place the stencil on the foil. Use the reusable stickers to hold everything in place, then just follow the outline of the stencil. By gently lifting the foil, you can see if there are any areas that need to be refoiled.

Title: Flower Card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism, Tawny Dark)
Hot Foil Pen, Foils (Staedtler)
Punches (Fiskars, Stampin Up)
Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)
Stamp (Stampendous)
Ink (Colorbox)
Stencil (American Traditional)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Xyron)

This Halloween card was fun to create. Using the same method described above, I decided to take apart a Sizzix embossing folder and use the metal pumpkin as a stencil.

Title: Boo
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Seaside, Fire Pit, Desert Coral Medium)
Pattern Paper (Basic Grey)
Hot Foil Pen, Foils (Staedtler)
Stencil (Sizzix Embossing Folder)
Flowers (Heidi Swapp)
Paper Tagger (Around the Block)
Acrylic Tag (Nicole)
Ribbon (Unknown)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Xyron)

Since the foils worked so well on textured cardstock, I decided to work on a layout using the foils in a number of different ways. I used the red foil on my chipboard numbers and in the center of the “e” in father. Since I needed a different color “h” in father, I also used foil to change the existing color of the “h” from blue to red. I used blue foil on my chipboard letters. I then used both the red and blue on the cardstock as part of my background. I love how it adhered to the texture.

Title: Father, Son
Products used: Cardstock (Prism, Seaside, Fire Pit)
Patterned Paper, Die Cuts (Tinkering Ink)
Hot Foil Pen, Foils (Staedtler)
Chipboard (Heidi Swapp)
Other (Machine Stitching)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Xyron)

I had a lot of fun using the Hot Foil Pen and the Foils. The colors are bright and true and the application process was extremely easy and fun to work with. With a little practice there are many ways in which the foils can be used quite effectively. I would have liked to have seen larger sheets of foils, though. While this size is perfect for small chipboard piece, stencils or cards, larger foils would work well on bigger elements or a layout. Thanks Staedtler for allowing me to create with such a fun product.

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Review by Pomaika`i

You might not immediately recognize the name Staedtler, however if you have ever held a pencil or used a white eraser, chances are that a Staedtler product has crossed your path sometime in your lifetime. I imagine that all artists big and small are familiar with Staedtler's Mars Lumograph line of drawing pencils with their bright blue body and black head (no eraser). And I bet you didn't know that Johann Sebastian Staedtler (founder) is credited with creating the colored pencil in 1834? Though the Staedtler company has roots in the 19th Century, they have certainly kept up with the changing times as you will see shortly.

I am not a real glitzy (bling-bling) scrapbooker, so when I found out that I was doing a review on the Staedtler hot foil pen, I had mixed feelings. I was excited to try a new toy, but wondered if I would be able to incorporate this tool into my style. Also, I tend to avoid tools that require too many steps since I like my art to be instant, no fuss no muss, and since I had no idea how this pen worked, I was not sure I would even be able to use it correctly. This would be an entirely new experience for me.

I quickly found out that the Staedtler Hot Foil Pen is simple to use. The foil is transfered from foil sheets to your project by direct heat. You place the foil sheet on the item you want to "foil" and use your Hot Foil Pen to write or draw your design. The foil will transfer to a variety of surfaces including leather, paper, ribbon, photos, cards, wood, and plastics (non oil based).

The Staedtler Hot Foil Pen came in a plastic package which included six pieces (4.75" x 3.5") of metallic foil, three gold and three silver, 2 reusable stickers (to hold the foil in place while you are working), tracing paper and instructions. The foil sheets are incredibly thin, and stick together by static electricity, so be sure you are working with only one sheet at a time. When you work with the Hot Foil Pen, you need to place the foil shiny side up on your project. The back side of the foil sheet is dull, making it easy to tell which side to place up when working. I also received a package of Foil Refills which contained 12 sheets, three of each color: Rainbow, Red, Blue and Green. After opening the package of foil and working with a few sheets, I transfered the whole stack of foil to a larger flat storage bag because I felt sure I was going to damage the foil trying to force it back into the original packaging.

The Hot Foil Pen is about six inches long, made of a light weight metal with a black plastic tip and has a 2.25" diameter. The pen barrel is comfortable. even for my small hands to hold, and with two AA batteries (not included), the pen weight feels good and is easy to manipulate. The tip of the pen is a nice size, small enough to create detailed lettering and large enough to fill in shapes. There is a power button near the tip of the pen, around where your index finger rests when writing, and an indicator light right below that. You need to continuously depress the button while transferring the foil to your project because the default position of the switch is off. At first I was skeptical, was I coordinated enough to write while holding the switch down? Rest assured, it was no problem at all, and I really like this safety feature.

After reading the instructions, which are brief, but thorough, I started my first project. I love to take my son to Cirque Du Soleil, and Le Cirque is about as glitzy as you can get for a layout subject. First I created a background on my cardstock using acrylic paint on a crumpled kleenex. Then I sanded the edges of my photos and laid them out. I used a ruler to create my border with a Rainbow Foil sheet and the Staedtler Hot Foil Pen, which was pretty easy. So far so good. Now for the corner embellishments. I skipped the tracing paper and stamped my design directly onto the surface of the foil sheet. I used regular dye ink which disappeared when I traced that part of the design. I could have used Stazon, but the dye ink worked fine, just be careful not to smudge the design before you trace it. I was totally impressed when I lifted the foil to see the beautiful design that was transfered! I finished my page off with a title using Red Foil, and I tried my hand at transferring foil on to a photograph (see bottom right corner). Smooth!

Title: Mon & Kai
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Hot Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Foil (Staedtler)
Acrylic Paint (Golden)
Stamps (Inque Boutique)
Other (Sandpaper)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Tacky Glue)

I was really pleased with the results of my first page. I did follow the hint about using the included re-usable stickers to mount your foil before tracing and recommend this when you are doing intricate designs.

"Wow", I thought to myself, "this is Hot Foil Pen technique is really fun"! My next page was an experiment in free-hand design. Our family recently lost our wonderful adopted Grandmother who reached the amazing age of 102. Newspaper articles are not pretty, but I really wanted to have a record of this one for our album. I free handed the elements on this page, except the crown stamp design in the bottom right corner. For the long border, I moved the foil sheet up as I finished each section. I did not use the sticky tape to hold down the foil sheet on this project, since I wanted to see where I was placing the designs, and that required me to lift the foil up every so often. The layout will not in any awards for beauty, but I sure had fun creating it thanks to Staedtler!

Title: Our Parky
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Hot Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Foil (Staedtler)
Ink (Adirondak)
Stamps (Queen Kat Designs)
Other (Silk flowers)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Tacky Glue)

I just couldn't stop there, I had to do more! My final project for this review is a card. I took a transparency of a vintage photo and added wings with the Staedtler Hot Foil Pen and Silver Foil. Because you can't see the surface you are decorating while the foil sheet is covering it, I had to mask my princess. I used a sheet of scrap vellum to mask the area I did not want foiled. I stamped directly onto the foil sheet and placed the wings were I wanted them by carefully lining them up before I started the transfer. When I was finished, I noticed that I missed some spots and had to re-stamp and re-align my design to fill in the missing lines. It was a little more difficult than just drawing the line in, but I really love the foil effect, so in this case, it's worth the extra step. I was very happy that the foil transfered to the transparency with no problems and is permanent.

Princess Angel
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Hot Foil Pen (Staedtler)
Foil (Staedtler)
Image (Melanie Sage)
Stamps (Queen Kat Designs)
Ink (Adirondak)
Other (Washi paper)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Tacky Glue)

I was extremely pleased to work with the Hot Foil Pen and Foil Refills. I highly recommend it for adding beautiful metallic accents to your projects. It does what it claims and works 100% perfectly. The best part is that it is so fun to use. Scrappers and general crafters alike will enjoy this tool. The price is very reasonable (pen starter set is under $13 and the refills are a little more than $2) for a tool that you will reach for many times, even if you are not a real "bling-bling" scrapper. You can probably tell that I got pretty addicted to it. I kept looking around my studio thinking about what I could add some metallic accents to next. Foil would be great for Christmas...Hmmm. With products like the Hot Foil Pen and Foil Refills, the Staedtler Company will continue its legacy long into the new millennium.

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