Hand-held laminating roller

A hand tool for the application of pressure by a user to the surface of a laminar structure during the mounting thereof to a substrate, said hand tool comprising, in combination:

• a pair of mounting plates with one of the pair being the mirror image of the other, each having in a corresponding corner thereof an opening therein to receive one end of a shaft;
• a pressure block having a notched corner, said pressure block having substantially parallel upper and lower faces and dimensioned to fit the hand of the user, said pressure block attachable to said mounting plates with one of the mounting plates fitting to each side of the pressure block, each said mounting plate when mounted to said pressure block with said lower face extending to the notched corner and arranged to extend beyond the side of the pressure block and to have the shaft opening coincident with the notched corner;
• said pressure block, in turn further comprising:
• groove means for accommodating, when the tool is grasped by the user, the fingertips of the user, said grove means situated in the lower face of the pressure block;
• a shaft adapted, when the mounting plates are attached to said pressure block, to be fixedly captive within said shaft openings in said mounting plates and to be housed within the notched portion of said pressure block;
• a tubular roller of a low-friction material mounted coaxially with and rotatably about said shaft and extending, when the mounting plates are attached to said pressure block, substantially along the exposed length of the captive shaft;
• and,
• a roller cover of a high-friction material mounted coaxially with and adhered to said tubular roller and being substantially coextensive therewith;
• whereby, while mounting a laminar structure to a substrate, with the user's hand about the pressure block and the heel of his hand above the roller, pressure is provided by the user pushing the roller cover against the surface of the laminar structure.

A method of applying a laminar structure to a substrate using a laminating tool having a hand-conforming pressure block, including a forward edge and a heelplate on the upper surface, and a roller mounted within a notched corner below the heelplate, said method employing a known bonding process and comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing said substrate to receive said laminar structure in accordance with the bonding process employed;
• (b) carefully positioning said laminar structure on the suitably prepared said substrate while maintaining registrations, if any, between the mating surfaces thereof;
• (c) gripping the tool about the forward edge while placing the heel of the hand on the heelplate of the upper surface of the laminating tool and above the roller;
• (d) exerting pressure on the non-mating surface of the laminar structure with the forearm of the user's arm as close to normal to the surface of the laminar structure as feasible;
• and,
• (e) securely seating the laminar structure onto the substrate.