From mach25@indy.net Wed Jul 24 09:46:30 1996 24 Jul 96 12:46:26 +0500 24 Jul 96 00:34:37 +0500 (8.6.13/IDA-1.6 for ); Tue, 23 Jul 1996 23:29:40 -0500 Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 23:36:45 -0500 From: Fred Becker Subject: Front Panel Marking I found this on a newsgroup and thought it might be of interest: Source--seeker@indirect.com (Stan Eker) Earl Kiosterud (earlk@livenet.net) wrote: : FRONT PANEL LETTERING : Anyone have info on good ways to do front panel lettering for electronic : prototypes and one-time projects? I've tried: : Laser-printed labels on plain paper, cut out and attached to panel with : polyurethane under and over the labels. -- looks promising. (I'm waiting for : the polyurethane to dry right now). I use laser-printed (or color bubble-jet for special effects) stuff done on the A-sized full sheet label stock, then cover it with adhesive vinyl or acetate (your local art supply shop should have it). It's quicker than spray urethane and has better durability. The boxes of full sheet label stock work easier than paper + adhesive, although they cost a d@mn lot (roughly $25 per box of 50-100 sheets). Now, if I could only find a cheap source for legal sized full sheet label stock, I'd be happier for the few projects that 11" won't fit. The pre-adhesive label stock has better adhesion than rubber cement or other post applied adhesives, and won't dissolve bubblejet ink. I pre-trim the edges of the paper to the final size and CAREFULLY lay the label against the front panel (you only get one shot at it) and then rub it down firmly to remove any bubbles. Then I lay the oversized adhesive acetate on top of the paper label stock, and trim the edges with an X-acto or single-edge razor blade. Finally, I use some brass tubes (round and rectangular) from the hobby shop to punch out the holes. The inside edges of the tubes were carefully filed to work as somewhat decent punches, but they don't last too long. A couple of quick taps with a wood mallet and Viola! you're done. If you're bright, you already have circles printed on the label so you can get the holes OK. If you've undersized the paper label by a small amount (.050-.1") then the final product is nearly waterproof and looks almost professional. No muss or fuss with the urethane dissolving bubblejet ink or messing up the toner, and you're done in just minutes. Give it a try... and thank the nameless person that suggested it to me years ago. From Christopher_List@sonymusic.com Wed Jul 24 09:51:30 1996 24 Jul 96 12:51:26 +0500 24 Jul 96 11:25:45 +0500 id sma019138; Wed Jul 24 10:14:53 1996 From: Christopher List Date: 24 Jul 96 9:43:21 Subject: Re: Front Panel Marking > I use laser-printed (or color bubble-jet for special effects) stuff done on > the A-sized full sheet label stock, then cover it with adhesive vinyl or > acetate (your local art supply shop should have it). It's quicker than > spray urethane and has better durability. I did a similar thing for all of my panels with this stuff called "Eviro-Tex Lite". It's an expoy coating that drys to a thickness between 1/32 and 1/16". It drys totally hard, nearly scratchproof. Won't peal up and it's very durable. It's much easier to use on small panels than big ones (though I have done a full 4 rack-space panel). For small panels I mix the A + B, pour it on so that it beads in the center and spreads out slowly to cover the whole thing. Judging the optimum amount to pour on is the hardest part, but the excess just flows off the edges (do it on wax paper - it won't stick) - let it dry for about 1 or two hours, then gentle lay a piece of clear mylar transparency stuff over it - flow one side to the other so that no bubbles get under it. Then let it dry over night. The mylar will (with a little picking at the edges) just rip off of the front leaving a perfectly flat, smooth plastic surface. After 12 hours of drying it's still soft enough to cut away the excess around the edges with a razor. After about 24 hours it gets really hard. It makes the panel into a solid block of metal, then paper then epoxy-plastic. I also computer-draw my panel paper with a size that's 1/10" smaller than the panel size to make the edges just metal / epoxy with no paper in between. For big panels I just pour the stuff on and let it dry (with out the mylar on top), so the edges have a little beading to them and the surface isn't <> flat. The beading makes the whole thing look like a big ceramic tile. I got the Enviro-Tex from Pearl Paint here in the city, you should be able to order it from them, or get it from a plastics or arts and crafts store (regular folks use it to make those cheesy driftwood-with-a-picture-of-Elvis-in-the-middle clocks). - CList