I just tried clear adhesive backed labels. Nothing fancy, just text and clip art in b&w. Looks good, but the pre-colored white Hammond I bought is very very slightly mottled. Not quite smooth as glass. I don't know if I had even noticed. The adhesive is very thin, so it doesn't fill these really small bubbles. I hesitate to even call them that. Should I have sanded? I would think not. Should I have clear coated a few layers? And then sanded? I also recall someone using a watered down Elmers glue, which dries clear and gets squeezed out the side and wiped off. Seems like something with a little more glueyness to it might fill gaps more than very thin clear coat or the label adhesive. Otherwise I think I will like this more than decals.
Also, there's a gent in the forum who recommends clearing out the holes with a cheap soldering iron, pushed thru from the top. The idea being that the damage won't be more than the washer will cover. The idea of razoring out the holes, to the point where the parts can be pushed thru the holes without lifting a piece of the label, sounds a bit aggravating. Laziness is the mother of (re) invention.
Why not use a pointy X-Acto blade to cut the clear stock from the holes? It just takes a couple of seconds with a sharp blade.
Before any graphics, I wet sand with at least 400 grit (using a block) to knock down the high spots, then clear, another pass with wet sanding- as many iterations as it takes to wind up with a flat surface (usually 2).
Bubbles under clear vinyl is not uncommon. There are 3 types I come across regularly
1. The really big ones caused by clumsy application - sometimes they can be sorted by popping with a pin and pressed down from the outside of the bubble toward the pin hole
2. Silvering. This is a kind of sheen under the surface which will usually self rectify overnight
3. Chemical interaction. If the adhesive reacts with the surface, little bubbles of gas can form which may be reabsorbed after a time but often not. There very visible with clear materials and imho are more common with solvent based adhesives
If you are really seeing bubbles from a physical defect of the surface, you could try some heat. Vinyls soften when warmed( heat gun but don't go mad) and the vinyl forced into crevices.
If the surface is lumpy, you may have to sand but I've no experience of this
Regarding cutting out he holes, I use a very sharp blade and only cut on the downstroke. Never had the vinyl lift this way
Too slow - Cosy beat me....
With the exacto (I said "razor", meant exacto) you have to cut on the surface of the box, no? Making little slices around the hole? If you stick the blade in the hole and slowly roll around the edge, I would expect the label/decal/transparency to get lifted by the insertion of the pots and switches. Know what I mean?
You think this adhesive backed label is vinyl? Maybe I'll put a scrap of it under a heat gun for a bit. Mottled or not, this particular pedal is done, and still is the nicest looking pedal I've ever made. No more Ptouch.
I have some clear too but mostly use inkjet vinyl labels. The rub is you have to clear coat the labels to fix the print or it rubs off before you get it on the box. A small price to pay since I clear coat several times after label application anyway.
I use an exacto type blade to cut out the holes.
I used to use inkjet self adhesive photo paper but the extra thickness meant that the labels lifted after a couple of months.
I don't have the problem with vinyl labels. It's much thinner although the adhesive doesn't seem as tacky to the feel of the photo paper. It works better.
I sand the steel or aluminium enclosure then dust off with alcohol. Apply the sticker using a piece of stiff neoprene .
Cut out holes etc.
No problems with big bubbles. Tiny ones yer no problem and the odd speck of dust under it despite cleaning but it's not an issue.
Here's an example post 2933 iirc the zen drive.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=36392.26040
Update - I tried another one - after sanding, clear coating the factory-painted box,sanding and clear coating the label surface before application.
still too many small bubbles. I think the label is super thin but not very flexible when it comes to being squeezed into holes. The layer of adhesive is also very thin and won't fill the holes. I think if I had a slightly thicker layer of adhesive it could fill in these small bubbles. Of course this label already has adhesive and there could be an unfortunate combination of the two but
- does anyone have an adhesive idea that might suit my needs? Maybe it's a little gooey and squeezes out the sides? Who's the guy with the watered-down Elmer's glue - if I didn't just imagine that.
This 2nd pedal, I peeled off the label, and the residue came right off with 91% isopropyl