Drilling with stickers and Krylon crystal clear ??

[solarplexus]

Hello,

I'm wondering if it's possible to drill an enclosure after putting the sticker in and after putting 4-5 coats of clear... The reason why I ask this is:  I am using Avery clear labels (which are a little cloudy, not really clear) and before I was sticking label by label on the enclosure, and then spray with the clear. 

But what I'd like to do, is I've created a template on Avery DesignPro 5 for the top of the enclosure and I would stick it on, clear coat it 2-3 times and THEN drill the enclosure and THEN put 2-3 coats again...

Do you think it would work ??

How do you guys do it with those faceplate stickers ??

Thanks for you help/suggestions!

Matt

[GibsonGM]

Hey matt,

It should work, but you might want to start with a small bit on center to get things going.  Then, for those pesky larger holes, redrill using the finest bit you have (more turns per inch...).  If the bit grabs the decal, it will shred a little of it.  You could also try scribing around the hole, just a LITTLE wider than the bit will be, to save the decal from ripping. 

Another way might be to align the template, and use a punch to center the holes...drill, then apply the actual decal.  In practice, you have a little play because of the knobs and nuts on jacks/switches.... Good luck!

[Chuck]

If you're talking about drilling a nearly finished paint job....

You should be aware of the metal shavings spinning around with the drill and scratching the surface.

Maybe a bit of masking tape would protect your finish.

[Barcode80]

i can say from experience that those little shavings from drilling are hot enough to REALLY screw up some paint by them melting the clear enough to get stuck to it. i promise

[solarplexus]

thanks guys, I'll try to put tape around it and predril... better be safe than sorry!   

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

I do it all the time without any dramas. Most things (pots/switches) have washers that sit on the outside of the enclosure that cover any rough edges that occur from drilling. Scribing might not be a bad idea, but other than that, if your drill bits are sharp, you won't have a problem

[spudulike]

Why not print the design on tracing paper to make a drilling template ?