DIY dry transfers

[Pettol]

Just thought I would post my new labeling technique.

Never been too happy with decals so I've been developing some versions of  DIY dry transfers. Before I used clear coat or KK2000 as adhesive for transfer, but this is a lot easier:

1. Paint and clear coat the box as usual.

2. Use a laserjet to print the reversed graphics on decal backing paper (I use Avery). The toner does not adhere very well (which is why this works) so one has to be a bit careful when handling the printout..



3. Align the paper and tape it down on one side so that you can flip it. It's better to do smaller parts rather than the whole thing in one, but keep things that need to be aligned in one piece.

4. Flip the paper away from the box and dab the spots on the panel where the graphics will go with ethanol. Use a sponge or similar. Not too much!
The ethanol dries quickly but makes the clear coat sticky, which is the key here. (So not really dry dry transfers then...)



5. Now fold the paper back over the box and apply some pressure (scraping with your finger nails is prefect).



6. Carefully remove the paper without removing the tape. The graphics should now be transferred to the box.  
There will probably be some spots with bad transfer. Just flip the paper back and scrape some more - that's why you shouldn't remove the tape. You might even have to apply some more ethanol. Be careful not to smudge the graphics though.

7. Now the paint will have white areas and look a a bit messed up.




Don't worry - just clear coat!

The result:



It's my first attempt with this technique so it's not perfect, I know.

Hope some one will find this useful.

[bcalla]

Cool idea, much neater than decals.  Curious about how it would work with a larger image.

[Ice-9]

That looks really good, great idea, I wonder if you have tried it with full colour prints, of course for full colour to work you would need to print onto a white enclosure though.

[peterg]

Looks good Perrol

I just put graphics on a pedal using an Avery clear label sheet annd am not happy with the results. I put it over a raw 1590B box and the sheet changes the look of the metal.

Any ideal if the label sheets will work with your method? I have a box load that I won't be using for their original purpose 

[Pettol]

@bcalla: I'll try a larger image next time.

@Ice-9: I haven't had too much luck with color laserjet transfer, but that was when using heat. It's worth trying with this technique. And yes, you would have to use a white enclosure (or at least some bright colour).

@peterg: If you are labeling bare aluminum (and you don't wanna etch it) I suggest using UV curing ink, like this one:



I used this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCB-UV-Curing-Paint-Ink-For-Character-Labels-Black-100g-/190655178895?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c63ef288f
(when that link is dead, just search for "PCB UV curing ink" on ebay).

1. I painted the areas where the text would go with a thin layer of the ink.
2. The ink was dried at 150 C.
3. I applied a mask - inverted print on transparencies (I used two aligned on top of each other).
4. The box was left in the sun for half an hour.
5. I finally wiped off the unexposed ink with ethanol.

I'm surprised how hard the ink adheres.

[peterg]

Pettol. That's exactly the look I'm after. Thanks. Nice looking build. What is it?

[Pettol]

Thanks. The red one is going to be a TS808 and the one in polished alumium is an Echo Base.
Good luck!

[newperson]

For some reason I am not taking in this information.  Could you explain the process a bit more, or add step by step images?
Looks great and looks like you can get really fine detail.

@peterg: If you are labeling bare aluminum (and you don't wanna etch it) I suggest using UV curing ink, like this one:



I used this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCB-UV-Curing-Paint-Ink-For-Character-Labels-Black-100g-/190655178895?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c63ef288f
(when that link is dead, just search for "PCB UV curing ink" on ebay).

1. I painted the areas where the text would go with a thin layer of the ink.
2. The ink was dried at 150 C.
3. I applied a mask - inverted print on transparencies (I used two aligned on top of each other).
4. The box was left in the sun for half an hour.
5. I finally wiped off the unexposed ink with ethanol.

I'm surprised how hard the ink adheres.

[Pettol]

I don't have any images right now, but I guess I can put something together in a day or two.

[newperson]

Thank you.  Looking forward to some images.  It does not matter if it is on a box, could be on a AL pan.  I am just looking to learn/see the process you are doing.

[Pettol]

OK, so for the UV curing ink.

I got his from ebay (see link above):




1. I painted the areas where the text would go with a thin layer of the ink. You can also see the mask (well, plenty of them) to the left.




2. The ink was dried at 150 C.




3. I applied a mask and left it in a light cabinet for a couple of hours. It was a lot quicker when using sunlight, but it's been raining for days here.




5. The unexposed ink was wiped off with ethanol.




The final result:




The first time I did this the enclosure was polished and everything was fine.
This time I was going for a brushed look, however the area under the unexposed is a bit discolored. Or, as a matter of fact, it now looks more polished than brushed. Odd.

[newperson]

For sheets are you just using overhead transparency sheets?  inkjet or toner type? can they be reused or does the ink mess them up when removed?  should you be using a weight (sheet of glass) to hold them flat while exposing them to the UV light? 

Thank you for the effort and time to put up the images!

[Pettol]

Yep. Transparencies. Type doesn't matter as long as they're black where they should mask. They can be reused since you let the ink dry first - so no mess (but why reuse?).

I'd use a sheet of glass if that damn sun came back. But glass is not UV transparent enough for my light cabinet (I'd take forever).

[bcalla]

Fantastic tutorial on this process!  Looks like it is worth trying.

Have you ever tried this on painted enclosures? 

I did an eBay search and see that the ink also comes in white, blue and red.  How about layering (I'm thinking a layer of white with one of the other colors on top)?  If you haven't done this I might order a couple of colors and give it a try.

[newperson]

You might try an UV (real black light) tube light, a halogen work light, or "photo" bulb to speed up your lightbox. 

[davent]

Never seen this process before, looks very cool! How 'bout moving the object right up to the light source, should shorten the exposure time. How is the exposure time determined?

Thanks
dave

Further question. is the cured ink etchant resistant?

Any health warnings?

[Pettol]

Thanks guys.

Have you ever tried this on painted enclosures?

Yes, I have. The problem is that most paints are not chemically resistant enough. Normal acrylic can't handle ethanol very well. But the ink itself reacts even with powder coats making them discolored and dull. And that's even before photo polymerisation. I am now working on red text on a black powder coated enclosure. It's quite forgiving.
On real industrial powder coatings this works like a charm - no reactions, just wipe off unpolymerised ink. I wish they made the boxes that well.
The best shot, however, seems to be polyurethane. Just did some quick tests and it looks likes it working.

I did an eBay search and see that the ink also comes in white, blue and red.  How about layering (I'm thinking a layer of white with one of the other colors on top)?  If you haven't done this I might order a couple of colors and give it a try.

I ordered all colors (even two of the blue in my excitement). So far I've only tried the red except for the black. Funny thing is that the red one never dries, which means your ink might stick to the mask rather than the enclosure after polymerisation. Some grease might help there.

You might try an UV (real black light) tube light, a halogen work light, or "photo" bulb to speed up your lightbox. 

Sure, closer or a different lamp could have worked better. I'll see what I can do next time. The light cabinet is in the lab at work so I have to keep it a bit discrete.
The set up has worked well for photoresist sprays and pretreated photoresist boards. So this process obviously requires more energy.

Further question. is the cured ink etchant resistant?

I believe it is. Only used it for touch-ups when etching with NaOH so far though. One problem is that it's a pain to get rid of. I've tried alcohols, acetone, thinner, heptane, THF, MTBE, but the only thing that had an effect was DMF (I guess NMP could work too) and I don't think you can buy that in the supermarket. So you'll probably have to sand.

This might be a better alternative (and yes, I got one of those too):
http://viewitem.eim.ebay.se/100g-Photoresist-Antietching--Blue-Paint-for-DIY-PCB-dry-film-replacement/190741561459/item?transId=865943596009

Any health warnings?

I have no idea what this is and therefore one should be careful. It's not irritant as far as I can tell. I use gloves of course.

[Mustachio]

I had mentioned some of this UV curable paint a while back, then decided to buy some. Won an auction for 4 bucks ! And it still isn't here yet haha says its been sitting in Chicago customs since Sep 4th!

Hope I get it here soon I have a fun idea to use it!

Also have you tried washing it off with anything other then the ethanol ? I thought I read gasoline works well , and I'm thinking maybe iso or denatured alcohol might do the trick. When mine gets here ill try to experiment

Nice stuff though guys your transfers look awesome!

[deadastronaut]

@pettol:

looks great...have you tried a big image yet?..i just wondered what the finish would look like..matt finish i guess....looks nice and detailed anyway...

[Pettol]

Sometimes orders from China can be a pain. Luckily Swedish customs are not that suspicious.

I think I tried white spirits and that it worked. Gasoline would probably work too. Denatured alcohol is ethanol with small amounts of (usually) MEK or MIBK.

And thanks!