Little enclosure etching trick

[Beo]

So I spent the day testing better ways to transfer toner to an enclosure. Ideally I want a very repeatable process, as I usually need 3 or more takes to get something usable with touchups. Ironing never seemed to work for me, so I tried various ways of using clamps, weights, and foam backing, applying heat with a heat gun. I got close, but not good enough. So, I re-read a few tutorials, heated up my iron and went to work. I think the trick is working all of your toner with the iron tip, after getting the enclosure up to temp and getting that initial adhesion of the paper so it doesn't move. Anyways, first try and I got almost a perfect transfer, except for one knob label text that I clearly didn't work enough with the iron tip.

So here's my trick. I erased the bad text using acetone and paper towel folded to a point. Then I reprinted my image, but only the text I needed. (My image is in Acrobat Illustrator, so I could make a copy and delete all the other text and image parts). I taped down the magazine paper, laid the iron down for a few minutes, and then worked only that section with the missing text with the iron tip. I was worried that the previously transferred toner would get marred or come off with reheating... but no problem! The new text went onto the enclosure and all was good!

I don't think you could align or overlay very well, but if it's a separate disconnected section of toner, a second heat transfer seems to work.

Here's the etch. The label DISTORT was bad on the first run, but I was able to fix it with a second attempt, leaving the rest of the initial transfer intact. This was also my first time using NAOH... me likey. Very fine details and a pretty deep etch.

[MaxPower]

Vlad Tepes will be paying you a visit... soon.

That's pretty sweet. I color/label my enclosures with crayons.

[ElectricDruid]

Hey! I recognise that! It's a tap tempo tremolo! Nice work, that looks beautiful.

Tom

[Transmogrifox]

+1 on the iron.  I only did an enclosure etch once, but it went flawlessly.  For me there was no touch-up, but I didn't have much fine detail.  The text was large so it seemed to all hold together well.

The other thing I recall is I put the box on the stove burner and pre-heated it on low (not enough to burn the paper or make my tape gooey so it didn't move around).  Probably could have done this entirely without the iron, but the surface of the iron is nice and flat.

The fun part was throwing it in the etching solution and watching it bubble and fizz .  Aluminum has a pleasantly violent reaction.

The crayons seem like a fun way to do it.  Much more of a free-form art, but I draw like animal from the Muppets so that's how the final product would look 

[Beo]

The other thing I recall is I put the box on the stove burner and pre-heated it on low (not enough to burn the paper or make my tape gooey so it didn't move around).  Probably could have done this entirely without the iron, but the surface of the iron is nice and flat.

That's what I thought. I tried placing the box label side down on a wood block, on a metal sheet, on a thick foam material... with weights on top or clamps for various pressures, and heated by blowing the interior with a heat gun. A splatter of water proved I was getting the whole enclosure very hot, including the sides and edges. Unfortunately too much pressure (clamps) caused the toner to spread. Just enough pressure (weights) gave me clean transfer, but there would always be a few spots not transferred. Maybe a perfectly flat sanded top would make this work, but any imperfections require the direct application of the tip of the iron to transfer the toner. Just got to work it until your arm gives out... at least in my experience.

Now, even with the iron resting on top, I still use the heat gun sometimes to blast the sides of the box, especially for larger boxes, to make sure the edges and corners get up to temp.

[Beo]

Hey! I recognise that! It's a tap tempo tremolo! Nice work, that looks beautiful.

Tom

Thanks Tom. I've had this circuit built for ages, but I'm only now getting around to boxing it. I love how crisp the wave shapes came out in the etch using NAOH.

By the way, your Tap Tempo LFO device and info you've shared on your site and on the forums inspired my own dive into uC programming. I'm using ATMEL AVRs, and so far I've been able to do muted relay switching, tap tempo and LCD displays. Lots of new ideas on the horizon. Thanks for the contribution... and the inspiration!

Travis

[tubegeek]

I color/label my enclosures with crayons.

I'm not allowed crayons anymore since I started sticking them up my nose. It impressed the chicks but the teacher got pissed.