Tutorial: How to label your pedals in 10 steps.

[GiovannyS10]

Hi guys!

If someone already use this technique, i am sorry. I really not found anything talking about this way to label pedals on web. All the ideas i show here are mine. But let me know if you already use this trick


There is some weeks since i started to find a good way to label my pedals. Normally, like i already told here, i used decal, but here in my city we can't find transparent decal for printers - really i looked for it in almost all paper stores here. So i was every time trying to copy the exact paint color to the Photoshop to make a background to my decal (to seems transparent). But few months ago, one guy helped me to get some parts i could not buy at this time and i started to build pedals to sell, and receiving orders, and i thought "I have to find a way to label my pedals in a way more professional". I started a research to do it on google.
Waterslide = expensive to pay in BRL and i could not find here. To import would delay to come, and i need a thing fast, because i have orders to finish.
Decal = i already use, want a thing more professional.
Silk Screen = Smells well, but you need to have a very good investment, and i have no money  And i not do pedals in series. All pedals are one of a kind.

And i remembered i do PCBs with photosensitive paint, and it works well with boards, maybe will work with pedals.

I started using it for etche pedals, and worked well. You can see the result below.

I leave the pedal too much time on the ferric chloride, but it will not happen again.

I passed the last week trying hard to label my pedals using photosensitive solder mask, and today i could find the perfect formula. And i will give it you below:

You should have a photosensitive solder mask, you find it easy on e-bay. Here i have black, white, green and blue. But you can find it in another colors, i think.

1. Do the layout.
You should do your pedal layout on your computer. I used Photoshop and Corel Draw for it. You will do this layout like a negative film, only black and white. The white parts is what will be printed on the stompbox.
2. Print it!
For print you will have to use a transparent paper for office. Is easy to find and cheap. I printed it on a laser print.

3. Be sure your stompbox is ready.
Paint it, leave it dry. Now mine is ready to be labeled.

4. Prepare the photosensitive paint.
This paint is bi-component. You have the paint and a kind of catalyst together. The mix that worked for me was 2 parts of catalyst for each 10 paint parts. I putted it on a glass and mixes well using a stick.

5. Paint the enclosure
You should to paint all the enclosure with the paint. The paint should be the most uniform as possible. Like this:


6. Dry!
Dry the paint. I used a hair dryer on slow speed for 10 minutes.


7. Expose the paint
You will put the image you printed above your pedal, but a glass above the print and expose it on the UV light for 45 minutes  (i will do a light support)
Be patient, or you will crap all your work now.



8. Remove the paint
For remove i used a mix of water and sodium carbonate (used to control pool's pH)
You will put your enclosure there and wait five seconds and put in on the normal water. Do it until it removes all the paint that you not want on pedal.

9. Retouch
After it, your pedal need to seems like this:

Retouch it using caustic soda to remove excess of paint.

10. The coat
If you want, spray transparent coat three times to have a more professional effect. And your pedal will look like this:


Seems too hard, but it is not. Is cheap, and not much mess. If a noob like me can do it, you can do too 
I hope help you! Let me know any questions!!

Enjoy!

[GibsonGM]

That was a great tutorial, Gio!  Very  nice process you came up with - and very nice results!!   The pedal looks very professional.
I will have to find some of that paint on Ebay! 
Good work.

[Fndr8875]

really cool. Im always looking for ways to have a good paint job + add the graphic i want, seems like its either a prepainted enclosure and crappy decals, or bare enclsoure and a cool etch, that is if your budget is limited and and you dont have a garage or good area to work that will allow you to make a mess but not mess anything up and can be easily cleaned. good job. Ill make a pdf of you post to keep for options on my next enclsoure.

[intripped]

That is a great tutorial and a great idea!
An affordable way for having white (but not only) writings on our pedals, finally!
Thank you

[Beo]

What is the "bi-component" agent? Most of the uv solder mask I see on ebay doesn't mention it and seems to be use as is.

[stallik]

Really great idea thanks.

Yes the eBay stuff seems to be a single part and they recommend gasoline or solvent to remove the uncured ink. Perhaps it's the wrong thing?

[Rixen]

I haven't tried this for making labels, but it looks great ! For homemade PCB's I've found inkjet printer and inkjet transparency provides higher contrast than laser print- maybe that could be used. Dishwasher powder may work as a developer- I use that for homemade PCB's instead of sodium carbonate.

Do you know the shelf life of the soldermask paint ?

[slashandburn]

Thanks for this Gio! Not sure whether to experiment with decal paper or try your method next.

[duck_arse]

fantastic. I've never seen this method before. excellent tutorial.

(also, don't sit and look at the UV bulb for 45 minutes ..... or allow skin exposure. make that "light support" light tight as well.)

[armdnrdy]

Hey Giovanny,

Great idea and tutorial!

I too have been trying to find a way to produce white lettering.

Can you please post links to the materials that you are using so that we can find similar photosensitive solder mask, transparent paper, etc.

Different brands might matter and give different results.

Thanks!

[alparent]

How do you apply this paint? Yours look airbrushed?

[vigilante397]

Great tutorial, great looking results May have to try that out if someone ends up posting links to materials so I don't have to look...

[GiovannyS10]

Hello guys! Thanks a lot for all your good comments.
I bought my paint on MercadoLivre, is a Brazilian website like eBay. I looked for this paint in eBay and really seems the most are a single component. I think it will be not problem, because my PCB film is single component too and work very well, better than the bi-component, by the way.
I use butylglycol to dilute the paint, and caustic sodium hydroxide to remove it from the things.

Do you know the shelf life of the soldermask paint ?

I really don't know, i am sorry. But i used my first 8 years ago, i think, and the board continue ok.

Can you please post links to the materials that you are using so that we can find similar photosensitive solder mask, transparent paper, etc.

Yes, of course! I use the Tayda's normal enclosures and paint it with spray paint. No secret until here. On this tutorial i used this paint:
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-792718935-tinta-fotosensivel-mascarasimbologia-branca-100gr-_JM
Its a kind of epoxy paint with catalyst.
The transparent paper is this:
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-732282908-transparncia-com-tarja-laser-100-folhas-filipaper-_JM
You only need to find a good transparent paper for work in a laser printer.

How do you apply this paint? Yours look airbrushed?

Not airbrushed, i applied it using a paint roller like this:

Only 5 cm. And you can use Caustic Soda, Sodium Carbonate, Butylglycol or Thinner to clear it after the use.

So guys, i think is it. The pedal is like this now, almost finished. Great looking, no?  When i finish it will post on the pictures thread. If someone want to try this method, please call me with PM first and i will help you. Maybe you will not get it well on the first attempt, but sure on the second will be better, i tried 13 times to find the perfect way to do it. You can mi different paints to have different results too.



And i almost sure the single component eBay's paint will work too fine than mine.
Maybe a video will help you better?

[armdnrdy]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I have a couple of questions.

Do you think it would make a difference if a smaller roller was used to apply the paint only to the areas where the lettering/art is located...instead of the whole enclosure?
I believe that applying the paint on only the lettering areas would save a lot of paint.

Also...since I do not know how the process of UV paint works...how it adheres to a substrate....do you think this process would work on bare aluminum?

[stallik]

Don't know if this stuff behaves the same but UV cured printing inks have some difficulty adhering directly to alluminium. There are clear adhesion promotors to help but I've never found them to be truly solid enough for Stompbox use and the primer has a tendency to crack up and look a mess after a while.

On the other hand, if it sticks to copper, maybe we'll be lucky

[reggy1]

Thanks for passing on this method, Giovanny. Your example looks great. I am always after ways to make my builds as professional looking as possible, even though they are only for my own use, with the occasional gift to a friend. I noticed that "sensitivity" is not spelled correctly, and it stands out like dogs-b**** to an ocd like me. Please accept this comment in the spirit in which it is offered-- with all good intentions. I would hate it if no-one pointed it out to me and I sold it like that.
Again, thanks for the great tutorial. I will give it a go when I can source the materials.

[PRR]

> not spelled correctly

Thass how I say it afteh the third beer (or was that five?).

Welcome.

[287m]

Maybe a video will help you better?

Yes, please!
and Thank You

[ysba]

Nice post! I have a question, though. What kind of black paint did you use? How did you prepare the aluminum before applying the paint? Thank you.

[GiovannyS10]

Do you think it would make a difference if a smaller roller was used to apply the paint only to the areas where the lettering/art is located...instead of the whole enclosure?

Yes, its too some different. When you paint all the enclosure, you spend more paint, but you have an uniform paint, and it will dry equally. If you only paint few separately areas, you will have isolated paint islands, and it will dry differently and you will got a different reaction time when you will reveal the draw. I think worth you spend a little bit more of paint and have a good work in the end. This paint is too much durable. I continue having the first one i bought. 

Also...since I do not know how the process of UV paint works...how it adheres to a substrate....do you think this process would work on bare aluminum?

Good asking. You need to see a thing, you have a photoresist film (to etche PCBs), and you have the photoresist solder mask. The difference between the two is:
The solder mask is a kind of epoxy paint, and it not work fine on bare aluminium. If you try to use, few hours after apply it, you will be able to remove the entire paint using your nails. The solder mask is to be applied above other paint, in this case.
But if you are able to apply a too thin layer of paint and apply a coat above, it will seems great, but you need to training - but if you training and not give up, you will be able to label bare metal using solder mask. But the correct way to do it is using the photoresist film and applying the coat above. The bad news is only exists film in blue color. At least i only saw blue on my entire life.

The reason that we should to expose the enclosure on the UV light for 45 minutes, is fix it well on the metal. On a normal board you only need 3 or 5 minutes. The trick is be patient.

I noticed that "sensitivity" is not spelled correctly

Yes, you are right  I really not saw it in any moment, oh my God! Now the pedal are on the buyer hands  I hope he don't care about it. I am sorry for this shame 
But take care with the dog balls on your face... I the dogs normally don't like when someone do a thing with their balls, i think   

287m, i will send you a video when i do my next building. Maybe in one or two weeks.  Okay?

What kind of black paint did you use? How did you prepare the aluminum before applying the paint? Thank you.

I use normal automotive spray paint, in this case i used metallic paint (with aluminium powder), nothing special. To prepare the enclosure, i pass sandpaper until level all the sides, and clear it after using alcohol. Wait dry and now i pass primer, after 1 hour i pass a water sandpaper (i am not sure about the English name) and paint it... Wait at least 12 hours after paint to apply your graphics. And NEVER forget to apply the varnish after.