Quick and easy white on black graphics

[Fancy Lime]

Hey everyone,

I am building something that needs(!) to go in a matte black enclosure with glossy white graphics. Anything else would be sacrilegious considering the nature of the effect. So I am wondering: What do you use to light-on-dark one-off enclosures? Durability of the result is important. Silkscreen seems like too much of a hassle for a one-off, hand painting will not look as good as I want it to. I am considering using stencils cut from paper, cardboard or maybe adhesive film. The graphics won't be overly intricate and I don't mind a bit of a grungy DIY aesthetic as long as it doesn't look too arts-and-craftsy. Has anyone done that? Do you have pictures of the result?

Thanks,
Andy

[FUZZZZzzzz]

Just go to a local window / car  / boat sticker company. If you send them a digital file they can digitally cut out the wanted areas and you can apply them all at once as a sticker. Very strong and durable too. My father has been using them on his boat for years and no sign of wear.

How many pedals do you need to do? (sorry, read one off)

[Fancy Lime]

Hm, had not thought about stickers. So far I have not been able to find a company that would sell single stickers in true custom designs (only custom lettering in pre-defined formats), or even small batches of <100. At least not in "boat grade" quality. The local copy shop prints on high gloss sticker material, even singles, but that looks as cheap as it is.

There does not seem to be much on stencil spray painting on the forum other than this:
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=106957.msg969406#msg969406
Can anyone chime in on this? The Frisket Film method seems promising for my purposes. Can someone tell me if there is a specific type or brand suitable for enclosures? The stuff seems to be made for applying to paper, so I'm thinking not all types may be equally suited to stick on a painted enclosure.

Thanks,
Andy

[stallik]

My tuppence worth.

You have a matt black enclosure and want glossy white lettering?

Create your artwork in a vector program such as Illustrator, Corel or similar.
Convert all text and symbols to outlines
Save as .eps or .pdf
Take the file to your local sign shop and ask them to cut it out of vinyl but not weed it, just put some clear application tape over the whole lot. Tell them you're going to use it as a stencil and they should understand. Most sign shops will baulk at weeding such small areas and the cost will go up. I find that its also more accurate to weed later on. The clear application tape allows you to see where you're placing the stencil

You now remove the release liner on the back of the vinyl and place the sheet on the top of the enclosure. do it carefully as you only get one shot. Rub it down well and carefully remove the application tape. Using the point of a scalpel blade, carefully weed out the areas you want to be white then go to it with a can of gloss white paint. Remove the stencil before the paint is completely dry. If the paint is fully dry, it can crack at the edges but don't do it too soon as you don't want wet paint running everywhere

By masking off specific areas, you can also put down multiple colours.

I've used this technique to create pcb masks so I know it's possible to reproduce very fine, sharp lines. When I get time, I'll do a photo sequence to show the steps but that won't be for a few weeks yet

[Fancy Lime]

Hi Kevin,

yes, that sounds like a good option. I was unaware that (a) there is such a thing as a "local sign shop" in 2019, and (b) you can get custom cut stuff from them. Well then, time to find out if there is something called Ye Olde Sygn Shoppe within a days travel by oxcart.

Thanks,
Andy

[stallik]

A google search for 'sign shop near me' results in 19 locations within a 10 mile radius. They are out there but are usually the kind of place you would never normally notice.
Where are you located?

Oh, and all of their work is considered 'custom'

[Mark Hammer]

I managed to score a pack of white Arial small-font rub-on lettering at an old-school electronics shop about a 10-minute walk from U.C. Berkeley when I visited the area in 2009.  I do my best to keep it fresh all these years, since I know I'm never going to find any again.

[anotherjim]

Does it have to be white? You can get gold rub-down lettering in fonts like Old English which I think looks pretty good on black, although you can also still get white rubdown. Letraset, Chartpack etc are still going, but nothing like the range we once had.

[garcho]

If you're not above looking at "arts & crafts" materials, there are still many variations of rub-on lettering, including white, and way more variations of vinyl sticker lettering.

[davent]

Hm, had not thought about stickers. So far I have not been able to find a company that would sell single stickers in true custom designs (only custom lettering in pre-defined formats), or even small batches of <100. At least not in "boat grade" quality. The local copy shop prints on high gloss sticker material, even singles, but that looks as cheap as it is.

There does not seem to be much on stencil spray painting on the forum other than this:
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=106957.msg969406#msg969406
Can anyone chime in on this? The Frisket Film method seems promising for my purposes. Can someone tell me if there is a specific type or brand suitable for enclosures? The stuff seems to be made for applying to paper, so I'm thinking not all types may be equally suited to stick on a painted enclosure.

Thanks,
Andy

I just buy a roll of whatever they're selling at the art supply store (Curry's). One roll i bought had no adhesive and only found out after spending too long cutting out the stencil. I use acrylic paints so not sure how well the frisket film would stand up to paints with harsher solvents.

The frisket film is meant to be used on a paper substrate so no issues with it being too sticky to remove from a painted enclosure.
dave

[Mark Hammer]

I will also put in a plug for hobby stores that specialize in trains and model airplanes.  I've bought sheets of both red and yellow rub-on letters there.  Not cheap, but they look great.  I will offer a caveat or caution, however.  I found that with the sheet of red lettering I bought, spray too heavy a covering of clearcoat seems to dissolve the lettering, and produce fuzzy edges.  So if you do end up using rub-on lettering, make sure to protect them with multiple very light coats, making sure the first one is well-cured before applying additional coats.

[vigilante397]

For a slightly more permanent option I would recommend hitting up your local trophy shop and ask about laser engraving service

[Fancy Lime]

For a slightly more permanent option I would recommend hitting up your local trophy shop and ask about laser engraving service

Good idea. A quick price comparison between  bunch of local options tells me, I can get an enclosure laser engraved for the low low price of just four times what the entire rest of the stompbox costs in parts. Not something I will do on many boxes certainly an option for special occasions. Bulk orders seem to be a lot cheaper, so for production runs of, say, 100 pieces, it would probably come down to somewhere on the order of 10-20% of the part costs. Still not cheap compared to other options but considering that you get something absolutely professional looking, it may be worth exploring. Maybe I need to start making more than one of each and start selling effects pedals. Good thing no-one else has thought of that before 

Cheers,
Andy

[ElectricDruid]

Maybe I need to start making more than one of each and start selling effects pedals. Good thing no-one else has thought of that before 

ROFL! Exactly! Go for it! What could possibly go wrong?! 

[Fancy Lime]

Maybe I need to start making more than one of each and start selling effects pedals. Good thing no-one else has thought of that before 

ROFL! Exactly! Go for it! What could possibly go wrong?! 

What are famous last words?

[jfrabat]

Careful with vinyl stickers; they work fine, but small letters can move.  One option (which would require a LOT of cutting with an exacto!) is to use white background waterslide paper.  You could theoretically print it black and leave the text in white, but I am sure a close inspection will spot the different black colors...

[davent]

For one black pedal i cut out in frisket film slightly larger outlines of the various words, used the stencil to paint a white outline on the enclosure then put the black decal on the white patch so the black letters were outlined in black.

I did tint the white, green after the fact...



Old thread on white lettering.
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=112800.msg1042297#msg1042297

dave

[deadastronaut]

I managed to score a pack of white Arial small-font rub-on lettering '


its called 'LETRASET''  can still get it. 

[Mark Hammer]

Yes, it is possible to "still get", much like germanium transistors.  But where just about any art supply store used to carry reams of the stuff, before laser printers, and you could just walk in and buy a sheet, it's hunt and special-order these days.

I'm fortunate that I bought "reams" of the stuff (black) over 20 years ago from a large art-supply store near work that was clearing the stuff out.  Generally not enough 'z' on a sheet (not a popular letter) so I have to legend controls as "gain" instead of "fuzz".  I also find that, as the stuff has gradually dried over time, despite my best efforts, I have to lay down a light coat of clear laquer first, so the letters have something to adhere to, or else all you get is the "rub-ing" and little of the "on-ing".

This site has a history of the demise of Letraset - https://hullabaloo.co.uk/blog/whatever-happened-letraset/ .  Indiscussing the higher and lower-frequency letters provided, I nearly spit my coffee out when I read: "God knows how designers in Wales and Poland coped."

[anotherjim]

Well you know, you don't have to write...
"Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch". You can get away with "Llanfairpwllgwyngyll" or simply "Llanfair PG".
Badly need a Celtic font though. Old English will not stand!

UK can still get rub-down on the high street from W H Smith. Limited choice black or gold, but it's cheap and can serve well in the right situation.
I wouldn't know where go in Canada for a good rub-down