iron ons on painted boxes?

[nag hammadi]

i just bought a bunch of the pre-painted boxes from new sensor.

i went to do my normal iron on routine, and i am bummed,,,

i can't seem to get the iron on to stick to the painted surface.  when i drill i get a bunch of shavings under the iron on.

how should it be best prepped?  should i just heat it higher / longer?

[nag hammadi]

any help?  i know there has to be something i can do.   

[killerkev]

Are you using Avery dark t-shirt iron ons or is it some iron-on lettering your trying to do?

[$uperpuma]

I've used the dark shirt iron ons on painted boxes before... I don't remember the type of paint, though.

[nag hammadi]

i am using the avery dark t stuff.  i have never had a problem with it on the bare aluminum boxes, even without prepping it.

i guess folks usually prep these boxes with alcohol, and maybe a light sand papering?

i was thinking while i was at work that maybe the heat on the iron had been turned down.  i will have to check.

[Alex C]

If you can get the Avery dark t-shirt iron-on transfers, you can probably also get a similar product by Avery called "Sticker Project Paper."  It can be printed upon just like the iron-ons, but it has a sticky back, so you can just stick it in place and it adheres.  A light shot of clear coat over it, and you're all set.   

I've done this on several projects with great results.  No crinkling, no messing with iron temps or smudging, etc.  I believe it was Melanhead who inspired me to try this.  I have only used it on bare aluminum, but I imagine it would work fine on a pre-painted surface. 
Here's Melanhead's thread about it.

-Alex

[nag hammadi]

you know, i did those a couple of years ago and i liked them.  it seems that i had a few issues with them bubbling up when i hit them with clear coat though.  maybe the clear coat varies?

i liked the iron ons because i could do them w/o the clear coat and they were fine.  it is very humid where i live and sometimes the clear coat simply can't be used for days...

[killerkev]

I'm just curious, why would you buy a painted enclosure and then cover the top with the Avery iron-on? Kind of defeats the purpose of spend extra $ if your gonna put your own design on the faceplate which is 80% of the viewable area? I only use these Avery dark iron-ons on bare enclosures.  I paint the sides with black before applying the iron-on. I read before before even using these that trying them on painted enclosres would melt the paint into a gooy mess.  That being said, maybe you don't have the iron hot enough. This may then led to a gooy mess .  I always drill before putting the design on and simply take a razor to the holes and cut it out.  As for the clear coat... You have to lightly spray first and wait. Just an initial sprinkle. Then a little more.... then more, and more untill it's a shiny coat.  I've used various brands with the same results if done properly.  Try a little baking for some interesting texture!!! I aquired an old toaster from a coworker and set it low ~150 for baking. See my pics! Too much in the begining will make it bubble.

NOT BAKED........



BAKED



NOT BAKED



THESE LAST TWO WERE BAKED TO GET A "TEXTURE"

[drewl]

Wow, great looking work!
Where's you get the iron ons?
I experimented with a heat gun to get some nice bubble type finished with good results.
I suppose another way would be to use texture paint, and then spray a better color and finish over it.

[nag hammadi]

wow, those are really nice.

as to why i am covering prepainted boxes...

i can actually get prepainted boxes a little cheaper than plain ones.

i do remember liking the detail i could get from the sticker paper.  it seems like the iron ons always get a baked texture, though not as uniform as your oven baked beauties.  maybe i was spraying too thick of a first coat when i was doing it. 

i may try that again.

i was also thinking about doing a block carving, then stamping it with thinner enamel.  talk about the LONGEST distance to get from a to b!

[killerkev]

You can always get a old toaster from someone you know.  I read about it here that someone put it out there to coworkers and the next day they brought one in. I did the same.  Avery dark t-shirt iron-ons are avaible at many stores or look on eBay  .  These designs are fractals... art made from mathmatical equations, search for them on the net until you find the one you like....... Trippy dude!

[nag hammadi]

yeah, i am talking about the avery dark t-shirt transfers.

i have tried everything i can think of and everything suggested here, and the stuff just isn't sticking.  just goo.