frequencycentral OHP Transparency Graphic Technique Photo Essay

[frequencycentral]

Nice graphics there dude.

Is there any adhesive on the sheets or does the clear coat bond the sheet to the metal??  Cheers.

Thank you! The clear coat bonds the sheet to the metal.

[darrylportelli]

Hey
So...... I tried with the laser printer using laser film......NOTHING just a big fat smugde of ink.the colors bled like hell. BUT I have a new way of sticking the transparency to the enclosure!!! If your using laser printers(I like it since it has higher quality pics) use either spray on adhesive to stick it (This is not actually tried but I think it would work) But if ur a cheap guy like me use WOOD GLUE!!! I thinned a little wood glue (That white glue to be on the same page) with water about 50:50 or a little less water,than put a little thinned wood glue on the enclosure, smear it with your fingers, put the transparency with the toner side down and press a bit, wipe the excess off and wait about half an hour or an hour. then grab a credit card and just go over the transparency sqeegee ing (I dont know if thats even a word) the excess from the inside and wipe the excess using a damp towel.The waiting about half an hour is for the glue to set a little bit and stick the transparency enough so that it wont slide around when you go over it with the credit card. I HAVE tried this on a piece of sheet metal today and it worked beautifully. as soon as I paint my phase 90 enclosure Ill use this technique to stick my graphics on.
Thanks 

[starekase502]

will this method work with powdercoated enclosures.  Can i add a clear coat and then the trans. paper like described.

[frequencycentral]

will this method work with powdercoated enclosures.  Can i add a clear coat and then the trans. paper like described.

I've only ever done it onto bare aluminium, though I can see no reason why it shouldn't work onto powercoat. Give it a go and report back? Be a pioneer! What's the worst that can happen.............?

[Talon5051]

will this method work with powdercoated enclosures.  Can i add a clear coat and then the trans. paper like described.

I have done it on powercoated enclosures and it has worked quite well.  The only problem that I ran into was a too dark of color of the enclosure.  This won't allow some of the graphics to show through.

[frequencycentral]

Yeah, worth bearing in mind that the colour of your enclosure may change the colour of your graphic - just the same as waterslides. I once put a green waterslide graphic on a red pedal and got - black.

Aluminium does make a nice background colour though, for those of use who can't be bothered with paint.

[The French connection]

IMO, aluminium background works best, white becoming silver. Here's one tough it is not exactly FC technique. I should have sand it a bit before but i've become lazy.

[starekase502]

at the cost of hijacking the thread... im building a baja trembulator in a b sized box and wanted to try this method. Honestly im not at all creative or artsy and have no idea what to put on the box.  Could someone give me some ideas of diffrent creative artwork i could find that kinda went along with a trem pedal (i.e the phaser pedal with spock)
thanks

[The French connection]

When i need inspiration, i go to google image or Wiki and brainstorm word for searching...and search only for high quality picture or large image. For the Drity little secret, i've start with...secret...then dirty...combine both...and remembered a PC game; NOLF (no ones lives foreever and Cate Archer...)...and finally found this one above, add some color and modified it alot.
For my trem: http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/French+connection/Lune1.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 i've start with earthquake, trembling, shaking, surfing, soundwave, shockwave, tide...and finally remember Méliès and his ''Voyage dans la lune''...so moon and tide and shake...Moonshake! It depends on your taste. Brainstorm a few word and google them...idea will come surely!

Good luck!

Dan

[starekase502]

thanks french

[frank_p]

thanks french

Haha  Frenchie...

[nosamiam]

I completely forgot about this tutorial and just winged it on my latest project. It went ok. I didn't use enough clearcoat and sprayed it on a breezy day. So it was too tacky when I applied my transparency. Wasn't on straight, but with some trimming I was able to get rid of the overhang. I also ended up with some bubbles underneath.

I did it over white appliance enamel (comes in a rattle can from the hardware store). I poured acrylic resin over it and that worked well too.

Next time, I think I'll try acrylic in place of clearcoat under the transparency and then put it on top too. It should allow me to move the transparency for at least an hour before it cures. It should also provide really strong adhesion of the film to the enclosure.

Oh, and Office Max near my house will laser print on transparency film for $2.02. Not bad, because that film ain't cheap!

[remilton]

I am unable to locate Staedtler film here in the USA, but am I correct in assuming that I should get similar results with any brand of ink jet transparency film?

[frequencycentral]

I am unable to locate Staedtler film here in the USA, but am I correct in assuming that I should get similar results with any brand of ink jet transparency film?

Yes I should imagine so - if you get good results let us know what brand you use.

[remilton]

Yes I should imagine so - if you get good results let us know what brand you use.
[/quote]

Thanks, I will be happy to do so.

[Kearns892]

Why don't you just drill through the transparency? I'm guessing something bad happens.

I will be picking up some ink jet paper (here in the states) soon, and I will post the results back here. I tried something similar to this on my first project. I printed on to an overhead transparency, but the ink wouldnt adhere, I'm guessing the right type of film would help.

[frequencycentral]

Why don't you just drill through the transparency? I'm guessing something bad happens.

Do you mean apply the graphic then drill the enclosure? Bad things happen, the graphic lifts as you drill, and residue builds up between the graphic and the enclosure. I only did it once, adding an extra switch to a finished pedal, not nice to do. And what if the drill slips? 

Or do you mean drill out the graphic instead of cutting it out, after having already applied it to a pre-drilled enclosure? Never done that. I don't fancy it personally.

[doc_drop]

I have tried to drill through the transparency, and I had the same results as FC.

I tried drilling through the transparency into a pre-drilled hole, and it riped the transparency up. I have found that if you use an exacto knife, and carve out a circle in the transparency before you drill, you can then drill a hole in the case.

The easiest really is to just cut the transparency out from the existing hole with an exacto. That works pretty darn well. I guess you could try to cut the holes before you apply the transparency, but your drilling better be pretty accurate.

My $.02.

[kristoffereide]

I've tried drilling after applying the sheets... Not a good idea. Shreds of metal gets jammed under the graphic so you'd have to take the graphics off and do it all over. A warning to all...

[Kearns892]

That's what I assumed the problem with it was since you suggested the exacto knife method in your tutorial, just wanted to have it clarified thanks.