decals are lifting when being drilled... FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU

[big bustle]

i'm at a loss.

when i drill my clear coated decals they lift. during the drilling the aluminum shards end up underneath thus making the decal useless and I have to start over.

I am using smallbears drilling oil with my step bit. this seems to happen about 50% of the time.

i am using lowes Valspar brand of clear coat. I like it because it never bubbles on me like krylon clear coat acrylic does.

i've experimented with drilling with in an hour of clear coating. waiting overnight. cooling it down in the freezer. heating it up with a heat gun. prescoring the holes with an exacto... nothing seems to be a fool proof method.

i am applying the decals to the rough aluminum with out any paint/primer/clear coat.

what am i missing?

[Solidhex]

Yo

  Is there some reason you aren't do the drilling before painting and applying the decals? That would be ideal.

[calpolyengineer]

There are a few things you could do. First off, and probably easiest is to drill the enclosure first before you apply the decals.

Or, if you are really good at lining it up, you can drill the enclosure from the inside out. This allows the helix angle of the bit to pull material away from the decal.

The last option is to get a reverse helix drill bit. It works with basically the same concept as above but lets you drill from the front again. The bit pushes aluminum down into the hole, but the accumulation of material in the hole pushes the chips out through the center of the hole, not at the edges like a regular drill bit. These bits are expensive and much slower at drilling holes. You would probably need to use a drill press in order to use it.

These are your options in terms of the actual drilling. There very well may be things you can do with the decal and clear coat that would also prevent lifting the decal.

[chi_boy]

Why not drill first?

[pazuzu]

he probably puts the hole layout on the decal.

center punch your hole, cut the layer of clear coat and decal with an xacto knife, peel it off, and then drill. done.

[Ice-9]

he probably puts the hole layout on the decal.

center punch your hole, cut the layer of clear coat and decal with an xacto knife, peel it off, and then drill. done.

Ok if thats the way he is doing it then try drilling a pilot hole first sat 2 or 3mm hole then turn the enclosure over and place on block of wood and drill to full size from inside the enclosure. The wood block flat on the face of the enclosure should stop the decal from getting damaged. It would be best if you can clamp the enclosure to the wood block.

[deadastronaut]

drill 1-2mm pilot holes first!...then proper drill.....then decal.....clear coat....dry....cut holes in decal......no filings getting stuck in it etc.....no more  FFFFFUUUUUUU........

oh and sand and degrease the box...they can be very greasy....

[ItZaLLgOOd]

+1 on drilling first.  I print a decal on regular paper and use it for a drill template.  I have no problems lining the decal up when I drill first.

[big bustle]

Thanks for the replies fellas.

I do not drill first. mainly because my drill template is on the box.

I have some clear transparencies. I'll try printing the template on them first and use that.

[Solidhex]

If you're decal has your drill guides on it why don't you just print out a paper copy, tape it to your enclosure, drill it, then put the real decal over it? It should be pretty simple.

[pazuzu]

If you're decal has your drill guides on it why don't you just print out a paper copy, tape it to your enclosure, drill it, then put the real decal over it? It should be pretty simple.

+1

[Gordo]

If you're decal has your drill guides on it why don't you just print out a paper copy, tape it to your enclosure, drill it, then put the real decal over it? It should be pretty simple.

+2  I get clean results from applying decal, shooting clear, and then using an exacto to cut out the holes.  Push the knife blade into the hole so you don't lift the decal/clear coat.

[John Lyons]

Yes!

[theundeadelvis]

If you're decal has your drill guides on it why don't you just print out a paper copy, tape it to your enclosure, drill it, then put the real decal over it? It should be pretty simple.

+1

+4 That's exactly how I do mine.

[cloudscapes]

I drill first and also use drill templates.

first I print the template on a regular sheet of paper and scotch tape it to the box. drill.

then do the whole painting and decaling process. it cost you only an extra sheet of paper.

[big bustle]

so the predrill process has been tested. seems to work out. used a regular bit then switched to the step bit.

tried on a 6 hole pedal.

here's the thing

some of my pedals have 20 holes that are VERY tightly spaced. and i'm often doing 15-20 at a time. taping a template to each one adds a lot of extra time and is a TOTAL bummer.

i was hoping to streamline the process even more.

i'm considering using something with an adhesive back. maybe inkjet stickers? i'm sure they make these somewhere.

[Electric Warrior]

no problems here drilling decaled and clear coated enclosures. I apply some masking tape before drilling. maybe that will help?

[Manny]

i'm considering using something with an adhesive back. maybe inkjet stickers? i'm sure they make these somewhere.

Yes they do exist and I've tried them in the past but I found them pretty cumbersome and they didn't play nicely with the clearcoat.
I've found inkjet transparencies stuck on with spray adhesive onto pre-drilled boxes and then cut with a sharp knife to give the best results.

[Mark Hammer]

I don't use decals, so I may be way off base, but what about using the template on the decal to aim initial smaller holes, putting some masking tape over it, then fionishing the drilling from the other side (i.e., flipping the box over)?  Or does the location of the holes preclude that?

[big bustle]

the problem with drilling from the other side is that the clear coat gets scratched up as it shifts and moves with the shards underneath it. when you're doing one pedal at a time it's five but i'm doing large batches. i'm trying to streamline the process as much as possible.