Enclosure Labeling, what is best ?

[Perkla]

I am about to label my guvnor enclosure, i am not good with Asids so etching is not gona happen.. so what else can i do in a simple way to put Volume, Tone etc and maybe some graphics to my enclosure ?

[DavenPaget]

I am about to label my guvnor enclosure, i am not good with Asids so etching is not gona happen.. so what else can i do in a simple way to put Volume, Tone etc and maybe some graphics to my enclosure ?

http://www.kitrae.net/music/Custom_Pedal_Graphics.html


Or A brother label printer with clear labels. Remember to cut properly , and there are font smoothing options in the printer i have.
Only if you already have a label printer and are not so inclined to use a t-shirt transfers.

[Perkla]

I dont have a label printer, i have been thinking about buying one.. but i am about to sell a few pedals to some of my friends and want the pedal to look good and maybe some graphics on it to, i have heard that some have used t-shirt transfers, i dont know much about it though.. to get a good label on a stompbox is not easy, have been thinking about stickers or similar.. but i dont know..

[therecordingart]

I'm not big in to decals or anything that you need to clear coat over. It tends to chip and look crappy way too quickly. Currently, I'm using etched plates made from copper clad boards. I'm going to work on silkscreening, rubber stamping, and enclosure etching soon to see if I like any of those better.

[Mark Hammer]

Go to the Pïctures thread, and see what others have done.  I'm sure there are some good ideas in there.

[Perkla]

I'm not big in to decals or anything that you need to clear coat over. It tends to chip and look crappy way too quickly. Currently, I'm using etched plates made from copper clad boards. I'm going to work on silkscreening, rubber stamping, and enclosure etching soon to see if I like any of those better.

How is it made with copper.. ? do u have a picture ?  how do u do that to make it look good ?

[Steve Mavronis]

I used this stuff called ID-Mark in thin 0.008" aluminum sheets on my pedal builds. Now it's been renamed to Metalphoto -Photosensitive Anodized Aluminum:

http://www.horizonsisg.com/metalphoto.html

Request some free samples which should be enough for a couple pedals! You'll get a couple sales calls afterwards but they are friendly. Just say you are evaluating their product and will consider using them in the furture.

You can see my examples here on my hobby showcase site (non-commercial) - http://sites.google.com/site/snmavronis/NeoClassicFX

[therecordingart]

I'm not big in to decals or anything that you need to clear coat over. It tends to chip and look crappy way too quickly. Currently, I'm using etched plates made from copper clad boards. I'm going to work on silkscreening, rubber stamping, and enclosure etching soon to see if I like any of those better.

How is it made with copper.. ? do u have a picture ?  how do u do that to make it look good ?

This is black copper clad I bought from abcfab on eBay.

[Perkla]

I'm not big in to decals or anything that you need to clear coat over. It tends to chip and look crappy way too quickly. Currently, I'm using etched plates made from copper clad boards. I'm going to work on silkscreening, rubber stamping, and enclosure etching soon to see if I like any of those better.

How is it made with copper.. ? do u have a picture ?  how do u do that to make it look good ?

This is black copper clad I bought from abcfab on eBay.

So...how do u do this.. ? i mean that picture does not really tell how or what to do to make a good label on a pedal..

[therecordingart]

Create the image that you want on your pedal, toner transfer it onto the copper clad, etch, drill, put on the enclosure.

Not a whole lot to it.

[Perkla]

Create the image that you want on your pedal, toner transfer it onto the copper clad, etch, drill, put on the enclosure.

Not a whole lot to it.

Ohhh.. so its that simple.. ?  Photo possitive thin copper, and then just drill holes trough the copper and the enclosure and just bolt it on ?

[therecordingart]

Create the image that you want on your pedal, toner transfer it onto the copper clad, etch, drill, put on the enclosure.

Not a whole lot to it.

Ohhh.. so its that simple.. ?  Photo possitive thin copper, and then just drill holes trough the copper and the enclosure and just bolt it on ?

Yep. This is actually PCB material.

[Perkla]

Create the image that you want on your pedal, toner transfer it onto the copper clad, etch, drill, put on the enclosure.

Not a whole lot to it.

Ohhh.. so its that simple.. ?  Photo possitive thin copper, and then just drill holes trough the copper and the enclosure and just bolt it on ?

Yep. This is actually PCB material.

I see the pedal on that picture u inserted here, is that your pedal ?  dont u have any close up pictures.. ?

[Perkla]

If i am gona order stickers online that is transparent with printed text on it... my enclosures are powder coated.. does i need to sand off the top of the enclosure so the sticker will get a totaly flat surface ? maybe i will order stickers that fits the BB enclosure so i just have to put it on..

Anyone have an opinion about that ?

[DavenPaget]

If i am gona order stickers online that is transparent with printed text on it... my enclosures are powder coated.. does i need to sand off the top of the enclosure so the sticker will get a totaly flat surface ? maybe i will order stickers that fits the BB enclosure so i just have to put it on..

Anyone have an opinion about that ?

T-shirt transfers get my vote .

[Perkla]

If i am gona order stickers online that is transparent with printed text on it... my enclosures are powder coated.. does i need to sand off the top of the enclosure so the sticker will get a totaly flat surface ? maybe i will order stickers that fits the BB enclosure so i just have to put it on..

Anyone have an opinion about that ?

T-shirt transfers get my vote .

Isnt t-shirt transfers very much thick compared to stickers ? + u will need alot of clear coat on the t-shirt transfer ? With a good sticker u will not need any clear coat.... well i dont know, just a thought

[deadastronaut]

etch!..100% no paint to chip, scratch etc.....its nice having a freshly painted and waterslide box and any design is possible, but at the end of the day

its a pedal and you kick it, stomp it and sometimes drop it.....so it gets digs, chips, scratches etc...etching is indestructable and permanent...to me its worth the extra effort...

and very satisfying too..

[Perkla]

etch!..100% no paint to chip, scratch etc.....its nice having a freshly painted and waterslide box and any design is possible, but at the end of the day

its a pedal and you kick it, stomp it and sometimes drop it.....so it gets digs, chips, scratches etc...etching is indestructable and permanent...to me its worth the extra effort...

and very satisfying too..

The problem is that we dont have ferric chloride here in country where i am, and there is no similar, etching on aluminum is not very common for home use here, so i am sorry but i cant do that..

[deadastronaut]

there are alternative materials to use other than ferric...look up muriatic acid.

never used it myself, but some swear by it..

[Perkla]

there are alternative materials to use other than ferric...look up muriatic acid.

never used it myself, but some swear by it..

I see.. well, i dont know what to try yet.. i would like to do what Leo Fender did with the Telecaster in the 40´s.... Do it right from the beginning.