When it comes time to adding the finishing touches to my enclosure, it typically involves spray paint and stickers. I see some of you guys have some very professional looking enclosures with nice graphics and shiny epoxy stuff going on. I'm ready to upgrade the looks of my boxes so I can show them off without having to give the disclaimer of "I know it's ugly, but wait 'till you hear it". What are some of your techniques and where can I go to learn to master the magic that you guys are using?
I suck at actually finishing anything, but for what it is worth, I've posted briefly before on how I create graphics:
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=28763.msg278966#msg278966
Also interested in this topic.
I made an extensive tutorial about enclosure etching and finishing. It's linked in my signature and available in english and german. hope it's helpful
Awesome. Thanks!
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Also, if you see something you like in the build reports, ask for details from the builder. Most people appreciate being asked, and will let you know the technique they used.
This is great! I'm coming out of pedal building slumber, and was hoping to up my graphics game as well. I'm glad I caught this thread quickly....something is in the air...
Putting the enclosure graphics is the part I don't like a bit. I have used stickers, markers, mod podge, and water slide decal. It's the decals I am having difficulties. What I do is I print on inkjet decal (sorry, don't want to invest on laser printr). Then after ink dries I spray topcoat. After top coat dries, I cut to size and dip in warm water, then slide on to enclosure. After drying, I cut the holes and then spray top coat again then dry. My problem is, after drying the top coat, the lines get all wonky and wrinkle. The decal moved or shrunk or something. What am I doing wrong? Did I just leave it under the sun for too long? Is the decal reacting to the type of top coat used? I've messed up two pedals but luckily the owners were okay with them. Kinda made it unique or something. lol
You may be spraying your decals too soon after applying them (my suspicion is that your top coat is shrinking as it cures and pulling the decal with it). Wait a full day. Also, you might want to use a bit of vinegar in a spray bottle (or dab it on with your finger) to soften your decal right after you apply it. It will temporarily look like you effed it up big time after the vinegar goes on, but smooth it down and it will go back to looking good. But again, wait a day before top coating.
I searched after reading your post and read that some will add vinegar on water where you dip the decal. Does it flatten/ go smooth by itself? Or should I flatten it myself after adding vinegar?
The vinegar (if applied directly rather than ti the soaking water) will at first make the decal seem to bubble up. I'd gently smooth it down again, then it should stay that way. I should add that I have only done this with laser printed decals without a top coat already on the decal. This might not work for you (the vinegar probably won't get to the decal through your ink-protecting top coat). Sorry.
But, you could try adding vinegar to the soak water. Also, I add a tiny drop of dish soap to my decal soak water. Breaks the surface tension of the water, improving the application as well.
Quote from: vicfiveleven on October 29, 2019, 01:57:35 PM
Putting the enclosure graphics is the part I don't like a bit. I have used stickers, markers, mod podge, and water slide decal. It's the decals I am having difficulties. What I do is I print on inkjet decal (sorry, don't want to invest on laser printr). Then after ink dries I spray topcoat. After top coat dries, I cut to size and dip in warm water, then slide on to enclosure. After drying, I cut the holes and then spray top coat again then dry. My problem is, after drying the top coat, the lines get all wonky and wrinkle. The decal moved or shrunk or something. What am I doing wrong? Did I just leave it under the sun for too long? Is the decal reacting to the type of top coat used? I've messed up two pedals but luckily the owners were okay with them. Kinda made it unique or something. lol
Maybe applying too much finish at one time, many mist coats with time to dry between coats rather then a couple heavy sprays and done.
dave
dave
See the 1st attachment. I used the vinegar added in warm water trick. I don't know if it's supposed to look like that but I think I f'ed it up. :-\ It's still wet and I'm waiting for it to completely dry. The 2nd pic is just dipped in warm water then applied onto enclosure. If you look closely, you can see the wonky black line to the left. PS, I don't sand my enclosures except for those that have deep scratches.
@ddj3891 what did you use? How did it go?
I'm not sure if there is a questions there, but the black line is whee the decal just shrunk a little, happens if you pull a warm enclosure out in to cooler air. I"m not sure if I see anything wrong with the first one.
Well I'll be damned, for some reason it smoothed out by itself on the enclosure. Whoa! Hopefully they don't wrinkle or get wobly after applying topcoat. Wow, thanks for the tips guys.
@jimilee, that's fine. That's an old build and that's what I was talking about before.
With vinegar as a softener, there is always a temporary period of oh-shit-what-have-I-done anxiety where the decal looks like a bubbled up mess. It has always smoothed out for me afterward. Don't be in a hurry to topcoat it though. Give it 24 hours for the glue to fully cure and all the moisture to really be gone.
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 15, 2019, 07:45:32 AM
See the 1st attachment. I used the vinegar added in warm water trick. I don't know if it's supposed to look like that but I think I f'ed it up. :- It's still wet and I'm waiting for it to completely dry. The 2nd pic is just dipped in warm water then applied onto enclosure. If you look closely, you can see the wonky black line to the left. PS, I don't sand my enclosures except for those that have deep scratches.
@ddj3891 what did you use? How did it go?
I used waterslide decal paper from Amazon. I printed it and sprayed it with clear coat and let it sit for 24 hours. I set it in warm water for a couple minutes and it slid on a stuck pretty good. The weather is cool so I dried it with a hair drier. I'm really pleased with the result. I made it for a friend to go along with a marijuana themed guitar he made.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191115/4bcec29f4172b31c9d3d220647b56eed.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191115/d7fa9faab86df87ed07ce94e476786f3.jpg)
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 15, 2019, 07:45:32 AM
See the 1st attachment. I used the vinegar added in warm water trick. I don't know if it's supposed to look like that but I think I f'ed it up. :-\ It's still wet and I'm waiting for it to completely dry. The 2nd pic is just dipped in warm water then applied onto enclosure. If you look closely, you can see the wonky black line to the left. PS, I don't sand my enclosures except for those that have deep scratches.
@ddj3891 what did you use? How did it go?
Also, I dig the graphics on yours. Good job!
Thanks. Found that picture somewhere in the internet and she looks exactly like our pet dog who passed away 2 years ago. I miss her.
Yours is cool too. Weed pedal, weed guitar. He a reggae guitarist? hehe I like it. That input jack it's way up near the pot. Pcb mounted? Have you tried image transfer using mod podge? Has anybody done it? Does yours leave a smooth finish after? I made one last month for a friend bassist and I didn't get a smooth surface (Maybe because I only have inkjet printer). Cool thing about it is that it made it look worn, like I relic'ed it or something. I wonder how I can get it like decal smooth..
Quote from: EBK on November 15, 2019, 03:52:56 PM
With vinegar as a softener, there is always a temporary period of oh-shit-what-have-I-done anxiety where the decal looks like a bubbled up mess. It has always smoothed out for me afterward. Don't be in a hurry to topcoat it though. Give it 24 hours for the glue to fully cure and all the moisture to really be gone.
Yup, I really thought I messed it up. Left it to dry and see if I can just relic it or something. When I came back I noticed it smoothed itself. lol. ;D Will probably spray coat it this weekend. And will try not to spray a lot, just 2 or 3 thin coats. Thanks!
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 15, 2019, 06:56:30 PM
Thanks. Found that picture somewhere in the internet and she looks exactly like our pet dog who passed away 2 years ago. I miss her.
Yours is cool too. Weed pedal, weed guitar. He a reggae guitarist? hehe I like it. That input jack it's way up near the pot. Pcb mounted? Have you tried image transfer using mod podge? Has anybody done it? Does yours leave a smooth finish after? I made one last month for a friend bassist and I didn't get a smooth surface (Maybe because I only have inkjet printer). Cool thing about it is that it made it look worn, like I relic'ed it or something. I wonder how I can get it like decal smooth..
The in/out jacks (as well as the oddly placed LED) is poor execution. I marked the top holes after drilling the sides and had the drill guide upside down, so the jacks were too high and DC jack was on the bottom. I repurposed the DC jack hole for the LED and had to do some maneuvering with the pots. They are 9mm pots, so it could have been worse. Each pedal is a learning experience. I sprayed 5 coats of clear lacquer after the decal was set and it came out pretty smooth.
(Note the foot facing LED in the pic. Oops.)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191115/548fe1a55ca1c19f0b80cd6548e69dfa.jpg)
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Quote from: ddj3891 on November 15, 2019, 07:49:33 PM
(Note the foot facing LED in the pic. Oops.)
On a marijuana-themed pedal, you could get away with an open hole there. Just saying. ;)
Quote from: EBK on November 15, 2019, 08:23:47 PM
Quote from: ddj3891 on November 15, 2019, 07:49:33 PM
(Note the foot facing LED in the pic. Oops.)
On a marijuana-themed pedal, you could get away with an open hole there. Just saying. ;)
Yeah. The big pot leaf kinda implies a bit of slackerism. I wish I could say I was stoned when I did it, but I haven't smoked pot in 10 years! Just good old fashioned complacency. I like the design, though. It's not the best sounding pedal I've made, but it's the best looking by far. I'll reuse it with a better circuit and make a few of them for some local guitarists in the stoner rock scene.
I was thinking it could look intentional rather than slacking. You could even plug the hole with a vaping mouthpiece.
Quote from: EBK on November 15, 2019, 08:47:40 PM
I was thinking it could look intentional rather than slacking. You could even plug the hole with a vaping mouthpiece.
Ah, yes. I see. That's a cool idea!
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
You can try and squeeze this in there. https://www.motleymods.com/collections/box-mod-diy-kits/products/1591b-20700-green ;D
If there's enough room for two batteries though. Looks like the biggest part of that list. ;D
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 15, 2019, 09:08:37 PM
You can try and squeeze this in there. https://www.motleymods.com/collections/box-mod-diy-kits/products/1591b-20700-green ;D
If there's enough room for two batteries though. Looks like the biggest part of that list. ;D
That would be awesome. [emoji1787] I'm a sucker for novelty. A vape stomp box? Brilliant!
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Quote from: ddj3891 on November 15, 2019, 10:30:15 PM
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 15, 2019, 09:08:37 PM
You can try and squeeze this in there. https://www.motleymods.com/collections/box-mod-diy-kits/products/1591b-20700-green ;D
If there's enough room for two batteries though. Looks like the biggest part of that list. ;D
That would be awesome. [emoji1787] I'm a sucker for novelty. A vape stomp box? Brilliant!
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Oh my. I claim no responsibility when you are handling stoned customer complaints. ;D
If there is an extra hole, just say it's the carburetor
Worked out pretty well. See attachment. It smoothed out and after drying the glue for 24 hours, coated it one thin coat at a time. Going to use this method now, very effective. Thanks to you all! ;D
By the way, any one tried using mod podge for image transfer? How did it go? Is it possible to get a smooth finish like on water slide decals?
Quote from: vicfiveleven on November 18, 2019, 02:22:32 PM
By the way, any one tried using mod podge for image transfer? How did it go? Is it possible to get a smooth finish like on water slide decals?
I've used Mod Podge with water slide decals and printer paper. The only way to get a smooth finish is to sand it down and polish after you build it up. Mod Podge will give you a satin to low gloss finish at best. If you want I gloss finish, you'll have to apply an acrylic clear coat on top of it.
I used GAC 200 for laser image transfers. Found waterborne lacquers applied with an airbrush the best clearcoat, sealant. Acrylic mediums like Mod Podge, GAC200, pva's, will reabsorb water go milky looking if not sealed.
Can easily get any type of finish luster you'd like with the lacquers.
dave
Hi guys, sorry for reviving this 2 month old post. I used the vinegar trick on a decal I applied on a 1590bb. As usual it wrinkles and bubbles so i pressed what I thought were air spaces and left it to dry while I went to work. When I got back most of it flattened but there were lots of bubbles left. How do I flatten those? Can I dab a little vinegar on them to flatten? It's already dry.
I think half the battle is getting good decal stock. I've used a lot of different stuff and while it's a bit more expensive I've had by far the best luck with the stuff Steve is stocking at Small Bear. It has a protective sheet covering the printable side (don't forget to remove it after you've cut the piece to size and are ready to print). I print using a color laser. I print the image, tape a decal over the part I'm going to use on the pedal and run it thru the printer again. Using either a b&w or color laser allows you to use the decal immediately and doesn't require a sealer spray.
Warm tap water with a drop of dish soap is all I use to wet it. I also wet the top of the enclosure with the same soapy water, which gives me a bit better chance of moving it if I have to. I get it placed where I want it and with my fingers on the decal I lightly pull the backing out from underneath it. Slow and steady...if it fights you then wet the decal for a bit more. Get it in place and I go over it VERY lightly with the front edge of a credit card like using a squeegee. I say front edge because it is rounded due to the way they cut them and there's less chance of grabbing the decal. This squeezes out any residual water under the decal. It should lay dead flat and have no bubbles if you've done it right.
Let that dry over night, hit it with a few light coats of spray lacquer (satin or gloss clear) and let it dry at least 4 or 5 hours before touching it. Ideally 24 hours before any heavy handling.
This is an example of the VFE Bumblebee and Bean's Snarkdoodle. The VFE is a white powdercoated (BLMS) 1590B and the Snark is an unpainted (BLMS) 1590A. I HATE painting.
(https://www.gordomusic.com/Madbean/Snarksm.jpg)