Somebody has probably does this already, I just don't remember seeing it. So I'm calling it "new" with quotes. Whatever.
The basic idea here is to use a color laser printer to produce a paper "faceplate" or whatever you want to call it. Then use Mod Podge to fix it to the enclosure and also as a clear coat. It's also possible to shoot clear coat spray over the fully dried Mod Podge if desired. It's not necessary from a protective standpoint, but it will make the finish shiny and help smooth out the texture appearance of the Mod Podge (brush strokes).
I've done this twice now, and I think it's a great alternative to other ways to do full-color graphics. It's cheap and requires no special equipment (other than access to a laser printer). Paper + Mod Podge is not a particularly forgiving combination (screw ups usually require a full do-over), but again, it's very cheap and easy to work with. A $6 bottle of the stuff will do maybe 100 pedals, depending on size and how many coats you do. They also have options for glow-in-the-dark and glitter, amongst many others. And, it's great for crafting with kids (paper mache or decoupage to name a few). It's non-toxic and cleans up with warm water.
I recommend a very light coat on the enclosure (it works on bare metal or powdercoat) and then lay down the paper. Light coats dry fast, so you'll have to be faster. Then gently smooth out the paper so it sticks fully. Give it a minute to dry a bit, and then brush on another light coat over everything (paper and metal). It will little sort of hazy, but don't worry as it dries clear. Takes about 5 minutes to dry enough for another coat. I recommend 4-5 coats. This seems to be enough to look nice and handle drilling (see below), although more would likely be better.
So after 4-5 coats and letting it fully cure for a few hours, this is what it looks like:
(http://i.imgur.com/XZV4yat.jpg)
Then I used some painter's tape to mark the stompswitch and LED drill points. Here's a pic with that and the Mod Podge, the expensive-ass brush I bought (which works very well), and another printout of the graphic:
(http://i.imgur.com/zLnYfaj.jpg)
I was skeptical, but it does actually take drilling quite well. I tried drilling first and then applying the graphic, and doing it graphic first is a LOT easier. To my surprise, there was no lifting of the paper at all after drilling. The Mod Podge really hardens nicely and makes the paper part of the enclosure.
Here it is post-drill:
(http://i.imgur.com/0dxSyuy.jpg)
Anywya, I highly recommend you guys try this method, as it's cheap and easy. And I think it ends up looking pretty good. It's perfect for one-offs, and this one is for a Function f(x) prototype build.
Looks great! I had modpodged some stuff, but couldn't get past the brush strokes. Does the expensive brush make it better? Or maybe the a sponge? I'll have to try to clear coat idea.
Quote from: HamSandwich on March 12, 2017, 01:02:07 AM
Looks great! I had modpodged some stuff, but couldn't get past the brush strokes. Does the expensive brush make it better? Or maybe the a sponge? I'll have to try to clear coat idea.
The brush I got is a Mod Podge branded brush. It was like $6, which is nuts when other similar brushes are less than half of that. I was just being lazy in the store. It's got fine bristles and is better than other options I've tried, but you can still see some strokes. You can shoot a couple coats of acrylic clear over top to help reduce the texture. I figure you can keep going until it's totally gone, but I'm not sure how many coats that would be (I'd guess 5-6).
Quote from: HamSandwich on March 12, 2017, 01:02:07 AM
Looks great! I had modpodged some stuff, but couldn't get past the brush strokes. Does the expensive brush make it better? Or maybe the a sponge? I'll have to try to clear coat idea.
You might be able to get fine brush strokes out with a light abrasive compound, like an automotive scratch remover. You run the risk of burning through the clear coat. I used similar products to polish scratched pick guard.
Quote from: culturejam on March 12, 2017, 12:12:33 AM
The Mod Podge really hardens nicely and makes the paper part of the enclosure.
How would you say the durability compares to polyurethane or envirotex?
Quote from: Aleph Null on March 12, 2017, 01:15:05 AM
How would you say the durability compares to polyurethane or envirotex?
Probably less durable than those, but it's very solid stuff. Especially with multiple coats. If you then shot some clear on top, it's ultra-tough stuff. It gets very hard when fully dry.
I've used an acrylic medium from Golden called GAC 200 to stick paper to enclosures. It's a hard medium you can use in acrylic paints and other mediums to make harder. I've wet sanded it smooth with sandpaper you just have to work fast because the medium will start to rehydate.
I've used it with laser printouts coloured with coloured pencils as well as inkjet printouts. The printouts i first sprayed with a 50/50 of GAC200/Airbrush Medium and then used the GAC to glue them down.
Also use the GAC 200 to do toner transfers onto enclosures.
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_5925_zpsb61910e6.jpg)
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_6605_zps555b7b66.jpg)
dave
Did a little research. The Mod Podge site recommends the following for smoother finishes:
Quote"Use a soft bristled brush and then sand between coats. To do this, apply the Mod Podge and let it dry an hour. Then use #0000 steel wool and lightly sand the entire surface."
It seems to me the biggest benefit to this approach is being able to do it indoors in the winter. My wife gets mad if I spray polyurethane in the house. :-[
They also have furniture and outdoor formulations, which would probably be more durable.
Quote from: Aleph Null on March 12, 2017, 01:38:22 AM
It seems to me the biggest benefit to this approach is being able to do it indoors in the winter. My wife gets mad if I spray polyurethane in the house. :-[
Yes, the benefits (to me) are:
1) It's cheap and requires no exotic tools or materials
2) It's non-toxic and doesn't smell bad
3) It's pretty easy
The downsides are the texture to the finish and to make it super-glossy you need to go another step with spray clear coat.
Quote from: culturejam on March 12, 2017, 01:42:21 AM
Quote from: Aleph Null on March 12, 2017, 01:38:22 AM
It seems to me the biggest benefit to this approach is being able to do it indoors in the winter. My wife gets mad if I spray polyurethane in the house. :-[
Yes, the benefits (to me) are:
1) It's cheap and requires no exotic tools or materials
2) It's non-toxic and doesn't smell bad
3) It's pretty easy
The downsides are the texture to the finish and to make it super-glossy you need to go another step with spray clear coat.
I wonder if you can use the machine polish stuff used on guitars? Steel wool + that would be SUPER easy and great for indoors.
Finished pedal:
(http://i.imgur.com/5NtKp8T.jpg)
1. Great results!
2. Seriously, you're not not going tell us what's in that miraculous little box?
(https://www.awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/come-on-gob-arrested-development.gif)
Quote from: jubal81 on March 12, 2017, 06:53:32 AM
1. Great results!
2. Seriously, you're not not going tell us what's in that miraculous little box?
(https://www.awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/come-on-gob-arrested-development.gif)
my thoughts exactly!
Tell us! Tell us!
Tell us! Tell us! Tell us! Tell us! Tell us! Tell us! ;D
It's an octave up fuzz. The gnarly sort.
Martha Stewart would be proud of each of you.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: culturejam on March 12, 2017, 12:05:47 PM
It's an octave up fuzz. The gnarly sort.
Yeah, it is a little monster of a fuzz pedal. I gots one too!
Also, Forrest- what about your CNC? That one engraving you did a few months ago looked great. Or, is it more trouble than it's worth?
Quote from: madbean on March 12, 2017, 02:15:30 PM
Also, Forrest- what about your CNC? That one engraving you did a few months ago looked great. Or, is it more trouble than it's worth?
Yeah, it's kinda a lot of work for a one off, and it takes too long to use for production purposes. And it's really hard to get precision from unit to unit.
Quote from: culturejam on March 12, 2017, 05:58:33 AM
Finished pedal:
(http://i.imgur.com/5NtKp8T.jpg)
Even in the light you don't see any brush marks. Really nice and thanks for sharing!
Quote from: HamSandwich on March 13, 2017, 02:18:29 AM
Even in the light you don't see any brush marks. Really nice and thanks for sharing!
You can definitely see them. I just used the most flattering possible angle. ;)
Quote from: HamSandwich on March 12, 2017, 02:43:14 AM
I wonder if you can use the machine polish stuff used on guitars? Steel wool + that would be SUPER easy and great for indoors.
It's acrylic based; you could probably use toothpaste to polish it...but that will only get you a matte finish.
This looks great Forrest. I'll certainly look into some of these designs in some of my future designs. You could come up with some interesting results with a combination of this and a painted etch.
I wonder if this would work with inkjet paper too? Time for me to experiment.
Quote from: drezdn on March 17, 2017, 06:06:30 PM
I wonder if this would work with inkjet paper too? Time for me to experiment.
Yes, it does. I just said laser because it's what I have access to. You could draw it with a crayon or pen, or cut pictures out of a magazine. You could regular paper or cardstock. Doesn't really matter. Mod Podge will handle it.
There was just another thread over at tdpri about this. Somebody shared this link http://modpodgerocksblog.com/the-7-steps-to-perfect-mod-podging-every-time
A little more involved but I bet it would probably look great.
I just used this method on a build: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=25287.0 (http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=25287.0) You can get a semi-gloss finish with some extra work. Details are in the build report.
Nice work!
I'm testing out some sticker paper options as well. I have a hobby plotter (Silhouette Cameo), so I can print/cut interesting non-contiguous shapes, and do the drill hit cutouts as well (which reduces finishing time and removes the chance of the drill damaging the paper).
I think another smooth/gloss option would be to do the basic Mod Podge finishing (4-6 layers), do some quick sanding to take out the big ridges, and then spray clear acrylic to seal it up. They make a branded spray, but I don't think there would be any issue using something a little cheaper from the hardware store.
Tried out this method last week on a rehouse project and it worked great! Thanks Forrest!
(https://s14.postimg.org/6x2afspm9/IMG_5738.jpg)
That looks good!
Labels with Hammertone is always a PITA, that came out great storyboardist.
Cody
Painted white stripe covered with a regular waterslide decal?
Came out well however it was done.
I would think you could use the Mod Podge for 'wet toner transfer' and skip decals all together.
dave