UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Simple method to mark calibration and functions externally on a case?

G6Tanuki · 14th Feb 2018, 7:19 pm

My approach for this sort of thing has either been to get "Traffolyte" engraved by someone with the necessary machinery [sports trophy-engravers are worth asking] or to use a CAD package to draw-up the necessary front-panel, print it out on overhead-transparency-film [remember that?] and then sandwich it between the panel and a thin sheet of transparent plastic [the thin stuff used for garden cloches].

Another thing I tried years back - with low success - was to rear-engrave the text onto Perspe/Lexan then edge-light it. The idea being that the Lexan would channel the light and the text would glow. I only had the possibility to edge-light (using filament bulbs) along one edge, so the glow was patchy. These days with cheap, very small LEDs you could edge-light from all four edges....

The Traffolyte approach is good because the sheet of Traffolyte conveniently covers-up any scratches/scribe-marks/extraneous holes in the underlying panel.

14th Feb 2018, 7:19 pm	#3
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,005	Re: Simple method to mark calibration and functions externally on a case? My approach for this sort of thing has either been to get "Traffolyte" engraved by someone with the necessary machinery [sports trophy-engravers are worth asking] or to use a CAD package to draw-up the necessary front-panel, print it out on overhead-transparency-film [remember that?] and then sandwich it between the panel and a thin sheet of transparent plastic [the thin stuff used for garden cloches]. Another thing I tried years back - with low success - was to rear-engrave the text onto Perspe/Lexan then edge-light it. The idea being that the Lexan would channel the light and the text would glow. I only had the possibility to edge-light (using filament bulbs) along one edge, so the glow was patchy. These days with cheap, very small LEDs you could edge-light from all four edges.... The Traffolyte approach is good because the sheet of Traffolyte conveniently covers-up any scratches/scribe-marks/extraneous holes in the underlying panel.