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Old 30th Sep 2015, 6:59 pm   #21
Rexs Rewinds
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We restore classic motorcycle electronic ignition units. we use a guy who is one ebay who prints onto aluminium to make perfect reproductions of orginal 1960's & 70's decals. Expect to pay for his services but his work is outstanding.

Another idea would be if you have screen printing equipment for making circuit boards, I've made up one offs data plates before using this.

The seller on ebay goes as "classicmotorcycledecals2" if you search on ebay for "kawasaki cdi decals" you'll find him
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Old 30th Sep 2015, 7:55 pm   #22
McMurdo
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Default Re: Lettering on brushed aluminium

Quote:
not everyone realises that you're supposed to rub-down the alignment marks too
I use those if I need to modify a meter scale!
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Old 5th Oct 2015, 11:17 am   #23
jim221
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Default Re: Lettering on brushed aluminium

Well chaps you have really given me something to think about. Thank you or all your replies
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Old 5th Oct 2015, 12:08 pm   #24
David G4EBT
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Default Re: lettering on brushed aluminium

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Originally Posted by ColinTheAmpMan1 View Post
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Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
use an inkjet printer to print onto water slide transfer paper.
Won't the ink from the inkjet printer wash off when you wet the water-slide transfer?
Colin.
No. They're very durable. I've used them quite a lot on front panels, radio dials, valves, re-stuffed & refurbished above-chassis smoothing caps, meter dials, and so forth. The process is very simple - you print your artwork onto the paper, then spray the front of the paper a couple of times ti fix the ink and stop it from running. Then you cut the transfer (AKA 'decal' - the US term for what we call a 'transfer') to size, then soak it for a few seconds in lukewarm water, checking with your fingers to see if the transfer film is free to slide off the backing paper. If so, you carefully slide it off into position and rub it down to remove any bubbles or water. (They adhere very well).

Applying them is an acquired skill - you must have the paper close to where you want to position the transfer, and slide it off into position adjusting its exact position as required. If you aren't careful with this, the transfer film will just curl up, and you'll not be able to save it. No big deal really - just make another, and put it down to experience!

You can get the film for laser printers too, and though the paper I usually use is transparent, so handy for dials etc, you can also get it with a white opaque background. It's not too expensive, especially if you plan your transfers to fit onto an A4 page to get best use from the sheet.

You can get it from 'Crafty Computer Papers' and if you get their website up, you can see short instructive videos of how to use the paper, and impressive examples of work done by model makers, crafters etc. They also sell aerosols of clear lacquer, which I use, but I guess that any clear acrylic lacquer will suffice.

(I also use their 'micro porous film' for printing PCB mask artwork using an ink-jet printer - I find it superior to ordinary OHP film).

Hope that helps.
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Old 13th Dec 2015, 4:37 am   #25
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Default Re: Lettering on brushed aluminium

I restore vintage stereo equipment here in New Zealand and I can tell you the only way to get that professional 'factory finish' is to have your panel screenprinted.

You need to ask around, some places are happy to do small one-off jobs.
You will need a good scan or photo of the original artwork - the screenprinter can turn this into the required vector graphic to give a high quality print.

Bear in mind that this is where the money is. It takes time on a computer to produce the artwork.
[On that note, if there is anyone on this forum that has graphic art skills and can produce vector graphics from scans or photos please msg me!]

Anyway, there are various other processes involved in producing professional looking front panels including anodising, bead blasting, brushing etc.
Just printing onto stock aluminium won't give you what you need.

Trust me, I've spent a lot of time (and money) working out how to do it right.
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