sanded to 1000; decal on bare metal first, or clear coat first?

[dont-tase-me-bro]

attempting first enclosure with an actual finish, as opposed to bare, untouched metal with a label maker (which in retrospect is exponentially easier)

it took me around four hours, but I finally have a 1790 sanded flat and down to 1000 grit.  I'm not painting it, was going for clear finish and my liquid mercury knob labels

in your opinion,
1. decal on bare metal, then clear the whole thing?
2. clear coat the box, then label, the clear coat the whole thing again


In conclusion, odorless mineral spirits do indeed smell, and I should have tried something smaller to start with.

Thanks,
Pat

[davent]

The two times i've gone onto bare metal (amp builds) i've  cleared the box first but that may just be me. Love to hear how others have tackled this.
dave

[Luke51411]

I've done labels on the bare metal but mine weren't as polished as yours probably is.

[Willybomb]

Well, I'm probably going to try a black marker next time...

[jtaormina]

I've tried several things. Make sure your sticker/decal is really thin. Else when you clear over it it will look like trash. Paper decals have little fuzzys all over too which get trapped in the clear if you aren't careful.  But you can always redo a pedal by soaking it in paint thinner for 10-15 mins. Done this many times. Put a mask and gloves on if you do. 

[davent]

Cleared back panel first, decal the n many many thin coats of  clear before sanding level.

Clearing and sanded to see if there's enough clearoat to level sand- no - shiny spots are low.


Got impatient and sanded through to the chassis above the decal. Recoating didn't blend it in.



Tried inkjet decal on this one and the results weren't as good as with laserjet decals.

[dont-tase-me-bro]

Thanks for the advice - the amp looks great.  I'm going to clear coat it first, then go for the decal and subsequent clear layers.  After all the time I spent sanding, I was afraid to do something wrong.

Pat

[davent]

My email notifications for this thread keep ending up in my junk folder, must be something nasty about a decal on bare metal...