How to APPLY custom graphics to pedal enclosure?

[kaiserA]

Hello!

I want to make a custom graphic pedal enclosure like the ones shown in the following links:

http://www.teslaelectronics.cl/inicio/261-cato-noise-gate.html
http://www.teslaelectronics.cl/inicio/257-astro-digital-delay.html

I asked in the store how do they paint their enclosures and they told me that they used powder coating / electrostatic painting /oven method. I also asked whom did they buy that service from, but they were not willing to tell me.

After some search I only found photos and information about powder coating SOLID colors on metal (just one color), but not custom graphics. The only method that I've found for printing graphics to metal was silk-screening (similar to the method they use to print on t-shirts).

Does anybody know how to print solid graphic designs in guitar pedals enclosures? Is powder coating capable of printing graphics? Is silk-screening the only way to print graphics to metal? Whom can I obtain this service from?

Thanks!!

[Willybomb]

Mark at Kink gets his UV printed. I get labels printed up that I clear coat over. Paul, jimilee and juansolo use waterslide transfers that also get clearcoated. Midwayfair's are hand painted.

There are all sorts of options...

[juansolo]

Ours are adhesive transparent paper (it's more of a film, quite a bit thicker than waterslides and no water involvement) with Envirotex over that (an epoxy coating) which is less messy and more durable than clear coat.

There's a photo tutorial on my site for how we do it. But the method works really well for custom one-offs (which is all we do really).

[EBK]

If you want to see the full capabilities of powder coating, check out the gallery at Prismatic Powder's website:
https://www.prismaticpowders.com/gallery/
It is apparently possible to do some detailed masking with high heat tape, and multicolored designs can be done.  I have to imagine this would be more expensive than silk screening or UV printing after a more simple powder coat.

[trotel]

Ours are adhesive transparent paper (it's more of a film, quite a bit thicker than waterslides and no water involvement) with Envirotex over that (an epoxy coating) which is less messy and more durable than clear coat.

There's a photo tutorial on my site for how we do it. But the method works really well for custom one-offs (which is all we do really).

Would you mind sharing what type/brand of adhesive transparent paper you use?  I'm also looking for something thicker/different than water slide paper

Thanks!

[juansolo]

It's something you have to experiment with sadly. I originally used Craft Computer Paper's Adhesive Transparent Inkjet Paper. Used it for ages, then they changed supplier and the stuff they got after that was useless. So I went with someone else for a while, same happened there. I'm now actually back with CCP and they've got a different paper yet again, but this one is about the best yet. About the right level of adhesion so that you can get a couple of attempts to get it on there, and it prints really uniformly. That said I buy in big batches so the last one I bought was probably well over a year ago so I've no idea if what they currently stock is the same as I'm using.

My advice would be to by a pack from a local supplier and experiment. It's usually in very small quantities anyhow (packs are of 5 sheets here and it's expensive. You really need to buy bulk to get discounts on number and shipping, hence why I buy it so infrequently)

[trotel]

Ok- good to know.  Makes more sense now, was wondering why it's sold either 6 or 50 sheets.  Find a good one and stick with it.

[juansolo]

Ok- good to know.  Makes more sense now, was wondering why it's sold either 6 or 50 sheets.  Find a good one and stick with it.

I tend to get quite a bit of it in one go. What I've got currently will probably last me another year at the current rate of building.