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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: runmikeyrun on January 10, 2018, 02:24:59 PM

Title: White paint under clear laser decals
Post by: runmikeyrun on January 10, 2018, 02:24:59 PM
Hey all.

I've been trying to figure out how to get a white under layer for my clear laser decals.  As you know the colors have to be on a white background for them to represent properly.  I really love all the finishes on the PPP enclosures so I hate to just use a white enclosure every time.

I've tried a couple methods, with what I feel are unacceptable results. 

1.  Masking off the area and hitting it with spray paint.  Leaves a noticeable ridge where the masking tape was after the decal is applied.

2.  Painting the area with a paintbrush and white Testor's paint.  The paint is too thick and looks lumpy under the decal.

The obvious is to use the white laser decal sheets, but the toner cracks where I cut it, whether I use scissors or a brand new razor blade, leaving white cracks appearing along the edges.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!
Title: Re: White paint under clear laser decals
Post by: EBK on January 10, 2018, 02:36:54 PM
You could try using white decal stock, but instead of trying to carefully cut out your graphics, try to match the background graphic color on your decal to your enclosure color
Title: Re: White paint under clear laser decals
Post by: vigilante397 on January 10, 2018, 03:12:23 PM
I've done this before, using method #1 with the spray paint.

The best results I had were using THIN coats of paint. It doesn't take much to get the job done, and the thinner the coat the less likely you are to get that ridge from the tape edge.

I've also spray painted without using the tape and just cleaning up areas I didn't want white on with acetone and a q-tip, which also gave smooth results and no ridge.