Etched enclosures

[deadastronaut]

i love it, i kinda like the effect too...though i can see why you would want it flatted out, rather than 'orange peel'...

you may be able to get rid of the 'peel' look with a really fine wire wool just on the paintwork..then clear...

good work man..nice design too..

[John Lyons]

I actually like the un eveness. It gives is more depth and variation.
If it was mine I'd leave it.

[deadastronaut]

I actually like the un eveness. It gives is more depth and variation.
If it was mine I'd leave it.

yeah me too..

[poppyman]

I like it a lot too on this box, actually

It's just that I would like to have the choice of having an "orange peel" finish like this or a flat homogeneous colour if I want to, next time!

Anyway, thanks guys!!!

I'll try the steel wool trick on the next box!

[.Mike]

The problem is that the clear coat doesn't really fix the uneven colour "dark/light stains" aspect of the paint after I sanded it. It looks kind of ok on this box but I'd like to be able to have a more consistant,  "homogeneous" colour...Any good advice for that?

I had the exact same problem-- micro-scratches resulting from sanding the paint, even with 1200 grit sandpaper. I use Testors enamel, and I like to apply it thick.

The solution is Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, about $9 at Walmart. One application by hand and the paint will shine again.

The problem, though, is that it is not "body shop safe." That means it contains silicon, oil, or some other chemical that might interfere with your ability to clear over it. If you really want to clear it, you should look for a body shop safe polish / scratch remover.

Good luck!

Mike

[snowmonkey5]

I just tried my first attempt at etching an enclosure using the PDF linked on this thread. I had a problem getting the mask to transfer. The first time I tried it worked the best. I got 70% of my mask to transfer but could never get it enough to do the echant stage. I tried 5 other times with different ink types (ink/laser) and paper quality and could never get it to stick to the enclosure. I feel like the iron wasnt evenly heating the image maybe. Any suggestions?

[.Mike]

I would think that transfer issues could be caused by a number of factors:

- Transfer surface not flat.
- Transfer surface not clean.
- Iron not flat.
- Iron not hot enough.
- Iron duration too short.
- Toner composition not appropriate.
- Not enough toner on page.
- Not enough pressure during transfer.

My guess is almost always the first two. To get the best transfer, you need to make sure the enclosure is flat. To make sure the enclosure is flat, you need to use a sanding block (an actual commercial sanding block, not a block of wood). Clean with acetone before transferring.

Mike

[Arcane Analog]

DEATH DEALER - Silicon Tone Bender




FLESH EATER - Univox Super Fuzz




KRAKEN - Octavia



More...

[guitarmageddon]

Codpiece Deluxe



Trem-lay



(K.O.T.)



Boiling Point



Bixoric Expandora

[Perrow]

The lack of etchings I could hope to achieve is disturbing

[syndromet]

[rocinante]

Here's first (pointdextor) and second etch.


IMG_1826[1] by frpedals, on Flickr

front left by frpedals, on Flickr

Front Clean by frpedals, on Flickr

Any pointers would be muccchhh appreciated, i'm still learning.

Cheers.

[deadastronaut]

looking good,  tip:   avoid shaded images...

[rocinante]

looking good,  tip:   avoid shaded images...

Cheers man.  I actually am glad it was a slightly messy shady design, gave me a little room to move if i effed up the etch.

[v8reverb]

How do you go about shaded images - I've got the idea for the design of a pedal I'm making and it's got some shading, but I can't get rid of it without the image being messed up:

[craigmillard]

When i etch a pedal i tend to use Inkscape to create the design, in this program you can import an image and then trace it, creating a outline in vector format allowing you to resize to any size!
Guides:
http://inkscape.org/doc/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFQ8Y386DWo

Works a treat for me:) my latest ADA FLanger DEsign:

[rocinante]

That looks like an awesome program craig!  I have to have a look at that next etch!!

THANKS!

[v8reverb]

Thanks for that - I have illustrator but I'm crap at it - I'm amazingly good on photoshop (qualified) but absolutely nasty on vector lol

I'll download inkscape and have a play at home

Thanks again

[stallik]

My first attempt at etching and enclosure...

[roseblood11]

Wow, that's a very clean etch! How exactly did you do it?