panel decal tape

I see that it is common to use the transparent tape with black letters that the portable printing machines print for the panel lettering. It appears the tape is apparent when applied to the panel looking "tacked on". Does a clear coat sprayed over the applied tape remove the outline of the tape giving it a more professional look?

Looking for an alternative to the tedious but great looking silk screen process that can be applied after the switches are in.

Lastly, where can you buy custom stick on decals that only have the letters and no clear tape?

Thanks,

Jim
RV9A
getting closer

Consider DecalPro

I'm not sure that it will pass muster under your "tedious" criteria, but I've been very pleased with my results using the DecalPro system.
Details in this thread:
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=82005&highlight=decalpro

Search using DecalPro for other threads as well.
Bottom line, extra work and $s, but eliminates the clear stick-on-label appearance, and allows for white or multi-colored markings. I labled my dark panel in white lettering, and made some really nice yellow and black striped markings for emergency equipment.
Good luck.

I've used Avery "Weatherproof Shipping Labels" for laser printers (http://averylabelsonline.com/weatherproof.html), and made my own labels and placards. They are made out of a polyester plastic sheet that's designed to adhere to laser printer toner. They will not work with inkjet printers as they need the heat from the fuser to bake the toner onto the surface of the material.

They look very good when all black with white lettering. The matte black surface looks professional and does not reflect. I use Microsoft Publisher and/or Word to get good crisp fonts and one of my favorite things to do is to first use good old Windows Paint to create a set of rounded-corner rectangle shapes of all the sizes I'm going to need, solid black filled, then inscribe a thin white rounded rectangle line just inside the outer edge and save it as a .bmp file. I then embed those images into a Word or Publisher document and add the text as an overlay using white over black fonts, and then after I've got at least a half-sheet's worth of various labels and placards gathered up, I print it onto the Avery material. I usually buy the label material that's an 8.5x11 sheet split in two sections (Avery #5526) so that I can flip the sheet around in the printer and print a second set of labels on the other half. I use an x-acto knife to cut out the labels on a sheet of glass with a stainless steel ruler for a straight edge.

I wish I had some photos of them handy, but right now I don't.

Most printers, sign shops, or graphics shops have the ability to print dry transfers. These are like decals, but there isn't any tape. You rub them through the backing paper and transfer them to your panel. A couple coats of clear coat on top and your are ready to go.

If you are going to go monochromatic (i.e. black or white) you should be able to get a 8.5x11 sheet printed for about $50-60. Most shops won't care how the sheet is laid out and all they need is a pdf file to print. Graphics or text doesn't matter. The can do multi-color, but that is more expensive.

One thing to consider is to put two or three copies of each label to allow for transfer issues caused by human error. I applied about thirty labels in about an hour and only had to re-apply two. Use 1/4" paint trim tape to use for alignment. If you make a mistake, masking tape will pull the mis-applied label off.

Not a good photo, but here is an example:

I'm at that stage right now and decided to use the water slide decals from SteinAir with a top coat. They look great and you just have to type them up on Word the way you want, email it to Stein, they do the sheet for you and mail it back for only $20 per 8-1/2" by 11" sheet. Done deal, cost effective with a professional durable look. The label makers do not give the look I want and I don't want to spend hundred's of $$ for silk screening, engraving, or custom engraved placards. The Decal Pro just seems too complicated and with the laminator, your looking at almost $180 with mixed reviews. I'll have two sheets done up by Stein with plenty of duplicates and extra's for screw-ups or future additional switches, ect.

jimbo said:

Does a clear coat sprayed over the applied tape remove the outline of the tape giving it a more professional look?

Click to expand...

You need to spray about three wet coats, then block sand the high areas over the lettering with 800 wet, being sure you don't sand too deep and cut the lettering. Then spray a couple more coats and block again. Repeat until the tape or decal is buried in a flush surface, then spray one last coat for finish.

Be sure to use a matte finish clear.

Works really well with custom lettering decal sheets from Steinair.

Both the dry transfers and the wet slide on decals that Bob and David describe sound good. Question on the wet slide on decals.....how difficult is it to position in place and are there any tricks of the trade to get them in the right place?

Looks like I will have to remove all the switches, etc to get back to a bear panel to spray the matte clear coat on and wet sand that Dan suggest. Would a lacquer painted on with a tiny brush be just as good? Never used lacquer. What are experiences out there regarding compatibility with either types of decals noted above, getting a matte finish, and if yellowing occurs over years of heat and sun?

Jim
9A
starting to see daylight

Go by a trophy shop and look at the various ways they can create lettering on thin metal. It isn't just engraving anymore. I had some pieces made for my RV-12 panel and they came out great.

DanH said:

spray about three wet coats, block sand the high areas, spray a couple more coats, block again, repeat until the tape or decal is buried in a flush surface, then spray one last coat for finish.

Click to expand...

Given I have a paint shop, this is the path I've chosen for my next panel.

There are also printers that can print directly to the panel (if flat). But it's a little more expensive.

As fas as positioning, the dry transfers come adhered to a sheet, that you would cut much like a decal. This way you don't have to worry about individual lettering alignment. I also spent quite a bit of time getting the alignment correct in word for those places that had a string of words together, like for my annunicator.

Whether you're using decals or dry transfer, just get some 1/8" or 1/4" paint trim tape to use as a guide. You can adjust the tape all you want until you get it right, then just alighn you label to the tape. This also helps when you want things in a straight line across a wide expanse of your panel.

jimbo said:

Both the dry transfers and the wet slide on decals that Bob and David describe sound good. Question on the wet slide on decals.....how difficult is it to position in place and are there any tricks of the trade to get them in the right place?

Looks like I will have to remove all the switches, etc to get back to a bear panel to spray the matte clear coat on and wet sand that Dan suggest. Would a lacquer painted on with a tiny brush be just as good? Never used lacquer. What are experiences out there regarding compatibility with either types of decals noted above, getting a matte finish, and if yellowing occurs over years of heat and sun?

Jim
9A
starting to see daylight

Click to expand...

Jim,
Buy two identical sheets from Stein. You WILL mess up and have to use some of your "spare". Once you get the hang of it again (since it has probably been years since building a plastic model) it is easy.

I've used these online guys for exterior vinyl decals -

http://doityourselflettering.com/

There "design it on line pages" let you enter in 0.1 inch high characters, so it could be used for panel lettering. This way you get the words arranged as a whole and not individual letters.

With carbon fiber vinyl

Does anyone have any experience with using either dry or wet xfer decals onto the 3m carbon fiber look vinyl?

The info on the vinyl film says it has a 3d texture so I'm concerned not only about getting the xfer done right, but also putting a clear coat over it.

I'd really like to use their grey carbon fiber look film to match my gray trim with black letters on it.