display panel graphics

[wheresmejumper]

Ive an older inverter welder that really needs the front panel improved or restored or whatever.
a few parts companies list them as available online but none can supply as theyre no longer made.
what are the routes to go down?sign graphics?some type of printers
Wouldnt have to be an exact copy .this is the panel

 

[eSCHEn]

There's a chap on here @julianf who does lovely work on panels for keyboards and stuff.

 

[wheresmejumper]

There's a chap on here @julianf who does lovely work on panels for keyboards and stuff.

Cheers will shoot him a pm

 

[Robotstar5]

Make them to your own design on PC & printer? - link

 

[wheresmejumper]

Make them to your own design on PC & printer? - link

Cheers just looking into that now.all new to me

 

[marlinspike]

You could draw on a simple art program, print it onto inkjet waterslide transfer paper, put it on the panel, then fix it with spray can laquer. Would probably be easier to do as individual little labels. The paper is about £5 for 5 sheets on eBay.

I made wooden gift tags with waterslide transfers this Xmas:

 

[wheresmejumper]

You could draw on a simple art program, print it onto inkjet waterslide transfer paper, put it on the panel, then fix it with spray can laquer. Would probably be easier to do as individual little labels. The paper is about £5 for 5 sheets on eBay.

I made wooden gift tags with waterslide transfers this Xmas:
View attachment 58048

That doesnt look too bad . The fella Julian above does a proper nice job,if i can get the design done myself ill get him to do the whole lot .
if i cant get that done ill go this way

 

[eSCHEn]

Aye his stuff is top notch, very professional looking. If you need a hand doing the computer work just give me a shout, that wouldn't take me long to knock up pal.

 

[Wallace]

Apart from a couple of rusty button head cap screws on the lower panel and a lack of connector labelling it looks fine to me, what do you want to see different?

 

[Fazerruss]

If you do decide to re print the graphics bare in mind you cannot print white with your normal home printer. I assume the water slide paper will be clear so you would need to print all black except the symbols then apply to a painted white background.

 

[julianf]

Its hard for me to talk about lazertran (the water slide decal stuff) without seeming bias, so feel free to disregard evreything i say below.... ; )

Lazertran was the reason i got into cnc stuff. Its great in that its (reasonably) cheap, and you can do it all at home, but its also right frustrating, in that you can never (or at least not that ive ever seen - either by my hand or others that ive seen in the real world) get 'factory' looking results.

You can get stuff that looks good (easier it seems with the laser version than the inkjet) but ive never seen anyone manage to do a larger design without fracture lines (think the palm of your hand). This, in my experience, seemed to be largely to do with the top coat, but, as i say, ive seen other peoples work too, and none of them have got it perfect either.

It is, as i say, a nice process, up until the point where you get sick of things looking diy. You seem to only be able to go so far with it, and getting the last little bit of professionalism with it... well, it evaded me.

Other advantages of it (over cnc work) is that you can do full color without bother and even do photos etc.

Other options (that ive mentioned to John - which i dont do myself) are (lazer cut) laminated printed vinyl overlays. For example, this job was done that way -

If i ever did another run of them though, id probably just get them silk screened - but that's even more money than cnc work for small run stuff.



And some cnc examples -

etc.




...but, yep, id advise going the laminated vinyl path (high street print shop) over lazertran any day,unless you really want to DIY the whole process.

By the time youve paid for the primers / top (well, under) coat, and lacquer with lazertran (unless you have it knocking about anyhow) then it would probably work out more expensive than vinyl.


I dont do vinyl printing, so at least that bit can be impartial! ; )

 

[wheresmejumper]

Apart from a couple of rusty button head cap screws on the lower panel and a lack of connector labelling it looks fine to me, what do you want to see different?

Ill post a pic of my welder too,that might explain the thread!

 

[graffian]

I have used waterslide paper, it works well but I haven't tried it on a machine panel.
You want to try Humbrol decalfix or Microsol/set if you use waterslide decals, it makes
them stick really well.
From what I was told Inkjet inks fade, even the non fade ones, I have an ALPS printer
and a laser and haven't seen any fading yet.

I bought a bike of someone and when I looked at his website, it turns out he makes
panels and I have a cnc machine panel to make when the felt tip wears off.
I asked and he quoted me something like 12 quid for an A4 panel. I forget his name
but it was in Doncaster, just looked it up: simjon-developments.