TangoFox wrote:

Bagarre wrote:DIY silk screening turns out quite nice.
This was a quick test. Turned out decent but I'll be re-working it for the final job.

How do you do that?

Yes, do tell!

hotrod180 wrote:.... there's a new generation of electronic label-makers out there now.
You can choose different width tapes, with various color backgrounds & characters.
I did all the little placards on my panel with one of these, they look pretty good.
You can even create, line by line, the rather extensive placards spelled out in Cessna's TCDS's.

Here's a photo of a rather wordy placard on my panel,
made with one of those little electronic label-makers.
Black lettering on clear tape, looks pretty good to me except for the tape itself being shiny.
The nice thing about these placards is that they're easy to remove, esp if you use a heat gun to warm them up.
They can easily be moved or replaced if / when you reconfigure your panel.
There's some switches & CB's I've moved, a couple of them more than once.

hotrod180 wrote:

My only critique is... Who in their right mind thinks it's at all appropriate to put quotation marks around something like that?

(^That's a joke)

asa wrote:

hotrod180 wrote:

My only critique is... Who in their right mind thinks it's at all appropriate to put quotation marks around something like that?

My only critique is... This thread was started to gather input on the viability of the OP's 3D printed placards, now it seems to be about some crummy temporary label printer ones. One would have to assume the OP knows about label printers, they are fairly common, but he's decided to try something new.

To the OP, can't wait to see how your placards turn out, might be a good way to go. Instead of dipping the letters in paint when your done is it possible to change to a different colored printer material for the letters? Have you tried acetone vapor to smooth your prints?

Halestorm wrote:

asa wrote:
My only critique is... Who in their right mind thinks it's at all appropriate to put quotation marks around something like that?

My only critique is... This thread was started to gather input on the viability of the OP's 3D printed placards, now it seems to be about some crummy temporary label printer ones. One would have to assume the OP knows about label printers, they are fairly common, but he's decided to try something new.

To the OP, can't wait to see how your placards turn out, might be a good way to go. Instead of dipping the letters in paint when your done is it possible to change to a different colored printer material for the letters? Have you tried acetone vapor to smooth your prints?

Sorry dad, I already addressed his question so I thought I had the leeway to add some grammar based humor.

I second the acetone for smoothness. A quick dip is nice if you can neutralize it (or get it off) fast enough, depending on the geometry and, of course, the material. Have never tried vapor personally, sounds high tech.

I've tried dipping and the vapor. If your print has any sharp edges, it's better to sand with 2000 grit. My experience has been that it just makes a mess when you are printing with PLA. works awesome with ABS.

The best trick I've used is to bake the parts at 180-200 degrees for 20 minutes. Your parts will come out harder and smoother. Be careful of warping tho.

Jim

Halestorm wrote:My only critique is... This thread was started to gather input on the viability of the OP's 3D printed placards, now it seems to be about some crummy temporary label printer ones. One would have to assume the OP knows about label printers, they are fairly common, but he's decided to try something new. ...

Just the facts, ma'am.....

Seriously though, if no one did anything but strictly address the original question or statement,
most threads would be pretty damn short.
IMHO the nature of discussions is that they evolve--
sometimes in good ways, sometimes not.

hotrod180 wrote:

Halestorm wrote:My only critique is... This thread was started to gather input on the viability of the OP's 3D printed placards, now it seems to be about some crummy temporary label printer ones. One would have to assume the OP knows about label printers, they are fairly common, but he's decided to try something new. ...

Just the facts, ma'am.....

Seriously though, if no one did anything but strictly address the original question or statement,
most threads would be pretty damn short.
IMHO the nature of discussions is that they evolve--
sometimes in good ways, sometimes not.

Personally, I like the evolving nature of most threads. This one in particular has fostered some pretty fair ideas, and although I'm never likely to redo my entire panel, I can imagine redoing the placards that my IA and I have placed on it, all of which are just marginally OK. While Jim's 3D printer method is pretty cool, and Bagarre's silk screening looks pretty neat, too, most likely I'd want to use a variation of Hotrod's method--those look doable by someone like me who has limited skills--I like the transparent tape so that just the lettering stands out. I've made placards for my boat with the old Dymo thingy, and they are pretty crude by comparison. Maybe there's some way of using a less shiny tape. I guess I'll have to stop by Office Depot/Staples and check it out.

Cary

Cary wrote:

hotrod180 wrote:

Halestorm wrote:My only critique is... This thread was started to gather input on the viability of the OP's 3D printed placards, now it seems to be about some crummy temporary label printer ones. One would have to assume the OP knows about label printers, they are fairly common, but he's decided to try something new. ...

Just the facts, ma'am.....

Seriously though, if no one did anything but strictly address the original question or statement,
most threads would be pretty damn short.
IMHO the nature of discussions is that they evolve--
sometimes in good ways, sometimes not.

Personally, I like the evolving nature of most threads. This one in particular has fostered some pretty fair ideas, and although I'm never likely to redo my entire panel, I can imagine redoing the placards that my IA and I have placed on it, all of which are just marginally OK. While Jim's 3D printer method is pretty cool, and Bagarre's silk screening looks pretty neat, too, most likely I'd want to use a variation of Hotrod's method--those look doable by someone like me who has limited skills--I like the transparent tape so that just the lettering stands out. I've made placards for my boat with the old Dymo thingy, and they are pretty crude by comparison. Maybe there's some way of using a less shiny tape. I guess I'll have to stop by Office Depot/Staples and check it out.

Cary

If these turn out, I'm happy to make you some (I have some fluorescent pink filament?)...

Jim

If these turn out, I'm happy to make you some (I have some fluorescent pink filament?)...

Jim

Fluorescent pink is not my favorite color, just so you know.

Cary

OK... Printed this as a test in the lowest quality. It looked really good. printing in the highest quality now. I think they will work!

Looks good Jim!

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