Re: poor man's decal

Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

[...]

A soldering iron gives a
nice smooth finish but throws up a 'flash' of melted material which is
easily trimmed off with a file.  It is a quicker and more accurate
process than trying to cut tiny circles with a knife.  The knife is good
for trimming excess tape off the outside edges.

 
What about a rotary tool like a dremel to abrade the plastic that
isn't "backed" by aluminum?

It might work but with acetate sheet iit is more likely to melt it by
friction, rather than cut it.  Acetate is notorious for being difficult
to cut without tearing, which is why disc recording blanks are always
made of cellulose nitrate, despite erroneously being called "Acetates".

I am planning on just using punches to knock out any holes (in the
laminate and/or printed sheet) BEFORE mating to the panel.  Any
holes (though the entire decal) would also serve to orient the
decal to the panel; less chance of it coming into adhering contact
in the wrong place...

If you have pre-punched the sheet. alignment is simple: put pegs through
the holes in the sheets and use them to align with those the panel.  The
'alignment tool' could be a piece of wood with plastic-sleeved nails in
strategic locations.  Drop the adhesive-coated sheet over it, then offer
it up to the panel.


--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk