Charlie wrote:
Hi, I would like to make professional looking placards for the switches and
circuit breakes in my homebuilt. I have searched the 3M web pages for a
product I heard they have, but have not been able to locate it. Does anyone
have any ideas for making the placards and a source for the materials?

Charlie



I just did a fairly nice, multicolored placard for my switch panel by
stealing Jim Weir's circuit board construction idea.

Draw the panel on your computer then make a mirror image. Print it out
on cheap inkjet paper with a color laser printer. If your wife doesn't
have one for her real-estate business, you can do it at a copy shop for
$0.30 (or at work if you don't let 'em catch you at it).

Wipe the aluminum surface down with MEK then iron the print onto the
aluminum. Set the iron to the hottest setting, go slow, and make sure
you get everything good and hot. Rub it in hard, too. Let it cool
completely before moving it, then soak it for and hour or two in warm,
soapy water to remove the paper.

The laser ink is just a plastic that you melt onto the paper and then
the placard. A coating of clearcoat of some sort wont' make babies cry
either.

Your imagination is now the limit.