FrankenWashie's TS-808

[jugglindan]

I had visions of cutting the stencil by hand, but that would probably only work for simple shapes.

[Bakersdozen]

Yeah, words and labels would be a nightmare to do. Unless you went totally retro.

[JohnH]

Screen printing would be super sweet. But for pedals, you'd need a plotter to cut the stencil

You can photo expose* stencils easily at home, but you'd need to DIY a UV rig. It's super easy though, and pretty standard for screenprinters who don't have access or cash for communal facilities. I have a friend who uses the sun, but that's a bit trickier and you'd probably need to have had some experience before so you didn't waste a tonne of time faffing about.

I've helped heaps of people set up their own, and I've been meaning to make an instruction manual specific to pedals for ages. Maybe I should finally get on it

*For those who don't know, photo exposure let's you put an image of very fine detail onto a screen - so fine lines, small font text, photos that have been turned into a halftone first, etc... You can get digital quality prints with the right gear, but for pedals you wouldn't need anything very fancy, just a screen with a good mesh count and a UV unit

[McCreed]

JohnH, I look forward to your upcoming tutorial! Sounds interesting.

I have also had mixed results with waterslide paper and didn't know "not all paper is created equal". Like most things, I guess you get what you pay for... and my first inclination (usually) is to spend the lowest amount possible.

Have you tried a bit of white vinegar in your water?

The last few enclosures I did, I cheated and used vinyl print "paper" then clear coated them. It's easy to use but has its limitations design-wise.
I've also used clear label making material, but again, not a perfect solution as the stuff is waaaay thicker than waterslide.
All those pedals were for my own use, so I wasn't that fussed about getting them perfect and was happy enough with the result. I would feel differently if I was doing one for someone else though.

[jugglindan]

You can photo expose* stencils easily at home, but you'd need to DIY a UV rig ... SNIP ... for pedals you wouldn't need anything very fancy, just a screen with a good mesh count and a UV unit

That sounds great. The screen and associated tools are readily available, and UV LED lamps should make a DIY UV unit quite plausible. I would be very interested in a guide or even some tips on how to get started.

JohnH, I look forward to your upcoming tutorial! Sounds interesting.

I have also had mixed results with waterslide paper and didn't know "not all paper is created equal". Like most things, I guess you get what you pay for... and my first inclination (usually) is to spend the lowest amount possible.

Have you tried a bit of white vinegar in your water?

The last few enclosures I did, I cheated and used vinyl print "paper" then clear coated them. It's easy to use but has its limitations design-wise.
I've also used clear label making material, but again, not a perfect solution as the stuff is waaaay thicker than waterslide.
All those pedals were for my own use, so I wasn't that fussed about getting them perfect and was happy enough with the result. I would feel differently if I was doing one for someone else though.

I lived with the below pedal for 7 years, so clearly I am not too fussed with my own pedals.

What does the white vinegar claim to do? I haven't tried it.

Fortunately the decal I applied last night seems to have settled down quite well while drying. I suspect a lot of the difference is that the new stuff is much thinner, leading to all the application issues I had. But that means the edges are much less prominent which is nice. It's good enough that I will do the clear coat today and final pedal assembly over the weekend.

[jugglindan]

Forgot to mention that in this circuit, with my amp and ears, the Ge diodes sound the same as the stock silicon diodes. Asymmetric clipping with a single rectifier diode (1N4001) sounded nice though, so I will add that to the soldered red LED pair and the half-dozen tone caps for FrankenWashie to play with.

[JohnH]

That sounds great. The screen and associated tools are readily available, and UV LED lamps should make a DIY UV unit quite plausible. I would be very interested in a guide or even some tips on how to get started.

When Megalo opens back up I should take you in so you can check out their set up. It's pretty amazing, and if you become a member and do a half hour induction you can access their gear.

Doing it at home is nice though

[Bakersdozen]

The white vinegar is rumoured to help dissolve the edges of your decal a little. Something along the lines of the product called decalsol

[McCreed]

What does the white vinegar claim to do? I haven't tried it.

It works as a softening agent. Apparently you can buy specialised softener [Decalsol as BD mentioned] but vinegar is heaps cheaper and allegedly works just as well.

The softening agent literally softens the decal material making it more flexible to conform to uneven surfaces (think models) and the extra pliability helps with wrinkling and bubbles.

I tried it a few years ago and it did make a difference, but I don't think I used enough vinegar. There are varying recipes online ranging from a few cap-fulls vinegar in a small bowl of water; to 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water.

Note: I had replied earlier, but computer froze and had to reboot

[jugglindan]

Sounds good. I have quite a few left over decals (I always print spares) that I can practice and compare with. Hard visible edges on the decals really annoy me.

If my current decal paper was more flexible it might become unusable. Time to test.