I'm making new control boxes for two older wood working lathes - 3 phase motors so need to control the single to three phase convertors.
I'm using a single gang plastic pattress box with a blank cover plate. It would make a nice finish to the job if I could label the switches and speed control knob with something better than tape from a label maker.
Anybody got suggestions as to the best way to do this ?
Thanks Rob
I would have said Avery heavy duty address label, like self adhesive foil, that would go through a laser printer, but they don't seem to do them anymore.
MBQ
Something like
MBQ
Bingo!
MBQ
In message , robgraham writes
Design on your PC, print and laminate. I've made a few this way and they look respectable. Make sure that the card/paper is smaller than the area of laminate needs to be so that when you cut it to size there is still a seal around the edge, otherwise moisture etc. will creep in.
If you have a printer, you could design a suitable text or pattern on the pc and then print, cut out and stick on and then lacquer or clear sticky plastic cover.
Which reminds me, I was going to make try and make an outdoor label to signify which paving stone needs to be lifted to get at the new rodding point our builder has just covered over...
S
laser print onto vinyl peel and stick stock?
most printers will be able to do this for you.
Or if you have a color laser, you should be able to buy suitable stock somewhere.
I've used Letraset transfers with great success.
Plastic blanking plates can be engraved and paint infilled - google industrial engraving.
If you use the flat metalclad style instead of plastic, most high street key-cutting and tankard-engraving places should be able to do the lettering.
Owain
How about a better label maker? Aldi have the Brother smooth-tape label printers in very soon and these are about as good quality as you're going to get on a tape. Far better than raised Dymo! It's quite hard to find the right sort of refill tape, but you don't use that much of it.
Next step up from that is a better cobbler / key cut place that has a pantograph engraver for doing dog tags in laminated plastic. Give them a day or two and most can engrave on larger sheets too.
If you're really really keen RS Components (if they haven't closed down) do a rather fine aluminium etching process which can be used at home and gives superb results. Uses coloured dyes and anodised sheet - so you end up with a combination of natural and red, green blue, yellow or black. You can also do different parts in different colours with care. Search for 586-073 at the RS site - they do a PDF of instructions. The starter kit is quite expensive - but you'll find plenty else to make panels for with it. ;-)
With respect, they look exactly like what they are. You can tell it's been laminated.
Hi Bill - what form does the lamination take ? I've got one of these paper laminators but that's only for paper.
Rob
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Indeed they do, but it is a quick and easy way to do it. Not sure how much time, effort and money the OP wanted to put into the job and that was a quick solution.
If money is of little worry then these look as if they could be quite good, a bit OTT for a one off though.
You print the label and then cut it to size. Then stick that through the laminator. After it's set you trim that to slightly larger than the label.
But because you don't get perfect contact between the laminate and paper it doesn't stand close inspection. Better to just stick the paper label on and use some lacquer to protect it.
Isn't that one of the signs of Ragnarok?
And I'll bet that Caswell have something very similar, at half the price.
Get better quality laminating materials, and a laminator that has enough heating capacity to use them. I've been disappointed in just this quality from a cheap laminator. Just try making outdoor signage with one, so that it doesn't start to leak from the edges.
...Fortunately I then found an office throwing away its big old square laminator (all of 15-20 years old) in favour of a shiny new plastic one that _looked_ nicer.
I had some sockets engraved. I seen to recall taking them to Edmundsons Electrical. It cost about £4 per socket.
Adam
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
As Dave says, but with the addition of try using thin white card and as thick a laminate pouch as your laminator will handle. One thing I would have against lacquer would be that if there was likely to be any scuffing then it could break through to the paper/card and let moisture etc through whereas the laminate would offer more protection and as Dave said trim it slightly larger than the printed material.
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