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Instrument labels and placards

There was a discussion on the Decal Pro a while back. The general consensus was that you need to follow the directions to the tee to get it right,,,,,but the results are very good if you do. I am going with Aircraft Engravers http://www.engravers.net/ for my placards. They are very reasonably priced.
 
I tried the Decal Pro system. After a very steep learning curve I was able to make some really great looking switch labels. My problem came after applying them to the panel. The clear coat I used pealed off of the powder coating on my panel. I had to scape everything off and start over. In the end I went to a sign shop that can engrave name badges. They had .020 matte black plastic that could laser engrave to a PDF file that I provided. The results looks great, and it was easy.
 
9GT said:
There was a discussion on the Decal Pro a while back. The general consensus was that you need to follow the directions to the tee to get it right,,,,,but the results are very good if you do. I am going with Aircraft Engravers http://www.engravers.net/ for my placards. They are very reasonably priced.
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engravers.net did my Cherokee panel and did a geat job.

Ivan, Geoff used a vendor to screen print to his inserts, you may want to talk to him about his results.

bob
 
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I used the decal pro system with good results. Yes, there is a learning curve, but for me it was one of the easier learning curves when building an aircraft :). I only used black for lettering, which is the simplelist. The panel looks awesome, and I'm very happy with it. The biggest plus is that I can add any label anytime I want, in about 20 minutes. The only down side, to me, is the cost. You need the set up from them, plus you need a laser printer. I bought a refurbished one from newegg.com for about $150.00. I got the decal pro system as a present, but I think that was about $150 too with the laminator.

Would I do it again- yes
 
I used the P-Touch.

Black on clear tape, and added the box around the words.

Sticks well, and looks decent.

Switches by Aircraft Engravers took care of lots of labeling chores.

P2030032.jpg
 
Looks good but... That key needs to be turned off and tossed up on the glareshield. Gives me the creeps sitting there on both. I covered a T-craft last year and when the owner was propping to leave, he was looking right at me while moving a blade and it lit off. Scared him enough to make him do a spaz dance.
 
aerhed said:
Looks good but... That key needs to be turned off and tossed up on the glareshield. Gives me the creeps sitting there on both. I covered a T-craft last year and when the owner was propping to leave, he was looking right at me while moving a blade and it lit off. Scared him enough to make him do a spaz dance.
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I agree, but I think it should stay on "both" since its up in the air. :D
 
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I have the Decal Pro kit. Since I ended up not using it, if someone wants to make an offer, I would gladly sell the whole system.
 
aerhed said:
Looks good but... That key needs to be turned off and tossed up on the glareshield. Gives me the creeps sitting there on both. I covered a T-craft last year and when the owner was propping to leave, he was looking right at me while moving a blade and it lit off. Scared him enough to make him do a spaz dance.
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Take a better look and you will see that the plane is cruising,,,, 146 knots @ 4500'.;)
 
aerhed said:
Let's see, 4500 & 140K? Could be parked on the ramp at Casper on a normal day.
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Or about anywhere in Wyoming, eh Dave!?! ;) WY...where windsocks are made from chains nailed to the top of 4x4 posts!

Hey Mike...looking good. On your P-touch labels...can you make different fonts and sizes? I have some labels to add to my panel, and would like to match the font of the laser etched originals. Thoughts?

Cheers,
Bob
 
P-Touch

Mike, what tape and what printer did you use? I like the idea of the black on clear and the box surranding the text but don't want to buy the wrong printer or tape.

Thanks,
 
rvmills said:
Hey Mike...looking good. On your P-touch labels...can you make different fonts and sizes? I have some labels to add to my panel, and would like to match the font of the laser etched originals. Thoughts?

Cheers,
Bob
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Sunriver Ken said:
Mike, what tape and what printer did you use? I like the idea of the black on clear and the box surranding the text but don't want to buy the wrong printer or tape.

Thanks,
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Here is a link to the closest model I can find----probably just an updated version of what I have.

As far as the tape, I used 1/2" wide, black on clear.

The machine has a variety of fonts, and letter choices. The box feature is built in also.

One trick I learned is to only remove half of the backing paper, use an exacto knife to position the label by sticking the label to the tip of the knife, put in place, and gently rub down ----- then remove the other half of the backing paper and finish burnishing it in place. The first few labels I did moved on me, and because I had removed all the backing, it was quite hard to remove them, leaving half of the backing in place gives you a tab to lift and reposition if needed.

Paul Dye has a thread going where he shows the same setup on their 3 project, more info there. Page 5 IIRC.
 
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Costco and SamsClub always seem to have a Brother P-Touch available. I don't know which model, but they are usually the latest model. OfficeMax and Staples always stocks the different tapes.
 
I just purchased one of these a few weeks ago.

http://www.brother-usa.com/Ptouch/ModelDetail.aspx?ProductID=PT2730

It is available on a popular auction site for around $55.00

It comes with a very nice software program that is easy to use. You can pretty much print what ever you want and see it on your computer before you print it. You can even insert pictures or symbols.

I also read on an earlier post to use the tape with extra strength adhesive. Original poster advised it would hold up better in high temps.

I've printed a few tests, but haven't put them on the panel yet. Thanks for the good tip on applying with the exacto knife !!
 
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Office Depot

The label maker that Mike referenced is currently on sale til Saturday March 19th - Brother model PT-1290. There is a $20 instant savings on it making it sell for $19.99. From the web or in store
 
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