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NEW PANEL FINISHES

Larry Parham

Well Known Member
Options that was given to me on finish of a 9A panel are
1.Custom painting
2.Custom powder coating / painting
3.Hydro-dip and clear coat

How have others finished their panels?
thanks in advance
 
Options that was given to me on finish of a 9A panel are
1.Custom painting
2.Custom powder coating / painting
3.Hydro-dip and clear coat

How have others finished their panels?
thanks in advance

Rattlecan and water slide decals perhaps???

7290546504efe6d68a8589.jpg
 
Rattlecan and water slide decals perhaps???

7290546504efe6d68a8589.jpg

similar here. Sprayed light grey epoxy, then added waterslide labels using the sheets like Bill. Then I top coated with clear coat and wet sanded. I used 2K paints, but it could easily have been done with Krylon for hardware store.

Larry
 
Panel finish

Larry,

If you want to make it really easy order some 3M Dinoc Carbon Fiber tape available on Internet stores and EBay. It's a pretty easy process but you have to decide ahead of time if you want a flat look or a glossy look. I got a couple sample pieces and put on my panel and flew around a bit. The flatter finish is a lot better because there's no glare. Get a big enough piece so you can do the whole panel with no seams. Remove all instruments, switches etc, stick the tape on the panel, trim the edges and cut out the instrument and screw holes, radio openings etc. Use a really sharp new thin blade and make sure the cutouts for the screw holes are big enough so you can set the screws without pulling the tape. Then once everything is installed you can touch up the hole edges with Rustoleum rattle can satin black paint and a small hobby paintbrush. Don't get the one with the built in primer, just the paint. Works fine without the primer.

I used a label maker I got at Office Depot and experimented with different size/colors of tape (also available online). It really sticks well and stays put even in high humidity. Play around with the label maker and you can get some surprisingly nice professional looking labels with borders, underlines etc. If you ever want to change labels they come off easy.

Here's how my panel came out below. Did it in one day and it's still in good shape after two years:

24y1pat.jpg
 
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I too used the Dynoc product. I had these made up from Aircraft Engravers to identify switches.

os4g7s.jpg


Came out pretty nice I think.

xcn9u8.jpg
 
Where do you get the water slide labels?
Mike

Its repetitive here in VAF for so many things but I have to say it...

Steinair ;)

They can take most any common file format and print a sheet of labels. You can see one of the sheets in my image. Its been a while since I did this so I can't remember if I sent the native AutoCAD file or converted it to pdf or Word.

When you order, I recommend doubling it. If you are like me, you are bound to screw one up in the early stages of application. :eek:

FYI, I did try it on my own with slide paper and a laser printer but I was not satisfied with the fuzzy print quality. Steins are dead-on sharp graphics.
 
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Because I had my panel (and one other for a friend) CNC machined from a CAD file I created, I was able to import those CAD files into a graphics editing program (Corel Draw or similar) and create a colored background to match my seats and interior, with all the right labels in all the right places to have printed on a big vinyl sheet at my local sign shop. Then it's just one big peel-and-stick, trim and fold over the edges, cut out the holes with an x-acto knife, and you're done. I did spray a clear-coat over the vinyl afterward for an extra layer of protection.

You can get real creative and print whatever color or pattern desired (or even a photo?) on the vinyl background.
 
Rattlecan and water slide decals perhaps???

Thinking of going this way as well. Do you cut out the holes for the switches in the decals by hand? Im concerned about leaving a ragged edge or have it not match the hole perfectly, but maybe that would get covered up by the switch anyway.

thanks

erich
 
Thinking of going this way as well. Do you cut out the holes for the switches in the decals by hand? Im concerned about leaving a ragged edge or have it not match the hole perfectly, but maybe that would get covered up by the switch anyway.

thanks

erich

Hi Erich,
Yes, I used an Exacto knife to cut the holes after applying and drying the slide to the panel. Any minor ragged edge was easily covered with the hex nut for the switch.

In my case, since I drew the whole panel with lettering on AutoCAD, I had centerline marks on the decals that matched the drilled switch holes. It made the visual alignment process a little easier.

Since that is a segue into the switches, I would recommend using the anti-rotation washers on the switches. If you carefully drill a blind pocket at the right dimension on the back side of the panel to fit the washer tab, the washers and pockets are hidden but still perform the anti-rotation function. This can be done with the standard 0.063" panel from VANs.
 
Overspraying Decals

similar here. Sprayed light grey epoxy, then added waterslide labels using the sheets like Bill. Then I top coated with clear coat and wet sanded. I used 2K paints, but it could easily have been done with Krylon for hardware store.

Larry

Used Krylon to overspray the decals on my 9A panel. Unfortunately after nearly 8 years the clear has yellowed.

With that, I'm going to steer away from the Krylon products when I upgrade my panel and look to the forum for other clear finishes that can be used to prepare the decals that won't dissolve the letters or yellow with age.
 
I had mine hydro dipped in a carbon fiber style then had Stein laser engrave. I like both processes.
 
Can someone tell me the process to have Stein laser engrave? Can I just send in a painted panel and a hand drawing and call it a day?


Lee...
 
I painted mine gray and then had a clear piece of lexan reverse engraved and applied over it. Clear smooth finish! None of the lettering is exposed.
 
Back to finishes

Regarding the original question on finishes - paint, powder coat, etc. You might think about how you will deal with changes to your panel.

I contend that no matter how well you plan your panel, eventually you will want to change something - add a new switch or breaker or some new gizmo
that you saw at Oshkosh. It will be easier to modify a painted panel then one that has a fancier finish.

The same goes for labels. The CB that I have for my AP panel is labeled "GMC 305" which was correct for a few months! (I have a 307 now)

Also, don't forget about being able to touch-up that scratch that you're going to get one day.
 
Can someone tell me the process to have Stein laser engrave? Can I just send in a painted panel and a hand drawing and call it a day?


Lee...

In some cases yes - it is that easy. But, it depends on how you cut the panel out to begin with and what you want labeled on it. For example, if you hand cut your panel and if you have a row of switches that are not perfectly spaced and aligned, then we have to lay out the labels in CAD by hand in order to make them fit with the holes you put in the panel.

Conversely if you just want simple things added like your registration number, etc.. it's not nearly as difficult. Also, if you have a CAD drawing of your panel already then it's easier. If you want color added we do that after we engrave through the paint/powdercoat/hydrodip/overlay, etc..

Also note that your paint needs to be of reasonable quality, many rattle can paints (single stage Enamel or Lacquer and such) are far inferior to a catalyzed paint when it comes to engraving (or long term durability for that matter).

Like most pro shops that do this for a living, we used to Silk Screen but stopped that a decade or so ago. Now we laser engrave because it's frankly the best (not necessarily the cheapest though). Our other well known high quality colleagues at Aerotronics and Avionics systems also quit silkscreening many long years ago.

Lastly, regarding labels Rick brings up a good point. We try to encourage people to name things like "COMM" instead of "GTR20" or "AP" instead of "GMC", or "TXPDR" instead of "GTX". That way if you buy a different model number nothing needs to be changed.

There are as many ways to skin this cat as there are ways to put primer in your plane - all can be made to work and most can be made to look good. It really depends on your skill level, the time you take to do it, preparation and execution. If there was one perfect solution the others would cease to exist! :)

Just my 2 cents as usual!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Extended panel?

gfd

I am currently trying to fit all my G3x stuff o to the panel, is your panel standard size or is it extended?
 
Laser cut panel with hard coat anodizing (durable and won't fade in sunlight).
Laser engraved labels.

open


Don
 
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