Urgent help on paint types.

[Geremy Britton]

I have made a final decision for my overhead. For a while i've been deciding beween a 'printed' overhead and an engraved one. And i'm going for an engraved one. But my question is, before i send the panels off to be engraved.

Has anyone had any experience with paint type pre-engraving?

I'm hoping i can stick with my usual grey primer to give a couple of coats of that to my panels however would this be suitable to then be engraved on?

Worst case scenerio would be i buy all the white plexi, paint it all and the grey primer flakes off or peels whilst been engraved.

Can anyone give me reassurance that tyhis won't happen or perhaps give me any other warning signs i should look out for when engraving (to do with anything)

Would maybe a sealable coat such as a clear laquer work? Or do i not need to bother at all wioth anything and it'll be ok?

Please let me know of anything i should be aware of as i'm entering this next week. I've already got all the plans drawn for it, just need to get the plex and send it to the engraver.


Please let me know your thoughts asap on this.


Cheers!

[phil744]

Just make sure your panels are sanded (keyed) before paint, they should have a matt finish on all sides, also it is wise to wipe them down before paint with alcohol soaked cloth to remove any greace, then use tack cloth to remove dust. I wear latex gloves when doing mine.

Try to avoid having sharp edges on the panels, they will be easy to chip, but good sanding will avoid this, but before you go anywhere do a test panel first and throw it around and try and scratch it yourself, this will give you more confidence.

[Geremy Britton]

Seems pretty straight forward then in terms of precaution before engraving. Any particular recommendation for the "alcohol soaked cloth" ? I like to save my beer for the flight ideally - And *i'll* do the drinking not the panels ;) LOL

Thanks for the reply Phil

[fweinrebe]

I recently made panels using white Perspex, sanded them with 1200 grain and then gave them a grey primer. After that a black matt coat until I couldn't see the sunlight going through holding it up against the sun. Then used a Laser CNC to do the engraving. I am happy with it and awaits fitting of the switches and LED's for the backlighting.

I am considering a clear laquer coating because I'm afraid the paint might come off with time if the panel is handled a lot. Will do an experiment first.

Phil thanks for the tip about the sharp edges.

[Michael Carter]

Be careful spraying a lacquer coat on the primer. If it's enamel you will ruin the finish. It will orange peel and destroy the primer.

You can spray enamel over lacquer, but not lacquer over enamel.

The best paint I've found for panels is Dupli-Color brand New Ford Gray for engines. It's a ceramic based hi-temp paint that sprays exceptionally well, and levels itself with a very smooth finish and dries fast. It's also very tough without being brittle after curing.

[phil744]

Its always wise to stick with the same type of paint, when you spray the clear coat dont apply it to thick and make sure the panel is laid flat, what can happen is the clear coat will soften the paint that has been engraved and it can run and ruin the engraving.