Printing and painting GA Instrument panel..

[bigsweede]

Hi !

When building the main instument panel, what ways are avalible to get
printing on to the painted panel ?
I mean stripes/lines and text like "Warning ! Ensure that seat is locked..."
Is powder coating best when using metal plate for main panel or other ways recommended ?

[AK Mongo]

I decided to go with stickers for my warning placards. Here is a link to some similiar to what I have.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cessna-Interior-Placard-Kit-170-172-175-FREE-SHIPPING-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3f0583efbcQQitemZ270675472316QQptZMotorsQ5fAviationQ5fPartsQ5fGear#ht_500wt_975

But I am artistically challenged, so this was an easy way out for me.

reid

[skino]

I have the sticker with MS Word creates and printed on film. Next time I will take self-adhesive film, since the labels come off slowly.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8572/dcp01492.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/i/dcp01492.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[No Longer Active]

If your feeling crafty you could always make a screen using mesh covered with photo sensitive emulsion, then print your graphics on to acetate / clear film and then use a bright lamp to burn on the image from the acetate to the screen. Wash the screen and let dry, then use a squeegy to squeegy white paint through the mesh on to the panel! Its one way of doing it (ie white text on panels).

[bigsweede]

If your feeling crafty you could always make a screen using mesh covered with photo sensitive emulsion, then print your graphics on to acetate / clear film and then use a bright lamp to burn on the image from the acetate to the screen. Wash the screen and let dry, then use a squeegy to squeegy white paint through the mesh on to the panel! Its one way of doing it (ie white text on panels).

Ok.. like when screen printing T-shirts ? :roll:

Stefan

[Ronson2k9]

I'm building a Cessna A185F but most of this should apply to many Cessna and other GA aircraft.

Switch Panel (bus/ignition/circuit breakers/lights) Usually at the bottom of the MIP.

- This I'm having printed on adhesive paper. As it's mostly BLACK with WHITE lettering it's not easy to get it a consistent black using a home printer. You could try the technique I'm going to use for the warning labels on the MIP (see below) here as well but this would lead to a hand done look which I'm trying to avoid as mush as possible. With the SP printed professionally it saves time and expense and will look like the real panel as I'm thinking that is how they are made. Price for printing is just over $20.00cdn for printing.

Placards (procedural labels around instruments) - WHITE on BLACK - BLACK on WHITE

- These will be done using label paper and laser printer. As an inkjet printer could have some bleeding between the white and black should the placard be mostly black with white letters. A laser printer should all but eliminate that. If your MIP is sheet metal you may want to consider getting them made on fridge magnet material (magnetic vinyl). Then you can position and reposition till you have the set up the way you like. With a wood MIP this wouldn't work hehe.

Warnings (General Flight Warnings) Not specific to a gauge but important for flight ops.

- These are usually WHITE on CLEAR. That is it's background color is that of the MIP itself. These are a bit tricky as you can have decals made on clear film and transfer them as you would any decal. The surface has to be clean and glossy for best effects. However what I'm going to do is print the label on adhesive paper with the color of my MIP as the background color. You are essentially printing a hole (or blank space) where the letters will be. When painting the MIP take a bit of the paint and do the same to a sample (scrap of wood) and then scan using a computer scanner. Then using that color create the label 'in white' then print the result on your printer. Cut out what isn't required and stick the rest to your MIP. This has been done many times in actual aircraft so it's a simple and easy way to get that done.

Hope that helps.
Ron