Hey /diy/ I want to make a front panel for an electronics project.

>>1170442

use a drill to make a hole for a 'nibbler' to bite out the rest of a unusual shaped hole

use small files to shape/smooth the hole

>>1170442
I usually prefer to use 1.5-2mm aluminum plates, I use a jeweler's saw to cut holes for displays or other shapes and drills for buttons and switches.
For labeling I usually etch the plate with the toner transfer method and diluted HCl

I get the plates from aliexpress

>>1170542
damn that sounds interesting. tell me more anon. how reliable is that toner thing anyway/ and don't you have to add colour to the text?

>>1170542
Etch with toner. Interesting. Beats a faggot label machine

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>>1170561
I was writing a lengthy post but it has been deleted, fuck android mozilla for refreshing the page whenever I switch tabs.
Here's an example:
http://diy-guitar-effects.tumblr.com/etching
Also, with a jeweler's saw, a file and some patience you can achieve near perfect shapes.

>>1170879
>that artwork
Very nice
This guy said he uses caustic soda though?
Anyway, I looked up jeweler's saws and that definitely looks like it'd work. I'm not averse to it being a slower method since it basically guarantees the shape i want to get, like you said.
I can see how that would work too if I wanted to make certain text / symbols red instead of black too. Thinnest coat possible sounds best there. Also that was a good idea with the lacquer. Also preserves the colours

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>>1170908
>This guy said he uses caustic soda though?
Caustic soda can also be used to etch aluminum, most common options are Muriatic acid (HCl) or Ferric Cloride.
Just remember to dilute whatever you're using until the reaction is slow enough to prevent excesive bubbling and heating that will damage the toner coating.

You can use whatever color you like to fill the etch, I recommend using paint thinner to let the paint sit at the bottom of the etching instead of filling it to the edges, when sanding with fine sanpaper the paint will not be scratched and the letters, symbols, etc... will appear glossy.
You can also polish the plate afterwards or leave it with the brused sandpaper finish, both options look pretty cool.

>Also that was a good idea with the lacquer. Also preserves the colours
When using this method you don't have to worry much about the paint of letters rubbing off with time, since it'll be sitting at the bottom of the etched grooves.

>>1170938
Come again with the paint thinner thing? Is that just to ensure that the paint is runny enough and doesn't glob up and will in fact touch the bottom of the etching?

>pic
looks great. I'm curious how that was done though?
>face and text is black
>"background" is off-white / cream
how? If you coat and sand, everything would just be the whatever the last applied colour is no?

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>>1170947
>Is that just to ensure that the paint is runny enough and doesn't glob up and will in fact touch the bottom of the etching?
Yes, only a small amount of paint should be used to cover the bottom of the etched grooves, otherwise it can be scratched up during the sanding process. Spray paint also works for this, just apply a light coat and sand the surface with a fine grit sandpaper.

>If you coat and sand, everything would just be the whatever the last applied colour is no?
You apply a small coat of paint and remove it with sandpaper afterwards, the paint inside the etched area will not be removed since a fine grit sandpaper can't get into the etched grooves, therefore you end with brushed aluminum on the outside and your colors in the etched areas.

It was done following the same method basically, but he used some rare etchant and applied acrylic paint over the toner, normally you don't have to do that unless you're running low on toner or the thickness of the layer is really low.

http://www.lixbmx.com/electrochemical-etching

Pic related is a keychain I made some time ago, just to prove this method can achieve some fine detail and nice quality, I painted it with permanent marker instead of paint though so it has rubbed off over time.

>>1171004
Still looks great anon

>>1170879
No. Fuck 4chins and their random ip vans and switching. I oaid 20 fucking dollars to defeat captcha not log in 45 times.

>>1171044
Yeah, I noticed this only happens on 4chan. I sometimes also find I'm banned for a post I didn't make, but only when using mobile networks, it's strange since there are not many people who speak english in my country let alone use 4chan. I have no idea how internetz work.
Anyway, already contributed my part to this thread, good luck OP.

>>1170938
Would liquid fire drain cleaner work? It explodes when added to water and ate my hoodie?

>>1171083
I have never heard about that product but it seems to contain sulfuric acid, it might be too corrosive and attack the toner too, idk.
Muriatic acid is also sold as a pool cleaner and caustic soda (NaOH) as a drain cleaner, both work well in low concentrations.

>>1171067
Hiroshimoot banned all mobile networks to cut down on phone posting and sell passes. Probably pretty effective. I can't post this for instance, until i get home to wifi.

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>>1170442
personally I always use a dymo for labelling of panels. I just like the look of the typefaces.

>>1170879
looks amazingly professional though.

>>1171264
How does that tool work?

>>1170442

Lexan/plexiglass is nice. It's not too bad to drill if you go slow. Easy to fuck it up and crack it. Laser cutting is getting really cheap to do which is what I'm thinking of doing instead.

Front panel express does really slick stuff for metal but I have never used it, sounds pricier than I want unless it's a real final thing.

Cutting and filing metal is a fucking bitch. I did it for a amp to cut out the IEC connector - most frustrating experience. It's worse when you know a greenlee punch exists and will do this in 30 seconds if you have the $1000+ for one and all the punches.

3d printing is a option but it looks pretty shit. Okay for widgets like holding PCBs inside the case or that sorta thing.

AliExpress sellers will custom cut you a front panel but I have never done it.

This shit is my least favorite part of building something. If you don't have all the right tools it's extremely frustrating and time consuming.

I did see a really slick front panel using MDF and painted a bunch of times. It looked really really good despite what you might think.

>>1171330
Brother, I absolutely agree with everything you said. If i actually had the tools, front panel making/designing would be way more enjoyable. But since I (we) don't, I'm basically just sitting here thinking, how do get 90% to the results i want via manual means? Or do i pay like 300 dollars to have a single front panel made the fuck.
But aluminum etching anon with the jeweler's saw might be promising since you can hypothetically make any shape with a jeweler's saw and then it just comes down to filing. filing aluminum is thankfully not so bad

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>>1171323
The wheel area with the characters has a disc in it. The disc has letters/numbers embossed on it. A thin coil of plastic, aluminum, or stainless steel is stored in the base of the handle. As you squeeze the handle the disk is pressed into a piece of the coil, embossing the character on it. As you release the handle the coil is advanced. You turn the disc to select the next character you want on the strip of material. When you are done you cut it to size. The plastic variety generally had adhesive backs so you could stick them to things.

>>1171365
Ohhh one of those things okay. A relative of mine has a cheap version of that i think. They're pretty neat.
For a front panel, something that can be etched or silkscreened (or silkscreen-like) is preferred over a label that is actually stuck onto it

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>>1171227
Oh, I also get ads blasting at random times, android adblock can't get rid of this shit.
No, Hirokike, I don't want to play garden shit, I already have a real garden and it's dry as a bone.

>>1171330
Black plexiglass with white 7 segment displays underneath looks pretty good.

>>1171227
Mutherfucking adds btfo would pay another 20

>>1171090
Cool. Ty.