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dry transfers on panel

rodeja

Member
Have any of you who used the Custom Rub on Transfers on your RV panel had a bunch of letters fall off the transfer sheet before even getting them lined up? I started applying yesterday and have wasted over half the sheet due to missing letters. The applied transfers look really good.
This order took way longer to receive than the website suggested so am not looking forward to placing another order. I have called twice and left voicemails. Emailed twice and no response. I'm not sure how to carry on except re-order.
 
Rub-on lettering

Have any of you who used the Custom Rub on Transfers on your RV panel had a bunch of letters fall off the transfer sheet before even getting them lined up? I started applying yesterday and have wasted over half the sheet due to missing letters. The applied transfers look really good.
This order took way longer to receive than the website suggested so am not looking forward to placing another order. I have called twice and left voicemails. Emailed twice and no response. I'm not sure how to carry on except re-order.

Back in the Old Days (early '90's) I had to make do with what was available. My panel (and other areas) were done with rub-on lettering from Office Depot or whatever was selling them at the time. It's a PITA in that you have to find, line up and rub on every individual letter but none "fall off" or get lost. Don't like the placement? Scratch it off and do it over. Then mine were oversprayed with a clear coat and they have been heck-for-stout since.

Problem will be finding lettering that match what you have already put on. Amazon might be a good resource. There will be other suggestions to follow as well. Rub-on is likely older technology.....but it worked at the time....
 
Vinyl skin

You could have the whole panel printed on vinyl.
Here's the draft magazine article on how it was done.
https://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com/p/vinyl-instrument-panel-skin.html
20220117_113745.jpg
 
Thanks for the pic Larry. I’m thinking about using the vinyl overlay also, but didn’t know how it would look. I’m at either the carbon fiber look like you have in your picture, or a flat metallic charcoal color. I’m looking at vinyl made by VviVid out of Quebec. What are you using? I don’t want something that will peel off, or get bubbles in a couple years. I’m guessing that cutting out round holes in the vinyl will have to be done with an exacto knife. The rectangular holes are easy.
 
Vinyl skin

Thanks for the pic Larry. I’m thinking about using the vinyl overlay also, but didn’t know how it would look. I’m at either the carbon fiber look like you have in your picture, or a flat metallic charcoal color. I’m looking at vinyl made by VviVid out of Quebec. What are you using? I don’t want something that will peel off, or get bubbles in a couple years. I’m guessing that cutting out round holes in the vinyl will have to be done with an exacto knife. The rectangular holes are easy.

Mine is 3M 1080 Carbon Fiber vinyl.
The beauty of a skin designed in CAD and Adobe Illustrator is the skin is repeatable. The first skin was printed black on white and used to cut the panel holes. It can also be done waterjet from the same CAD drawing. Then the panel is cleaned up. The final skin is printed whatever text color on whatever color vinyl. Since it's the same file, it fits.
Printers can cut almost anything. Some use a unique color. Ask what color for cut lines. The machine sees the color and cuts perfectly.
Caveots apply...
1. The printer must have a white ink printer to print on colored vinyl. Some are very particular and will not print on customer vinyl. You may want to ask. That's how mine is done. They may also have some colors of vinyl.
2. It may be worth a test to see how you like a CMYK print on standard white. I've seen some really nice work. Not carbon but virtually any color your computer can generate. Cost is typically about $15 per square foot. My control labels were printed CMYK on white. The black is solid black.
Questions, feel free to ask.
 
Larry,
Wow! That is light years ahead of anything I am capable of. I know zero about CAD, and not sure what adobe is. I was thinking of just using a sheet of the vinyl and cutting out my holes from behind the panel. I would use my brother printer for labels. I am looking for a quality vinyl that will hold up for maybe 10 years. Maybe I should just paint the panel.
 
Have any of you who used the Custom Rub on Transfers on your RV panel had a bunch of letters fall off the transfer sheet before even getting them lined up? I started applying yesterday and have wasted over half the sheet due to missing letters. The applied transfers look really good.
This order took way longer to receive than the website suggested so am not looking forward to placing another order. I have called twice and left voicemails. Emailed twice and no response. I'm not sure how to carry on except re-order.

I didn't have any problem with the letters falling off of the transfer sheet. The only issue I had was making contact with the panel surface before I was ready while lining them up and having them come apart went I tried to pull them back up.
 
Email them. They should make it right.
I have an old email address if you need it.
They do have a shelf life. The fresher, the better.
 
Vinyl

Larry,
Wow! That is light years ahead of anything I am capable of. I know zero about CAD, and not sure what adobe is. I was thinking of just using a sheet of the vinyl and cutting out my holes from behind the panel. I would use my brother printer for labels. I am looking for a quality vinyl that will hold up for maybe 10 years. Maybe I should just paint the panel.

In that case it's personal preference. Buy a sample set of 3M 2080. Or, if you have a narrow selection, buy 12x12 samples. Colors don't look the same as on the computer. You want to see the actual vinyl. Try Fellers or MetroRestyling. Vvivid is also a good product.
I like the wet application process. Buy a bottle of Rapid Tac. Just like painting, clean, clean, clean then clean again. Rapid Tac is also a good final cleaning product. Wipe with a tac cloth just to be sure. Spray the surface and the vinyl as you peel backing. Rapid Tac will allow you to work from center out. Squeegee out the liquid and bubbles toward the outside. Let the part set up overnight. Cut holes out with an Xacto. Pretty easy.
 
I did a transfer with ink and it worked great, you have to be very particular on laying it down, pro tip is to spray on clear coat after you apply it to lock it in. My panel turned out great. I used a printing company to print mine out. I used Adobe illustrator to make my panel design.
 
In that case it's personal preference. Buy a sample set of 3M 2080. Or, if you have a narrow selection, buy 12x12 samples. Colors don't look the same as on the computer. You want to see the actual vinyl. Try Fellers or MetroRestyling. Vvivid is also a good product.
I like the wet application process. Buy a bottle of Rapid Tac. Just like painting, clean, clean, clean then clean again. Rapid Tac is also a good final cleaning product. Wipe with a tac cloth just to be sure. Spray the surface and the vinyl as you peel backing. Rapid Tac will allow you to work from center out. Squeegee out the liquid and bubbles toward the outside. Let the part set up overnight. Cut holes out with an Xacto. Pretty easy.

Thank you Larry. I’ll look into doing it that way. Seems like vinyl might hold up better than paint. I tried a sample I had on a piece of flat aluminum and it looked good and seems pretty robust.
 
Email them. They should make it right.
I have an old email address if you need it.
They do have a shelf life. The fresher, the better.

I was thinking of that as well. Mine came about 2 weeks ago. When I was about to start I couldn’t believe that a bunch of letters were at the top of the transfer sheet and as I cut out the first labels a bunch more fell off. Hopefully they get back to me or I’ll just reorder as about 1/2 are already on. Thanks.
 
When I said "fresh", I meant a year. Couple of weeks should be no issue at all, unless you stored them in an oven....
 
... I was thinking of just using a sheet of the vinyl and cutting out my holes from behind the panel. I would use my brother printer for labels. I am looking for a quality vinyl that will hold up for maybe 10 years. ...

I also used vinyl to cover the panel, and used a Brother label printer. The vinyl looks excellent on the panel, if I say so myself. The labels, well, they look like you would expect. Not horrible, but not nearly as nice as Larry's.

I used the same vinyl on the glareshield.

IMG_5580.jpeg
 
Vinyl Wrap

I had a local guy wrap my panel. Carbon Fiber wrap then a clear vinyl overlay with all of the text.

 
I used dry transfer on a Cessna 172 panel re-do. It worked well, and I am happy with the results. There were a few instances where the letters fell off of the sheet prior to install, but the company sent me enough extra that I was able to make it work.

I painted my panel with Cerekote first, then installed the dry transfers, and then painted with no-bake clear Cerekote. It seems to be a very durable solution.

However... If I were to do it again, I would paint my panel and then take it to a laser engraver and engrave all of the placards, and then apply clear Cerekote over that.

Feel free to message me if you'd like more details.
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