LED Mounting?

[alltrax74]

Ah ah yes, just a weight :-)
No, I never tried drilling directly through the glued model, but I will

[GoranP]

OK, here's my first completed one (a Fairfield Barbershop):

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dDoP8tMkBY4/UX4jdbog5PI/AAAAAAAAAyM/60tBATlasVk/w504-h672/IMG_2192.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ub6n3Se3gPo/UX4jtxu-FbI/AAAAAAAAAyY/5pNtfohKJIQ/w896-h672/IMG_2196.JPG

2do list:
- increase the laminate, still some room before the enclosure starts to bevel
- try finding a thinner plastic. This is 150, the only one available at the copying place that did the lamination
- try using a weight. This was glued on and left overnight without any pressure applied. I was afraid to leave anything on top that I couldn't remove in the morning. :)
- glue squeezeout getting on top of plastic (and fingers) - removal by scraping with fingernail (while moderately successful) not necessary. Acetone makes quick work of that.
- glue squeezeout on the enclosure - score around the laminate with a scalpel and scrape off the remains

All in all, big ups to Alltrax for pointing me in this direction. I'd still like to try the powdercoat+color waterslide+clearcoat thing but this is less time-consuming and certainly less smelly and messy!

[alltrax74]

Looks nice !
Did you use a template or drilled directly through the model ?
The platic i use is 80 if i'm correct
If you plan to do all your enclosures with this method, consider buying a laminator , i bought mine for about 30€ on Amazon

[GoranP]

I think I mentioned this before, I already had a boxed effect that I took apart just to try this on. :)

So what I did was put the empty enclosure top down on a scanner and used that picture as a bottom layer in photoshop to have everything lined up with the existing holes. Printed it out, had it laminated and held it up to a light while gluing. It's not entirely see-through but enough light is visible through the holes to make easy work of lining things up. Once it "dried" (didn't use a weight, I'm quite sure it's still a bit wet underneath) I just cut out the holes with a scalpel and boxed it.

About the laminator, Amazon won't ship stuff to my country (other than books and cd/dvds) but that may change now that we're entering EU in a few months. Locally, A4 laminators cost an arm and a leg and I'd rather support the local print shop. :)

Anyhoo, thanks again Alltrax!

[Signal Electrix]

Hi I'm new here, but I may chip in...

I use the laminate for my builds, but what I do is laminate 2 pieces of paper, so that, when cut out, one side is covered in laminate, the other is paper.  I find the paper sticks to the metal pretty well.

Also, I use thin clear (not the yellowy -brown stuff) contact adhesive to stick it.  You have to be very accurate as you cant really move it after applying. But it does stick really well and there's no need to clamp it down while it dries. Gluestick works too, but you have to weigh it down with some books or something.

The other thing I have done with my LED's is file and sand the top of a 5mm led flat so that it is level with the surface of the enclosure. I drill a hole just big enough and epoxy glue it in from the back afterwards, letting it dry before soldering it in, or you end up in a sticky mess.  Then the LED shines through the graphic, suitably designed - for example you could make it appear that something in the picture lights up.. motorbike headlight, godzilla's eye, ET's finger...

[GoranP]

Signal Electrix wrote

Hi I'm new here, but I may chip in...

Hello SE and welcome! Nice to have ya...

Signal Electrix wrote

I use the laminate for my builds, but what I do is laminate 2 pieces of paper, so that, when cut out, one side is covered in laminate, the other is paper.  I find the paper sticks to the metal pretty well.

That's what I got the first time around but with just one piece of paper.  It must have been a bad plastic (like Alltrax said), when I cut it out the back just fell off. Tried sticking it but was unhappy with the result. Either there was too much glue or the wrong kind but the paper started wrinkling underneath the laminate. Not by much but enough for it to look off.

Signal Electrix wrote

Also, I use thin clear (not the yellowy -brown stuff) contact adhesive to stick it.  You have to be very accurate as you cant really move it after applying. But it does stick really well and there's no need to clamp it down while it dries. Gluestick works too, but you have to weigh it down with some books or something.

Sounds like you are using a cyanoacrylate glue? Never had much luck with it in any gluing situation, it either comes out crooked or I get it all over myself (or both)...

Signal Electrix wrote

The other thing I have done with my LED's is file and sand the top of a 5mm led flat so that it is level with the surface of the enclosure. I drill a hole just big enough and epoxy glue it in from the back afterwards, letting it dry before soldering it in, or you end up in a sticky mess.  Then the LED shines through the graphic, suitably designed - for example you could make it appear that something in the picture lights up.. motorbike headlight, godzilla's eye, ET's finger...

Now this is something that I've been considering for at least a month or two and is pretty much how this thread got started. Gluing the LED directly to the enclosure so that I can file it down and have it be underneath the graphic. So big ups to you for bringing it up!
I've tried epoxy and hotglue but the led would just pop out even with a minimal amount of jiggle. Granted, it could have been a bad batch of epoxy or I just got the mixture all wrong. Been known to happen. Hearing this, I'm definitely giving it another shot. Do you stick the led into a tight hole and just slop the epoxy over it or do you apply it to led before sticking into a hole?
As for the sanding, how exactly do you do it? Sand first, glue second? Glue first, sand later?