Printing and Applying Waterslide Decal to Pedal Enclosure

[@SPORTSDONATS]

Nicely done. congrats!

[@theindoctrinated6936]

This is exactly what I needed, thank you

[@betalooper]

Thanks!

[@bikefarmtaiwan1800]

The gold standard of video presentation. Thanks. Good job John.

[@anthonyludington8320]

The paste wax step is a game changer. 👍 Nice!!

[@johnrogers2826]

Wow, that was great! thanks!

[@tgorycki6825]

Excellent tutorial! I bet your pedals sound as great as they look. Thanks!

[@euphoricguitars8154]

John, you have a great voice. This was informative and very easy to listen to. Thanks.

[@TwistedMatter]

As a follow perfectionist, some call me Mr. OCD, I absolutely love your attention to detail and no nonsense approach in all your videos. Very informative and well executed. Thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve picked up some great tips from many of your videos. Keep ‘em coming!

[@looseburdens4259]

I watched your guitar wiring videos years ago when changing my pickups and they were really helpful. Now your pedal enclosure videos are helping just as much! Thanks for all the rad videos man!

[@MrLazymagnet]

extremely helpful, thank you!

[@EricCoomerMusic]

Awesome tutorial!

[@neocollective]

Excellent video, you could be making TV shows !...finally found a way to do this, thank you for posting !

[@AlexHlopkov]

THIS IS THE MOST DETAILED AND AMAZING TUTORIAL ON U TUBE!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!

[@Tagsrover25]

Awesome video! I have my first DIY effects in the mail and was torn between a simple paint and the waterslides, but after watching this I think this is the way to go. Also really diggin the gauge/water design

[@samatkinsphotography]

I've just made my own fuzz pedal and had no knowledge about how to decorate and make the enclosure more distinctive…Until I watched your most excellent demo! Thank you for laying out each step in a very user friendly way. I'm off to design my graphics for it now. Thank you!

[@pablo_costas]

really nice work , mate, I enjoyed the video so much !

[@user-hw2mu2gr2v]

Thanks! This was perfect instructions for helping me with my first DIY pedal. I printed via a laser printer onto my decal paper so the spray wasn't necessary, and I followed the instructions that came with the decal sheet for setting in the decal (baking in oven at 220F for 20 mins once applied) followed by polycrylic clear coating. Looks great!

[@MrTommySullivan]

Thanks for making this video. I am in the process of doing graphics for my pedal. It's the first time I've done it. This is really helpful!

[@Warndog9]

Great electrical design combined with great graphics design.. well done :D

[@jeremyblakesguitar]

Hey thanks for the information. My second effects pedal looks amazing thanks to your video. I wasn't sure how to get a professional look on my enclosure until I found your video.

[@DetVen]

I take it, that's a compressor pedal...this is very inspiring. I may have to give DIY Mod Kits a visit now.

[@johnplanetz]

Yes- it's based on GuitarPCB's Modified Ross Compressor : www.guitarpcb.com/apps/webstore/products/show/3436357

[@bloodswarms]

Subscribed because of this video. This was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[@LilSirAxolotl]

Looks like I found a new hobby :) thank you for a very clear step by step overview of your process. It makes me feel very confident I can do this too

[@saturnmoon2790]

Thanks John. Great explanation. Generous to give all the required materials and technique. I was looking for this method for my own artwork.

[@reggiebustinza9765]

Excellent, well-done video. You really spelled it all out. Thank you!

[@johnlangley3764]

dude, can't thank you enough for these videos. super informative and encouraging. much appreciated.

[@robwright7384]

Excellent to the point video!

[@josephaylsworth2740]

Hi John - perfectly useful video - so inspiring I in fact popped onto eBay for a small printer :) I realize how much more professional this is than my hand-painted stuff (if I was artistic it would be different, but . . ).Your presentation skills are fantastic, so many HowTo videos are just painful to watch the presenter stumble through the info. I'll be back for more of your stuff -Thanks! Joseph

[@pir869]

The best polish for painted surfaces is to buff with farrecla grade 10 which is water based and used for polishing car/auto paint with a rotary lambs wool mop using water,once it's cut with farrecla(there are several grades,unless you have any scratches just go for the finest grit 10) after this is washed off dry and then use 3M hand glaze,the end result is amazing. I have a Triumph spitfire that i restored and was given this info by a pro car/auto spray painter the gloss is long lasting to,and cars have a time of it in the outdoors. The farrecla and the 3M hand glaze are not super cheap but not crazy expensive,the farrecla has to be wet buffed so it uses a small amount of cutting fluid,the hand glaze goes a long way too,also it works ultra amazing on guitar bodies. Never ever ever use T-cut,T-cut contains ammonia and dulls paint,it looks good for a little while but oxidizes the paint while farrecla does not,the guy who told me worked for himself but also worked in a shop here in Glasgow(Scotland) that did body repairs and obviously paint for jags and Rolls Royce so the quality had to be in the finished product. I never use anything else now. Also just as i observe a wooden block cut to the inside shape of the enclosure with a pole type handle would help.....just saying. great content .

[@ArmstrongProds]

extraordinary attention to detail! thumbs up.

[@renniearaucto]

A stellar instructional video and incredibly helpful. Thanks!

[@JAFOpty]

AAAAmazing, I am building a large beaver pedal.... this will be the final touch.... thank you for the tutorial!!!!

[@Willam_J]

Great tutorial! I really enjoyed it. I've been making my own pedals for years. I've been making them for my own use, but lately I'm getting offers to make pedals for other people. While making my own pedals look professional isn't a huge priority for me, I've been looking for ways to make them look better if I sell them. Thanks!

[@doomybaya]

thanks a lot for this video. it is extremely clear and well done.

[@Warndog9]

Just to add to John's response. You can get decal paper that has a white background but you have to cut it out very carefully since you'll be able to see the trim line plain as day. That's about the only way you can use these on a black finish. You can however print a black border around it to help mask it, but it may not match the black on your case/finish

[@redfishbum]

Thanks so much for this video! I used this technique to print the controls for my scratch built guitar amp. Very helpful!!

[@paule6101]

Very helpful and a great design, thanks

[@WantsToSleep]

You have an amazing voice.

[@henrychen7328]

Thanks for making this video! Great info!

[@DogRox]

Great video... and the other vid about using GIMP, never heard of it before. I been a photoshop user for years. :-) too bad we didn't have all the stuff like the printer, the decal paper, graphic programs etc, back in the 80's when I was doing a lot of experimenting with electronics. I used to buy those little Radio Shack project boxes and then paint them and they never came out as good of quality as the one you built.

[@GabrielMachado-dk8lu]

Thank you man, so well explained

[@TheNego]

Very informative and great voice for this sort of thing.. Love the pedal name as well!

[@Gledii]

I think you could use the waterslide decal with white backing. I've just ordered some and will try. cheers

[@RickyPann]

Fantastic thanks, John. I just went down this Rabbithole.. This is the good oil.

[@mockof]

Great tutorial, and nice designs, but, what solutions to decals over black cases/finishes???

[@zackstryPWNS]

Thank you so much, perfect demonstration!

[@dinnerwithfranklin2451]

Excellent video, thanks

[@NEWKS_HOT_SAUCE]

Do you think this process would work if it is all printed and applied BEFORE drilling holes into enclosure? Long story short - I am going to print the design onto the pedal, and ship them to the pedal maker to then drill the wholes and create the circuits. thoughts?

[@johnplanetz]

I've never tried that, but I guess it should be ok. Usually drilled holes are covered by a nut or bezel. So if the decal is a bit rough around the edge of the drilled hole, you won't see it anyway.

[@jakenewcomb8897]

⁠@@johnplanetz thank you so much for the response. while i have your attention… today I’m spending time at the hardware store gathering all the supplies they did not have the water-based polyurethane, but they did have something similar in spray form. I’m curious if you think multiple layers and coats of this spray…satin water-based coating would work directly on top of the decal.

[@johnplanetz]

@@jakenewcomb8897 - yes, multiple coats of the spray should probably work ok

[@NEWKS_HOT_SAUCE]

thanks for the info. after a few trials and errors i was able to get my waterslide decal printed, coated with clear layer and removed when dipped in water. now my new issue is that i realized all the 'white' in my design, did not transfer when printing. most printers dont use white ink, but instead let the paper itself be the 'white' part of the design. so now i need to either figure out if i can load white ink into my printer, or if i should just paint the black surface of the pedal white and let dry before applying the decal. its a process - but its fun to learn! @@johnplanetz

[@johnplanetz]

@@NEWKS_HOT_SAUCE - yeah that's correct. inkjet printers don't print white, so you need to keep that in mind when designing the artwork. I talked about the background color in the previous video in the series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWa8lqBtrq2ei6c

[@pablor1977]

Great! Excellent tutorial mate! Thanks a lot for sharing. Regards!

[@Shedface1]

Fabulous video. Thank you!

[@harrishatzianestis4231]

thats an awsome guide and thanks for sharing. one question i'm having a problem with the water based polyacrylic clear top. i follow your instruction step by step but i'm getting bubbles any idea what i'm doing wrong? thanks again

[@TheRytteren]

Found this video really helpful - thanks!

[@mackenziejared]

Great. Very useful video.

[@ApplestKingofApples]

That Speed Racer design was so cool; shame it had to get trashed.

[@Kpro4]

Cool man. Now my project is 100% DIY.

[@JGCRAFTONES]

hi! i'am planning to use polyurethane over acrylic, because they say polyurethane is more durable. What are the things to keep in mind when using this two kinds of paint to avoid problems? I'am not really knowledgeable when it comes to painting.

[@johnplanetz]

Just be sure the acrylic is dry before applying the polyurethane, and you should be fine

[@riccardoiii9882]

I think this is the best tutorial on waterslide decals for pedals. Thumb up! Just an observation: following your tutorial I have found that two minutes in the water are too much for the decal, it needs just thirty or forty seconds. Does it depend on the decal I am using or are they all equal? Thank you

[@johnplanetz]

Thanks. Different decal papers may behave differently, so just experiment and do what feels right for your paper. Enjoy your project!

[@Gledii]

Hey John, do u have to wet sand in the end for a glossy look? Do you know if its possible to "bake" the enclosure in a toaster oven to speed up drying? I assume that the decal might be a problem here due to the high temps... This method seems very nice because you can do indoor. I´ve noticed u used the "satin" acrylic coat. i believe one could get the glossy ones for glass look like.... thanks for the great video mate!

[@bblue82]

Great tutorial! Which type of decal paper did you use?

[@johnplanetz]

Thanks! I listed the materials I used in my blog here: www.planetz.com/waterslide-decals

[@wabazuza]

Congrats on your video, but i wonder .. what if i want my pedal in black with white design ?

Thanks for this instructive video. I would like to pose a simple question. You use the paste wax in the end. I can see that you use furniture wax but I'd like to ask if I could use car wax for the same purpose. Thanks.

[@johnplanetz]

+Nuno Encarnação - I guess that if the car wax finishes clear, then it will be fine. Maybe do a test on the bottom of the pedal to see if you like it.

[@thiagoandrade5470]

Excellent Video! I use the dye ink water-based?

[@bamwels]

Hi there, great video man, very helpful!! Where can i find waterslide?

[@andersoncordeiro7447]

Amazing Guy!! Thans a lot! it's very helpful!

[@jericieiliel5154]

2:20 in and I'm just realizing he isnt doing bike pedals, yay I'm smart

[@johnplanetz]

+Grag Hasseblut - haha- I should have been more clear :)

[@jericieiliel5154]

***** Nah I just popped into this like "Hey maybe I'll find out how to seal my waterslides" and I forgot that certain guitars use pedals

[@vinylRitchie]

Thanks for these great videos. I just finished priming/painting my pedal. It has a rough texture to it (I’m guessing because of dust). Would it be ok to lightly sand it to smooth it out before applying the label?

[@johnplanetz]

Yes I think a light sanding should be ok

[@aaronhoffenberg371]

Just found this video, does this kind of decal work with a bare aluminum enclosure, or does it need to be painted or powder coated?

[@andybee589]

Thanks for the great advice and vids !

[@Gledii]

John, you did the clear coating on the waterslide decal because you printed with a inkjet? i've printed a logo for my guitar using a collor lazer printer and i didnt have issues with the decal. i just coated with clear coating after i attached the decal. i was just lucky? cheers

[@juvie5780]

thank you it's very helpful

[@stefanBEAR98]

is there any graphics software out there with built in images of potentiometers and other electronics knobs?

[@jerseyhomeguy]

Excellent video!

[@Pilbromatic]

Hi, thanks for this tutorial, it looks great and I'm going to give it a try! I was in my local hardware shop today and the only clear acrylic they had was PlastiKote Super Clear - apparently it's a fake acrylic and can sometimes cause ink to run. Do you know if this will work for this project? Thanks heaps!

[@SachAlvarez]

Great video mate! I know that the canon pro 9000 is a inkjet printer, can I do this on a deskjet?

[@johnplanetz]

As far as I know, a deskjet is an inkjet printer. If you have a laser printer, there are special waterslide decal paper is intended for laser.

[@johnplanetz]

The list of materials I used is in the link under the video: www.planetz.com/waterslide-decals

[@lifeplansvansdance]

great videos man! Where do you buy decal paper?

[@notrom-thesilencer7993]

John, great video, love the detail & the step by step how to. i wanna ask, why u use inkjet printer instead color laser printer ? do u use spesific water decal paper that can only be used with inkjet printer ? your canon pro 9000 is inkjet printer, cmiiw

[@johnplanetz]

My Canon Pro 9000 inkjet prints very high quality, andI don't have a color laser printer to try. Yes, there are different waterslide papers for inkjet vs laser printers.

[@dyork423]

Hi John, Great tutorial! Very thorough and the finished job looks amazing. I'm trying this as well and I'd like to print a dark decal for the top while leaving the other five sides metallic. The kicker is the white lettering... Would you suggest painting just the top white before applying the decal, or maybe using white decal paper instead of a water slide? Any other ideas/input would be much appreciated! Thanks.

[@johnplanetz]

dyork423 - either of those options could work. Also, scan down the comments here for other ideas that have been discussed.

[@johnplanetz]

@Hina Arora- I haven’t tried. I recommend you do some experiments to see what works best for you

[@r.llynch4124]

can you use a high quality automotive gloss clear coat over the water slide decals or do you need water based clear?

[@johnplanetz]

rick jones - I haven't tried it, but it's probably okay. It does not need to be water-based. Experiment, and if it doesn't work, you can always sand it off and try again

[@Gledii]

John, how many coats of Clear shall I do using acrylic spray? 've done 6 and still looks like nothing :P cheers

[@vinylRitchie]

Excellent video. It’s been really helpful as I work through my first pedal. How long should I wait after spraying my ink jet printed label with acrylic crystal clear spray before putting it in the water? I tried a test run after a few hours of applying 3 clear coats and the whole image dissolved. Thanks

[@johnplanetz]

Seems like 3 hours should be enough, but it depends on temperature/humidity/etc. Double-check the instructions on the can, and I guess wait a little longer or overnight for your next test run to see if it's better. And don't forget to check for complete even coverage when spraying, as I showed a 2:50

[@loosegroove7913]

thanks for this. has anyone else said that your tutorials remind them of bob ross? i mean that as a compliment.

[@johnplanetz]

Haha! No, that's a first.

[@Karma-kr5dd]

Great job.

[@Traynoramp08]

Mr John How did you get the size of the pedal in the pc software. I'm a beginner .

[@Gledii]

Well, on the guitar looks pretty good! but is not a white surface, simply wood collor! ive seen people having issues with yellowing of the "transparent" part of the decal. i guess it depends on the quality. John, what about printing almost all decal with some black color for example. Migh be easier that coating the pedal. have you tried something like this? cheers mate!

[@MrHarborFreight]

Great video John! I heard u say u build furniture? Any chance of u uploading any woodworking videos? Thanks!......Gus

[@johnplanetz]

Thanks Gus. I've thought about it- but I only have limited free time- and I'm already spread too thin. Might I recommend Marc Spagnuolo at the Wood Whisperer. He has made many great videos over the last few years and provides an incredible resource for woodworkers.

[@mischucat4252]

can you put it on phone cases as well?

[@leon_pp]

Now I'm wondering if this could be done for a full decal covering the entire guitar body...

[@chrisnott1064]

hi i don't know if you are again here lol your tutorial is amazing but i have a big probleme when i want to print my pedal model (good dimension) and i choose 10X15 ,the result print not in center so i have only on part of the pedal printed (only the right bottom corner. i don't know if i m clear :(? thanx for your help

[@johnplanetz]

Every printer is different- you'll need to experiment with the print options, margins, etc. I recommend you print it on plain paper until you get it right, so you don't waste decal paper.

[@debieja]

When do we get to hear how your pedal sounds? Good job on these very informative videos! :)

[@johnplanetz]

If you're in the area, my band is playing this Saturday in Danville, California - www.dropdaddies.com Maybe I'll do a video on my pedal board at some point...

[@maximusZ09]

so, practically any printer will be fine? as long as you use the right decal paper?

[@johnplanetz]

I've only tried inkjet. There are different types of decal paper for inkjet and laser printers, and I assume you will get comparable results with either.

[@stephenxaviertrinidad8025]

+John Cooper does it tear apart when i hand wash it? or leave it in the dishwasher?

[@johnplanetz]

I've only used waterslide decals on guitar pedals, and I've certainly never tried putting my pedals in the dishwasher :) That said, if you clear-coat your finished product so that the decal is protected, I would guess that it could survive washing.

[@brewerfan100]

Well done!

[@mistos]

Hi John! Can those waterslide decals be applied to wood as well? I want to make my own logos for the headstocks of my guitars. Thanks!

[@johnplanetz]

Yes, absolutely!

[@mistos]

Thanks John! Greetings from Greece!

[@JSCProductionsUK]

Hi John, I have been watching your videos on enclosure prep and decoration, very useful so thank you for that! Just have a question about colours on decal paper, will white always be transparent when you transfer the decal!? I have quite a few white bits in my design, but it occurred to me that a printer can't print white so to say! Is there any way around this so you can have pure white parts to your design?! Cheers!

[@johnplanetz]

You're right, you cannot print white. The waterslide decal I use is transparent - so if you were to paint the enclosure white, then any white in your graphic will reveal as the white paint background color. This would work if you use a lot of other color in your graphic. Another option is to use opaque white waterslide paper. In general, light color over dark background isn't easy to do with waterslide decals.

[@JSCProductionsUK]

Thanks for your reply, Hmm that could work, the main colour of my enclosure is going to be a medium light red. Another idea I had was to replace the white parts of the decal with an off cream colour, hard to distinguish from white but will be printed as it's not pure white - do you think that would work?! Thanks for your help!

[@johnplanetz]

JSCProductionsUK Yes- that might work. Try spraying a piece of paper or cardboard with your light-red color, and then try your waterslide over it to see how it looks.

[@347yinyang]

Can i ask if this decal is good for mugs? May concern is , What if the mugs get wet again after installed the water slide transfer decal ? Maybe the decal can remove easily because it's installed by using water..

[@johnplanetz]

You should hand wash only. I've read that you can make it dishwasher-safe if you fire the mug in a kiln, but I haven't tried.

[@347yinyang]

@@johnplanetz ok sir, thank you for your time.

[@lonestarnot2774]

Yes, a gold standard. Now, before I post, I'll have to ask myself "Is it as clear and complete and John Cooper's?"

[@JAFOpty]

John, did you use any particular brand of decal paper?

[@johnplanetz]

I included links to the resources I used at my blog: www.planetz.com/waterslide-decals/

[@JAFOpty]

***** awesome, tnx again!

[@ECK26]

What if I were to use a sticker instead of a decal? Would the print fade or smear upon applying the clear coat?

[@johnplanetz]

I haven't tried that. Sounds like you'll need to experiment a bit.

[@OutlandStudiosNI]

Hmm - I've already made my pedal design in GIMP. I am now thinking about printing. It seems when you slide away, the decal has made all white sections completely translucent, which reveals the white colour of the painted pedal underneath. Do I have to do anything to make sure mine works the same or does all white sections automatically turn out translucent themselves? Hope this makes sense. Great videos - thanks.

[@johnplanetz]

Since the printer doesn't print white, anything in your artwork that is pure white will be transparent when printed on the decal. Nothing special required.

[@OutlandStudiosNI]

Ah, thats what I was thinking. I became unsure when I seen some other examples that seemed to have actual white coloring. This is perfect for me as my B1590 enclosures are all painted white anyway. Many thanks John. I've followed and been helped greatly by all your videos. Cheers.