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I have some waterslide decal paper. I want it to stay on a pedal parts painted enclosure. What is the best way to achieve this? I tried using rattlecan lacquer, this worked for a few months and then the decal curled up and died.

Also: What is the best kind of paint for doing a stencil design?

i started using Entropy Resins at mcspunckle's recommendation, and i'm pretty impressed. it's heavy duty, but it looks rad. don't know anything about paints, but this is my fave clear coat.

kaboom wrote:i started using Entropy Resins at mcspunckle's recommendation, and i'm pretty impressed. it's heavy duty, but it looks rad. don't know anything about paints, but this is my fave clear coat.

I would love to have this process mapped out for me! Also, a materials list and where to get them! If you have the time.

Yes! Please tell us more about the entropy resins. I think what you've got here looks as good as Envirotex. Is the process similar?

Don't sweat it on the waterslide man...I did my first recently and it didn't come out beautiful. I did the opposite--I went a bit too heavy with the rattlecan clear coat. There's no way that decal is coming off, but the clear coat looks more rippley than I would've liked.

Cool, where do you find entropy resin? how do you apply it?

thanks for the responses.

this stuff here: http://entropyresins.com/
the Super Sap Clear Resin and Hardener. it's pricey, but you get a bunch of it, just the sampler size will go a long way. it's a 2 part epoxy resin, so you mix it yourself when you want to apply it and then just brush it on and let it set. the first time i tried it is that pedal above. it got a little messy for me just using whatever i had handy at home, so that starter kit might be worth it if you don't have that stuff already.

There are other kinds of epoxy resin, but this is the only one i've tried. McSpunckle has tried a few i think, and he recommended this stuff in another thread a while back. his pedals always look top notch.

Yo, Kaboom! What kind of label do you have under the resin? It looks great! The stuff I use looks amazing and shiny, but has a problem where it kind of reacts with the resin and makes it hard to keep bubbles out.

But, yeah! I use SuperSap CLR on my pedals, and it takes less than an ounce for a 1590B if you're just coating the top. You'd need more if you wanted the sides coated too.

You just need some disposable measuring cups (you can re-use them really easily), and something to stir with. You can cover a surface with a trash bag or (as I do) wax paper. Or similar. Just don't use normal paper. And I'd recommend not doing on a surface you care too much about no matter what you cover it with. Just measure it up (it's a 2:1 ratio, so if your cups start at 1 ounce, you have to make 3 ounces-- keep that in mind), mix it for a while, and slowly poor it on and spread it. It self-levels. You just have to break the surface tension and get it flowing.

You can get smaller samples from Ecopoxy, but their resins aren't as good. There are also lots of standard resins available I believe you can get them at hardware stores and craft stores. Any of the stuff used for making resin jewelry would work great. Thick tabletop resins are a bit too thick, IMO, but they do work.


Anyways, I'd think a good heavy coat of polyurethane would seal in the decals as well.

I just took a look at their website. Looks great.



I used to like polyester resin casting, but hated the smell.

Just curious, how durable do you guys think a resin finish on a pedal enclosure is gonna be?

(That pedal does look spectacular, BTW, kaboom.)

how viscous is the entropy resin? compared to say honey/syrup/molten wax?

I use vitra laque epoxy resin which is really thick. the thicker it is, the better it is because it doesn't run off the side of the case as quickly, and stays thicker there. other types like gedeo are really thin. fine for the top but not so much for the sides.

Your pedals always look fantastic, cloudscapes. I always wondered what kind of resin you're using to finish them.

cloudscapes wrote:how viscous is the entropy resin? compared to say honey/syrup/molten wax?

I use vitra laque epoxy resin which is really thick. the thicker it is, the better it is because it doesn't run off the side of the case as quickly, and stays thicker there. other types like gedeo are really thin. fine for the top but not so much for the sides.

It's a thinner kind of resin. I prefer thin resins, but that's partially just because I can use half as much and it's just as pretty on top, and I don't coat the sides. Sooo, you may not dig it.

A thicker one I really like is Ecopoxy's UV Poxy. The stuff I used to use was Kleer Kote by US Composites, and it's real cheap, but not as awesome.

all i used for that pedal was an old label maker, a free sticker from my local coffee shop (the kitty recommends you try pablo's coffee, btw), and some spray paint that i found in the stock room at work. it's all super basic but the resin makes it look cool.

@ McSpunckle, cloudscapes,

Do you drill the case before or after applying the resin finish? Is there any reason something like polyurethane wouldn't bond if it was underneath the resin?

Currently tooling up to do screen printing on cases and then topping it with a resin finish, and I think I need to coat the enclosure with a thin, smooth layer of poly before I screen print to get the ink to work.

I've had really good luck with waterslide decals. The trick is getting good adhesion by providing a smooth (finely wet sanded or painted) finish, eliminating any bubbles or bunching under the decal when wet, and letting it dry overnight, then enough clear coat to hide the edges. One or two light coats is not enough. I tend to use a whole can of clear per two-three pedals.



Here you can see the top edge, but it will look seamless when I'm done.

^ cool, that looks great. I think the painted surface wasn't smooth enough when i tried it. The spray can lacquer smells horrible though. Gotta have ventilation. I purchased decal paper through the DE diy page "papillo". Maybe that will be the fix for me.