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D-I-Y silkscreening of aluminum

I need some do-it-yourself instructions on how to silk screen onto bare buffed aluminum or chrome plated steel. I am trying to construct my own control panels and logos for the home made guitar amplifiers I build. I approached a silk screener but my production quantities will not support the cost of getting it professionally done. Any help would be appreciated!

Joe Rogers
hobbyist - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2003

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2003

Even experts have trouble getting paint to stick to chrome plating, so it's best to forget that one.

Silk screening itself is not that difficult and is done by amateurs all the time. It can be as simple as mounting a stencil on a piece of plastic screening material and pushing paint through it. But for your small patterns you probably need higher quality materials than that.

You can't leave the aluminum bare anyway, so have you considered using decals and then clear coating? If the patterns are small enough, the clear coating may be able to bridge over them without adhesion problems.

The "right" way to do it though is to have an anodizing shop do the silk screening and anodize and seal the aluminum. The appearance will be right and the lettering won't even come off with sandpaper.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

What about epoxy ink? Won't that stick to chrome plating? As for using a decal, what kind of sealant would I use?

Joe Rogers
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2003

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Sorry, Joe, I've told you most of what I know on the subject. Chromium is very difficult to get paint to stick to because of its passivity and the fact that it won't wet (steep contact angle); it has always been an issue for manufacturers marking or decorating it. But maybe epoxy ink is an answer, I just can't say.

The clear coat I mentioned was not for the decals, it was for the whole surface; aluminum will get ugly fast if neither anodized nor clear coated.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

Thanks for the response. Last question..what is s good clear coat to use on metal?

Joe Rogers
hobbyist - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2003

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letter1550 offers the perspectives of the suppliers of different types of topcoat / clearcoat. A powder coating [Tiger Drylac] or a baked lacquer [G.J. Nikolas [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]] or a liquid protectant for aluminum [Everbrite [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]] are a few possibilities.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003