Printing on a plate

[szbalogh]

You may have seen my post on etching hands from copper. 

I have also tried making a dial pattern where i have etched only the numbers from a plate and wanted to spray lume paint through it. Well, the numbers were deformed. It is hard to transfer the paint from the sticky paper to the metal sheet. 

It would be much easier to print directly on the plate. What printer is used to print on solid plates? I have just find a printig robot which is going back and forth on the paper but that is under development and is to expensive.

 

[bobm12]

Hi Szbalog,

I wonder if you can etch the numbers directly on the plate (I believe that's what you are doing?) and fill them with lume as if they were the hands...

No need to "drill" them numbers through to work from behind the plate although this idea seduces me...mmm, if you drill the numbers through the plate and lume them from behind then you can add some tape to isolate the lume from the movement....I don't know, just my mind at work...and it doesn't probably works to good after so many years...

Cheers,

Bob

[szbalogh]

Yes drilling may be another way but we could do complicated shapes by simply drawing on PC and then etching on the dial. 

I dont want to drill through the dial. Just etch about half way through and then fill the gaps with lume or enamel and then polish them to the sam level like here: http://schofieldwatchcompany.com/enamel-dials-2/

The possibilities would be endless

I have found this: 

 

Although, i did something You suggests

It seems there is no commercial way like i just go in the printing center and let my design printed on a plate

Edited September 8, 2016 by szbalogh

[dadistic]

My instinct would be to coat the dial with photoresist film, and then print a transparency to expose the film. This usually requires a UV light source, but I bet one could be put together inexpensively. This is like the photogravure printing process, and is used to produce pad printing cliches and home made circuit boards.