Making front panels the easy way!

I read the N3QK article in the March 2009 QST (Hints and Kinks), and since I have Visio in my computer, and use it a lot, I was inspired to make a panel for my DVFO-II. The most important thing is to be sure your page setup in Visio specifies 'no scale'; in other words, 1:1. Then you can set your rulers to inches and start designing!

Since my panel was already drilled, I measured and measured, and did several printouts on regular paper. With these, I put them on the panel and adjusted all the holes and cutouts until it was just right.

I then thought that maybe I could just spray the panel with clear lacquer and stick the cutout on, but the lacquer soaked through and it looked pretty yukky. So much for regular printer paper!

So I peeled that first attempt off and just sprayed the panel with a thick layer of lacquer and let it set. While it was setting, I reprinted the front panel on glossy photo paper. It turns out that the glossy photo paper I used (Epson) didn’t soak through like regular printer paper. I then cut it out and, by that time the lacquer was ‘sticky’; so I set the cutout on it, and was able to tweek it just a bit for alignment and got it ‘dead-nuts’ on.

I then let that set, and after a time, I was able to trim it with the x-acto knife. The photo glossy paper makes a real nice front panel, and I’ve printed photos that get sorta miss-handled and still look ok, so I figure this should last a long time.

I’ve struggled with press-on lettering in the past, and it’s a ‘bear’ to get those buggers straight and spaced properly… This was WAY BETTER!!

Thanks to Fred Boyer, N3QK for this good pointer!