Ok.. here are the results of my plastics manufacturing venture today. First I tackled the top drop target plastic. First thing I did was to take a piece of clear 2mm polycarbonate plastic, remove the clear protective backing from what would be the underside, and carefully applied my reversed (mirror imaged) artwork decal I’d printed the day before, starting on one end, smoothing it down with my fingers while peeling the backing off.. all the time being careful not to get air bubbles. It took me two goes to get it right.. the second time I DID get a couple of tiny bubbles in it but luckily they are hardly noticeable in the finished product. Next I cut it to the correct shape on my scroll saw, being real careful not to do any damage.
1st pic shows the decal applied but before burnishing down.
Next I burnished it down hard.. same technique as when I did the apron… sheet of white A4 paper over the plastic and rubbing down hard with the back of a tablespoon. Its real important not to let the paper move while doing this, as the decal can be damaged by scratching or removing the ink.
Next I did the white backing for the plastic. In the past I’d used acrylic spray paint but this time I used adhesive white matt finish A4 label. Again I carefully smoothed it onto the decal side of the plastic, then burnished it down hard.
2nd pic shows the plastic with the white backing before being trimmed with a hobby knife.
After cutting and sanding any rough edges, I decided to apply some mylar to help further protect the artwork.
3rd pic shows the new plastic next to the original broken one, and final pic shows it fitted to the PF.
