Author Topic: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?  (Read 11340 times)

Offline kvom

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #15 on: February 01, 2016, 07:11:08 PM »
With OnShape you can import a DXF or DWG file onto a sketch plane.  Export what you want from AutoCad or Draftsight into OnShape.

Offline 10KPete

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2016, 07:19:55 PM »
Thanks guys! DraftSight is bookmarked for examination. Probably take a couple of days to soak up this stuff.

kvom, do you know if the import will mess with layers/settings?

Pete
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SB 10K lathe, Benchmaster mill. And stuff.

Offline kvom

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #17 on: February 01, 2016, 08:10:26 PM »
While you can import a DXF in its entirety, using it in a sketch a a starting point for a 3D model means probably deleting everything you don't need before doing an extrude, which usually the first operation.

Offline 10KPete

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #18 on: February 01, 2016, 08:46:18 PM »
Aahhh, OK. I wouldn't use my 2Ds to start a 3D. Don't have any I would want to do that with. But it sure would be cool to be able to '3D' new stuff and especially exciting to be able to animate linkages and such!  :cartwheel:
I'd just want to be able to 'maintain' a few of my 2Ds, like the property drawing.

Thanks!!
Pete
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Offline Steamer5

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2016, 05:03:07 AM »
Hi Pete,
 Give Draftsight a go.  I've been playing with it for a couple of years...more off than on....& it works fine. I can bounce "HELP" of either of my sons as both draft, Auto Cad though. Funny how when dad asks them to do something for him they are "too busy".....mind you when you want to go from a drawing with fractions......feet & inches to a 21% scale in mm they have got no idea!

 The thing I want to know with name plates what program you can use that will import a picture & tell you what the font is! Tried some on line with little to no joy! Anybody tried one that works??

Cheers Kerrin
Get excited and make something!

Offline 10KPete

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2016, 05:09:46 AM »
A font recognizer! Now that's something I'd love to see. I used to have print outs of fonts, pages of examples, just for identifying fonts. What a task that was. And before confusers! Good thing our offices were in the same building as a good printer.

I have a bunch of homework to do going through F360, OnShape and Draftsight. It's obvious I need to catch up here.

Pete
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Retired, finally!
SB 10K lathe, Benchmaster mill. And stuff.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2016, 01:49:14 PM »
Kerrin

I have never had much luck matching fonts from the old name plates; What I have done in the past is to import a high resolution picture of the plate. Then scale it to 1:1 and use it as a drawing template do do my line work on. I will post a picture when I get home later today of one the more complex plates I have done. Once you have that art work you can scale it to what ever size you want. I once made a full sized plate for and friends Hit & Miss engine then scaled it down to model size and made a plate for a different friends model.

Dave

Offline Steamer5

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #22 on: February 03, 2016, 04:27:51 AM »
Hi Dave,
 Thanks for the reply. I have done something similar some years ago with the club logo so we could get caps embroided, took me awhile.....thank goodness for night shifts!
 I was just being a bit lazy & thought that in this day & age there would be software that would do it. Tried a couple of weeks ago & started out with lots of hits & go down to just a few....not what I thought was the right one!
 
Cheers Kerrin
Get excited and make something!

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2016, 01:52:00 AM »
Hi Guys

Here are a couple samples of name plates that I have made; If I have posted these before I apologize. The art work for each one was created using Auto CAD  and as I indicated before, a hi res. photo was used as a drawing template. Every letter, line, feather, cloud, Etc. was painstakingly hand drawn over the top of the original. I didn't keep track of time; but it wouldn't surprise me if I didn't have close to 100 hours in the Falk tag.

It is really a fun skill that is easy to do and master in the home shop.

Dave

Offline Steamer5

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #24 on: February 04, 2016, 03:22:32 AM »
Hi Dave,
 Man do those look good! Well worth the time spent. Don't remember you posting these before.....can you post pictures of them attached to the engine...please pretty please,
 On the process of copying the lettering, how much time did you spend making sure you got it spot on? Or did you work on the fact that you went from full size to a much smaller size that any little odd bits would shrink & not be any different from a casting slight whoops ?

Cheers Kerrin
Get excited and make something!

Offline kvom

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #25 on: February 04, 2016, 02:01:51 PM »
Dave, you are the MAN!   :ThumbsUp:

Offline 10KPete

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #26 on: February 04, 2016, 02:14:45 PM »
What I want to do is very much along the lines of the R&V plate. The graphic on the Falk is outstanding!!

After looking at the different 'free' CAD programs, Onshape, Draftsite, QCAD, etc., it's clear that none of them will do what AutoCAD or Solidworks, etc., do with respect to these tags.

So while I may continue to explore, and probably use Onshape for 3D, I'm going to get a PC configured for my AutoCAD.

Could a Onshape user please tell me if Onshape does mass properties, or can calculate element forces? I haven't gotten that far into it yet.

This has been most educational for me. You folks have exposed me (dragged me in to?) to an aspect of design that I've been appearently avoiding. I think it's and old dog too lazy to investigate new tricks thing. :slap:

Pete
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Retired, finally!
SB 10K lathe, Benchmaster mill. And stuff.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #27 on: February 05, 2016, 01:37:02 AM »
Thanks for the kind words guys,

Kerrin; I try to put as much detail and accuracy into the CAD work as possible. The Falk tag is full sized (2 3/8" X 5") I made it for one of my full sized engines that is undergoing restoration. The tag mounts to the curved surface of the cylinder. I was very lucky that a friend of mine has a 5hp hopper cooled Falk; the Falk engines are pretty rare in any size. His tag was screwed to the flat surface of the water hopper; it was a simple matter of unscrewing it and scanning an image of it. Had it been curved it would not have been as easy. The R&V tag actually started out as a full sized reproduction for some R&V collector friends of mine. When my buddy started working on a R&V model from Randy Rockwell's castings I already had the artwork so I thought I would see how far I could scale it down with out loosing too much detail. I think where I ended up was about the limit for this one.

The pictures of the R&V are one that was built by model builder Ralph Milam, I supplied the tag for his engine also. I don't have any pictures of my other friends engine. Just for grins I have also attached a shot of the original art work that I created for the Falk tag.

Pete; I think DraftSight is capable of most anything that Auto CAD 2000i is; it just takes awhile to figure out the interface but all the tools and commands are there.

Dave

Offline 10KPete

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #28 on: February 05, 2016, 02:55:58 AM »

Pete; I think DraftSight is capable of most anything that Auto CAD 2000i is; it just takes awhile to figure out the interface but all the tools and commands are there.

Dave

Really! I'll have to dig deeper than I have. Which hasn't been much. :embarassed:
Thanks for the tip!

Pete
Craftsman, Tinkerer, Curious Person.
Retired, finally!
SB 10K lathe, Benchmaster mill. And stuff.

Offline Don1966

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Re: Etched Brass Name Plates.. design software?
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2016, 03:17:14 AM »
That is some beautiful work Dave and a heap full of patience........... :praise2:

Don

 

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