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Greetings and so on everyone - been absent for a while what with life and etc.
Been riding a lot until one thing or another got to be too much to ignore, and so while the bike is down for some R&R I figure I should do a little cosmetic touchup, refit gauges and whatnot while I'm at it.
I'm working on drafting up a couple of plates in AutoCAD and preparing to send them off to be printed once I'm satisfied with the final result. As I type this I'm sitting here with a protractor and double-checking my work.
I'm here looking for input (suggestions) and also for takers on anyone interested in a few plates in the event that they turn out okay.
I'm not looking for anyone's money - I don't intend to charge a dime for these, including shipping, unless the demand is overwhelming (I am paying for the prints out of pocket and hand-painting the plates after all).
Anyways. So my plan of attack at this moment is: Take plate from whatever year whatever model, build generic template (so far all three plates that I've checked have shared common dimensions - although there are OBVIOUS differences when compared to different years etc, so the availability of the plates I can make is fairly narrow). After building the basic template, I mount it to a fixed surface, measure the angle between each notch and line on the plate, and plug it right into CAD. Once these angles are all in there, it's a matter of building up the cosmetic details - line weight, setting up the spacing, arguing with myself over the font for the numbers (I've settled on a custom font, I'll fish that out later if anyone wants to know), then building the design so that it is as close as possible to the original plate.
I intend to print these on a PLA (Polyactic Plastic). It's a biodegradable plastic that won't break down until it's exposed to very specific enzymes, so there's no worry about it rotting off the gauge.
To get the red color that we see (on the applicable models and years) the plastic that the OEM plates are made on is colored a really bright orange-red. I'm torn on whether to print them on a red plastic or to use "professional" model paints to give the numbers different colors - green through the healthy range, yellow up to the 1,000 or so leading up to - and red for the actual red-line range on the tachometer.
For speedos obviously the color would just be OEM red/orange unless someone has a really specific preference.
Presently I have personally custom color matched the plates, I feel pretty accurately, to a Behr Marquee Flat paint. The paint code, if anyone cares to mix up a little jar of their own to test it is:
For an 8oz jar of paint,
Deep Base MQ303::: MANUAL FORMULA: BL @87/384oz IL @124/384oz KXL @47/384oz RL @71/384oz
(Please be advised that even a flat base will take up to 30 days to fully cure to a totally lusterless finish)
The plan is to print the plates on a makerbot or other 3d printer with the decals and affects raised to a few thousandths; apply a coat of the brown paint, thinned with floetrol to ensure there are no defects; mount the plate on a jig and gently block sand the raised surfaces flush - or near flush - to the rest of the board; touchup where necessary; paint the backs; coat front and back with either a flat spar urethane or other UV treatment to guarantee life of the finished product.
If anyone has experience with making the plates, or if you guys have any suggestions - fire away! I can use all the help I can get at this point.
Thanks for reading!
By the by - the model and years of the gauges I'm working with are 82 850, 83 1100(?) and What some joker on eBay claims is an 82 850 but I suspect is really a later-model 1000 or higher, seeing as the digits go up to 140 MPH not the 140 KPH my original 850 has.
If everything checks out and people like the way these turn out, I'd be happy to make plates for anyone in need - I know these are a serious pain in the arse to get ahold of. Hopefully this works out and can provide a solution to that problem. I for one am tired of a scored up faded old plate.
PPS - Im trying to find an alternative to PLA, I'm not sold on it as the plastic of choice.
Been riding a lot until one thing or another got to be too much to ignore, and so while the bike is down for some R&R I figure I should do a little cosmetic touchup, refit gauges and whatnot while I'm at it.
I'm working on drafting up a couple of plates in AutoCAD and preparing to send them off to be printed once I'm satisfied with the final result. As I type this I'm sitting here with a protractor and double-checking my work.
I'm here looking for input (suggestions) and also for takers on anyone interested in a few plates in the event that they turn out okay.
I'm not looking for anyone's money - I don't intend to charge a dime for these, including shipping, unless the demand is overwhelming (I am paying for the prints out of pocket and hand-painting the plates after all).
Anyways. So my plan of attack at this moment is: Take plate from whatever year whatever model, build generic template (so far all three plates that I've checked have shared common dimensions - although there are OBVIOUS differences when compared to different years etc, so the availability of the plates I can make is fairly narrow). After building the basic template, I mount it to a fixed surface, measure the angle between each notch and line on the plate, and plug it right into CAD. Once these angles are all in there, it's a matter of building up the cosmetic details - line weight, setting up the spacing, arguing with myself over the font for the numbers (I've settled on a custom font, I'll fish that out later if anyone wants to know), then building the design so that it is as close as possible to the original plate.
I intend to print these on a PLA (Polyactic Plastic). It's a biodegradable plastic that won't break down until it's exposed to very specific enzymes, so there's no worry about it rotting off the gauge.
To get the red color that we see (on the applicable models and years) the plastic that the OEM plates are made on is colored a really bright orange-red. I'm torn on whether to print them on a red plastic or to use "professional" model paints to give the numbers different colors - green through the healthy range, yellow up to the 1,000 or so leading up to - and red for the actual red-line range on the tachometer.
For speedos obviously the color would just be OEM red/orange unless someone has a really specific preference.
Presently I have personally custom color matched the plates, I feel pretty accurately, to a Behr Marquee Flat paint. The paint code, if anyone cares to mix up a little jar of their own to test it is:
For an 8oz jar of paint,
Deep Base MQ303::: MANUAL FORMULA: BL @87/384oz IL @124/384oz KXL @47/384oz RL @71/384oz
(Please be advised that even a flat base will take up to 30 days to fully cure to a totally lusterless finish)
The plan is to print the plates on a makerbot or other 3d printer with the decals and affects raised to a few thousandths; apply a coat of the brown paint, thinned with floetrol to ensure there are no defects; mount the plate on a jig and gently block sand the raised surfaces flush - or near flush - to the rest of the board; touchup where necessary; paint the backs; coat front and back with either a flat spar urethane or other UV treatment to guarantee life of the finished product.
If anyone has experience with making the plates, or if you guys have any suggestions - fire away! I can use all the help I can get at this point.
Thanks for reading!
By the by - the model and years of the gauges I'm working with are 82 850, 83 1100(?) and What some joker on eBay claims is an 82 850 but I suspect is really a later-model 1000 or higher, seeing as the digits go up to 140 MPH not the 140 KPH my original 850 has.
If everything checks out and people like the way these turn out, I'd be happy to make plates for anyone in need - I know these are a serious pain in the arse to get ahold of. Hopefully this works out and can provide a solution to that problem. I for one am tired of a scored up faded old plate.
PPS - Im trying to find an alternative to PLA, I'm not sold on it as the plastic of choice.
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