Faceplate reprinting?

Bob Speece PM’ed me to tell me that he was feeling unwell so he may not get back to us for a while. Hopefully all turns out well. He’s certainly a valuable and helpful member of our community.

Hope everything is ok with Bob, he’s indeed a good guy.
 
I started down the path to doing this. These are what I figured out:

To do it right the big challenge is the art work. You need a vector graphic file with the right font (Futura), line weights, markings etc. I found a guy who could do the artwork-get it scaled, spaced correctly etc - just never worked out what he wanted to do the job. He's next door to me so I could easily start the talks back up. Once you have the artwork you can get a screen made - like silk screen, but the harder screen type like they use for screening on PCBs. (Once you get the graphics file done you could use it with an engraver, to make decals or T shirts or whatever you could want.) There is an AKer in my area with a machine shop who could/would probably help with the screening.

The smaller challenge is the faceplate itself. It needs to be plated in a finish that matches the original brass plating. I have several pieces with this type of faceplate and it is brass plating over steel on them. I've sanded an edge down to bright silver steel. The shape of these faceplates is like a shoebox lid. Some guys say they have solid brass examples of this faceplate type, but I don't have one.

Once you have both a correct screen and a refinished faceplate you need to find a paint to screen onto the faceplate that's the right color and adheres aggressively to the brass. And then probably clear coat in a semigloss.

If we could figure all these variables out on one we could do the early x100, X101st, x202, 202T, 100T, 400 and 400A versions of the preamp line, 500s and ta600 and several models of tuner with the same process. There would even be a lot of efficiency in getting the graphics done for these because they are all variations on the theme, with many elements (volume markings for example) common to all, and the same brass replating on the faceplate should work for all.

Engraving could work but you still need that graphics file to tell the engraving head where to go and at the end of a serious undertaking you have a neat, but not original faceplate.

I talked to Front panel express. They could do the engraving but they only do engraving on aluminum and their anodize colors don't include an aged brass AND the edges of a faceplate they make would be unfinished aluminum. Also they have a fixed font library that doesn't include Futura. Once again you need the graphics file.

Anyway - anyone want to help me head down this path?

Ok ,I may be able to help ,I have a guy who's refinished the faceplate on the McIntosh C-20 preamp my dad bought new in the 60s and gave me with a pair of Mc-60s when he got his Mc-275 and JBL Paragon ,this was the pre glass face McIntosh era & my C-20 looks like a Museum piece ,he also makes unobtainable parts and is the artist commissioned by Ferarri and McIntosh to make custom aluminum artwork like these one of a kind Corporate pieces below I was able to secure from the 2018 Ferarri show.
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He made these unobtainable owners medallions for the 30 year old McIntosh XR-290s for myself and another AK member when these things can't be got from McIntosh at any price ,not even for Roger Russell .

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Here's some samples of other things he's made me that are extremely high quality .

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Here's the finest highly detailed pieces he's made for me ,the $10 bill is for size comparison and the diamond cut of the McIntosh logos beauty cannot be shown by my cheap phone camera ,time to dust off the Sony Mavica .

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Now I do know this ,after he finished my last order I wasn't able to have a custom piece made for another AK member due to his schedule last month ,infact I'm still waiting on the last 2 McIntosh custom wall art pieces from the Ferarri show & he dosent have time to pack & ship with $1,000 in cash as soon as he packs ,he's that over booked ,right now & for the next 90 days is when he makes the majority of his yearly income working for corporate clients like JBL ,McIntosh ,Ferrari and Lamborghini ,to get your piece made when his schedule allows you'll need to have a stack of different photos you can send me that he will use to locate and position everyting using a digital micrometer program ,he's able to work out locations using corners and knobs as reference points ,he dosent work cheap or lightning fast and he isn't able to give exact price quotes on single run pieces that aren't stored in his CNC ,if your interested give me a few days to catch up on sending out the gear I've already sold but couldnt ship out due to family crisis,send me a PM In 3 or 4 days if interested & we can start putting things together ,it may take a month or two from the day he agrees to take the commission but he is the Terry Dewick of silk screening and fabrication for high end gear and custom parts ,if McIntosh and Ferrari use him his credintials are Rock solid as another AK member can attest but I'd have to pm him & ask him to pm you the reference cause I'm not sure if he wants his name in the threads ,he did leave me positive feedback In bartertown though .

I will do all I can to help .

Levi .
 
I need a 400C faceplate, but I don't have an original to scan. I also need one for my Quintessence preamp.
 
Hello!!
I have a marantz 2270. it was sended to service recently, but the face plate is not so good, so, i decided to rebuild it. I contacted a serigraphist who said could reproduce the lettering, so, i have to erase al the letter present and i´d like to restore the aluminium faceplate.
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As you can see the letters are in +/- shape, some of them are partialy erased, what is more, faceplate has Spray paint stains, impossible to erase one by one. faceplate also have scratchs here and there.
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1.- is a good idea to erase letters with isopropilyc alcohol?
2.- shloul i sand the faceplate to restore it?
3.- sand process could damage the faceplate?
4.- should i use polish or somewhat like that?



Thank you!!!
 
I would contact AKer wlhd1610. He sold me an excellent replacement cover for my 2270.
 
That would be great if we can get someone that can scan and save many of the Fisher face plates, Then see if we can get one of the silkscreen graphics places mentioned that can reprint any of them. We can deal with replacement faces down the road, but most just need re plating and printing.
 
That was either part of the stamping or extrusion process. Either way, not easy to replicate without the proper tools...
 
How feasible is it to physically recreate the 400 / 500 / 800 faceplates with their unique physical bend?
The only way it's feasible is if you get enough demand to pay for the set up. With all the new cnc machines and computer controlled. lazer systems, the hard part is the design and set up.
 
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The advantage of vector graphics is that the resolution will allow the printer the ability to print sharp text without jagged, fuzzy edges. Make sure the printer doesn't rasterize the graphics before printing.

I think it could be done like this:

  • 1. One should scan in the faceplates at very high resolution. 1200 dpi might be good. That way, if the text can't be recreated with a font on a computer, you can use the scanned text (not ideal).
  • 2. Next, import the file into Adobe Illustrator.
  • 3. Create a new layer over the scan.
  • 4. Use the original font and type it over the guide scan so it is superimposed precisely.
  • 5. Export the new layer with vector text (without the scanned background) in a vector format, such as eps or pdf for the printer with no background. The printer will need to print to exact original scale. Print a text silkscreen and lay it over the original faceplate to confirm precise alignment.
  • 6. It may also be possible to do this in Photoshop as it allows the ability to export in eps and pdf formats -- as long as the text remains in vector format while editing.
 
Monk: That is exactly how I created the TA-600 image file and made available earlier in this thread. Someone who needs his/hers TA-600 refinished, can take the damaged faceplate along with the vector file to a printer. If anyone does, would love to see a photo of the refinished faceplate.
 
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That's a cool idea, which also offers the additional advantage of protecting the faceplate thereafter.

Grindfix, is this the one you mean? http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

I have used Front Panel Express for my tube amp project. I designed the front and back panels with their free software and received the finished parts in less than two weeks. A great company and they do an excellent job. If I remember correctly, you can also send them the panel you want reproduced. :thumbsup:
 
Has this thread ever evolved into a product or service? Would be nice to get my 400C Preamp faceplate reprinted
 
I know this thread is showing its age and we have some crazy stuff going on but I'm throwing my hat in the ring for an X-202-B faceplate or willing to have mine reprinted.
 
Good news on these early Fisher steel face plates. If we can supply a nice original, then they can copy the graphics and re silkscreen any that need it. They can not replate them though, so I suggest getting them powder coated a matching gold or bronze color first, then sending out to re silkscreen. Below is the response from Radio Daze.

Steve:
OK - thanks for the clarification on the model.
If the panel is refinished, we can then do the printing.
We would need to borrow an original before and refinishing to do the graphics design - once the design is done, we would return the original.
I am assuming the panel is flat and the original printing was not etched and filled but also a flat print.

Best regards,
Radio Daze Graphics

RADIO DAZE, LLC
2144 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road, Suite 200
Rochester, NY 14623
 
Steve,
Nice work and good news, Steve. Would RD be willing to do these one off for rarer units, or is this a case of getting one original scanned in the file and them wanting to do multiple copies from there? I also wonder if we could provide a scan in an acceptable format for them for the unit in question, as opposed to them having to have a face plate and scanning themselves.
Dave
 
Steve,
Nice work and good news, Steve. Would RD be willing to do these one off for rarer units, or is this a case of getting one original scanned in the file and them wanting to do multiple copies from there? I also wonder if we could provide a scan in an acceptable format for them for the unit in question, as opposed to them having to have a face plate and scanning themselves.
Dave
They said they would need a good original face plate to go off of, I imagine if someone sent them a good scan to use they could do it that way, but I would have to ask. I'm going to check with a local powder coating business to see if they can get close to matching the face plate color. I think powder coating would be better and more durable than anodized.
 
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