Re-lettering a faceplate!
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ThaddeusSmit
Active Member
tom3
Super Member
Search around for Chartpak lettering. Used to use this in engineering drawing. Pretty good stuff if they have it in the right size. Might experiment with a needle and some black paint, sort of a dot matrix redo of the original letters if even faintly visible? Let us know what you come up with, lots of need out here.
Rick Vestal
Have a nice day and duck!
Dry transfer will work, but Chartpak (like mentioned above) is just a dry transfer, and even just barely hitting it with a fingernail will scratch it off, unless you clear coat the faceplate (Krylon Crystal Clear for gloss and Matte Finish for matte.)
When you posted this this morning, I poked around and couldn't find my previous response to another thread. There was a thread on DIYAudio about restoring lettering with some helpful links. I'll try to hunt for it later...
When you posted this this morning, I poked around and couldn't find my previous response to another thread. There was a thread on DIYAudio about restoring lettering with some helpful links. I'll try to hunt for it later...
Local College / Art School
Post an ad at your local college or art school.
While all of the former suggestions are great - unless your physiology is conditioned by habitual fine detail painting/brush control, and you have an above average knowledge of typography and paint mediums - this may wind up being an exercise in frustration for you.
Set a price that you're comfy with, and if you want to throw in a bit of irony, you can even pay them with an iTunes Gift Card ;-)
Post an ad at your local college or art school.
While all of the former suggestions are great - unless your physiology is conditioned by habitual fine detail painting/brush control, and you have an above average knowledge of typography and paint mediums - this may wind up being an exercise in frustration for you.
Set a price that you're comfy with, and if you want to throw in a bit of irony, you can even pay them with an iTunes Gift Card ;-)
Take a look at this outfit this is one we use the Amateur Radio world send them a photo of the front panel and see what they can do for you. http://doityourselflettering.com/ if this place can't help then the next thing and really the best is to silk screen everything back on. You need to have the silk screen panel cut out for you. The problem you are going to run into is any of these methods in the cost. I in the end you are probably going to have to learn to live with it.
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Vinylcafe
Linvin' the Dream
The notion of transfer lettering - like the old Letraset- is fraught.
Matching font, size, kerning and positioning, all very tough. Never mind it all rubbing off.
In the old days, you would do it with photo silk screening.
Do-able back in my high school graphics shop, back in the day.
Maybe a local art school has the process camera, film and photo sensitive silkscreen material needed.
I have actually done the process, not for an amp however.
Then you need a clean 100% copy of the original.
Then it all has to align on application.
Very tough to do right.
Matching font, size, kerning and positioning, all very tough. Never mind it all rubbing off.
In the old days, you would do it with photo silk screening.
Do-able back in my high school graphics shop, back in the day.
Maybe a local art school has the process camera, film and photo sensitive silkscreen material needed.
I have actually done the process, not for an amp however.
Then you need a clean 100% copy of the original.
Then it all has to align on application.
Very tough to do right.
Vinylcafe has it right what you will end up with is a mess. Most of the old communication gear I work on the letter is stamp inset in the panel and all you have to do is a white wipe on or a pen paint applicator.
I think you could make this work (and this is me TOL, I haven't done this) if you removed the faceplate, scanned it in, double check dimensions so your scanned image is exact. Then use a program like indesign or even photoshop to redo lettering on a layer above the scanned in layer. Use these programs (or anything similar if it works for you) to make a template too of the size of the faceplate, where the cutouts are for the Pots and switches etc. So what you would end up having is all the text along with a thin line to designate what needs to be removed, save this as a psd or a png (you want only the text and lines to print out so the background needs to be transparent)
Now all you need to do is have this printed on thin clear plastic, trim out where the pots and switches are with an exacto and adhere it to the original faceplate (once you've removed what's left of the old lettering) You'd have to look into what plastics you can print to and what kind of glue will dry absolutely transparent
Now all you need to do is have this printed on thin clear plastic, trim out where the pots and switches are with an exacto and adhere it to the original faceplate (once you've removed what's left of the old lettering) You'd have to look into what plastics you can print to and what kind of glue will dry absolutely transparent
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jleon92f
Addicted Member
That is VERY interesting, thanks for posting..:thmbsp::yes:
....or, just say "f*** it," put it on whatever shelf it will call "home," and look at it lovingly every time thinking that the rubbed off lettering "adds character"....
That is absolutely the best, and cheapest suggestion plus if you get a non-functioning unit spare parts :thmbsp:
You can check out this place: http://ezscreenprint.com/
The OP in this thread used it:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=502176
The OP in this thread used it:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=502176
Beatnik
What's this ?
That's cool ! Need an artwork database if people start doing this. :yes:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=410858&d=1361100900
