Impressive custom badges?

[PRR]

A bit expensive; something you won't see on mass-produced amps (except as cheap plastic).

"Looking for Custom Made Car Club Plaques?"
http://www.obrientruckers.com/ecom/product/252/2679/#5




O'Brian claims to be the world's largest producer of club plaques.

Traditional small-shop sand-cast Aluminum (also Bronze).

Sand-cast has texture.... it is traditional to paint the casting then belt-sand the high spots.

He's got stock items at fair prices if you want to see and fondle one.

Custom prices:

Belt Buckle Orders Up to 3" x4"
One Time Set Up Charge $75
Price per Buckle $20
Minimum order 10
Solid Bronze or Polished Aluminum
Shipping (per order) $10

Key Chain Orders Up to 2" x 4"
One Time Set Up Charge $50
Price per Key Chain $3.00
Minimum order 25
Shipping (per order) $10
(under $6 each for two dozen... if you build and sell more than a few amps, not a bad price for serious trim.)

Plaques and Toppers Up to 5" x 9"
1-9 $40 each    
10-24 $21 each
25-49 $18 each
50+ $16 each
(also Up to 6" x 12"- $45-$20)
("Topper" could be a small hefty face-plate?)

"Artworks need to be pure Black and White
Black represents Raised (full 1/4" thickness)
White Represents Recessed (less than full 1/4" thickness)
No shading, grayscale, half tones or colors
Xeroxing a color drawing makes a grayscale - not a B & W artwork
Minimum spacing should be 2 Points or .028 inches
Try to keep you design simple so it can be read from a distance
If you want a horizontal plaque don’t send us a vertical artwork
Castings do not have to be rectangular
Our main software for artworks is Corel Draw
We can import .jpg, .ai, .eps, .PDF, and many other files
Do not send us tiny 14KB files - they do not scale up
Save file as high resolution (300DPI or better - bigger IS better"

[rafe]

That is pretty cool, I worked in that industry for a couple of years when I was younger. We made trivets as a mainstay but the bigger plaques from time to time... there were usually 2 sand casters, three when a big order came in...one guy sanding and removing any bad spots (I did that for a few months and was promoted....or so I thought) There were a few woman who painted the finished product letters and figures by hand...I ran the crucible and poured the aluminum for a few years pretty interesting process to say the least...the only other person who could do the pours was the VP who also made the patterns.
Real small outfit .....If I called in sick the VP would usually have a pretty bad burn when I returned ....
I was very fortunate in that I never got hurt....I'd melt down scrap of all sorts which was very unpredictable,  liquid in interior crevices was the worst and I had a few brushes with catastrophy
Looks like he's got great products....I've thought about casting again lately it's something one can do
in the back yard....The thing was, summer wasn't hot and winter wasn't cold the tempature was a constant HELL......

[PRR]

> it's something one can do in the back yard....

I've done it in the back yard. Unless you need a real risky hobby, have someone else do it.

[G._Hoffman]

> it's something one can do in the back yard....

I've done it in the back yard. Unless you need a real risky hobby, have someone else do it.

Oh, I don't know that it has to be all that risky.  I mean, is it really all THAT much more dangerous than, say, playing around with high voltage electronics?  Assuming, of course, that you use appropriate safety equipment, and work in an area which isn't prone to bursting into flame when hit by molten metal.  (I haven't actually done any casting, but I have been wanting to give it a try.)   


Gabriel

[DummyLoad]

to some folks the hobby is almost like religion...

http://www.myhomefoundry.com/project.html

[kagliostro]

Hi PRR

I've done it in the back yard

I didn't know you were in competition with Burt Munro

 

Kagliostro

[Ritchie200]

Hey Kagliostro!

Are those some of those car parts made of unobtainium?  You keep it up and you will build your Fiat!

Jim

[rafe]

Hey Kagliostro!

Are those some of those car parts made of unobtainium? 

They look more like Indian trinkets!!

[kagliostro]

Hope you can find the time to look to this great movie

The World's Fastest Indian

that is based on the life of Burt Monroe

he used to take old car pistons of different brands, mix it in % that he decided, melt together and cast in a mold to obtain the pistons for his ~1920 Indian

Burt Munro in Bonneville in 1962 with his Indian = Record 288,0 km/h - he was 63 years old

I like that man

Kagliostro

[surfsup]

Good movie...