mickyd's Woodworking Projects

[mickyd]

Darn, I was hoping there was a trick to set them exactly in the word processing program.

If you use Microsoft Word, it's easy. Use Word Art. (insert / picture / wordart). Once the letter / number is created, click on it and 'handles' will appear. Click and drag the comer handle to drag out the exact size you want. You need to have 'rulers' turned on, (tools / options / view tab).

[terrydowning]

If you use Microsoft Word, it's easy. Use Word Art. (insert / picture / wordart). Once the letter / number is created, click on it and 'handles' will appear. Click and drag the comer handle to drag out the exact size you want. You need to have 'rulers' turned on, (tools / options / view tab).

If using Word Art you can also right click on the item and select "Format Word Art" select the size tab and specify to the Hundredth of an inch the height and width of your item.

"Format Word Art" also allows you to change the size of the outline around each letter as well as the color.

Print the paper and use a carbon transfer to place the outline directly on your wood.

[mickyd]

If using Word Art you can also right click on the item and select "Format Word Art" select the size tab and specify to the Hundredth of an inch the height and width of your item.

"Format Word Art" also allows you to change the size of the outline around each letter as well as the color.

Print the paper and use a carbon transfer to place the outline directly on your wood.

Good point. Make sure to have the aspect ratio checkbox selected if you want to keep the height to width ratio the same.

[shipwright]

Actually now that you mention it "word art" is what I use. You can even curve and distort the letters if you want.

Paul M

[mickyd]

Purchased the wood for the street number sign today. White cedar in San Diego??? Couldn't locate any. However, one place close suggested using 'blonde' redwood instead. (Must be sapwood, ay?) Picked up a nice clear 10' length of 1" x 6". Plan called for only 2' but to make Chuck and farmer happy, bought 5x more than I needed. Maybe I'll make several and sell them on my street. After all, I did have a goal of making woodworking $$$ by year end.

Mentioned previously I didn't like the butt joint used to connect the sides to the front and that I was going to use 45 degree miter instead. Changed my mind. DOVETAILS!!! Ya baby!!

[horologist]

No wonder I could not 'find' it. I was looking in the 'free' section!!! Oh well all I wanted was the number templates for a different project.

I may be missing something but....
For templates why not choose your font in Word (or whatever program) set the font to the desired size and print away?

Troy

[swampgator]

Thanks for the input all. I think what I am going to do it try both freehand bandsaw on a piece then make one of the taper jig examples mentioned. Might as well get experience on both methods. Still don't understand why my miter gage example with a bar clamp holding the piece to the extension in a bad idea. What's the issue with it???

Bandsaw - I've got a belt sander to get clean up the edge on the bandsaw piece. Also, have a small hand plane. Believe a block plane is a low angle, bevel up plane, which mine isn't.

Table saw - Will be interesting to see if the 3/4 hp motor can handle the 3" thickness.

jpg...(re)describe the 'flip' you talked about with Mark's gage vs. the one that judaspre1982 linked to. Not picturing the difference.

You could use the mitre gauge with the backboard as a fence on the bandsaw. Rather than using it to push the stock by the blade, face the cutting edge of the blade. Insert the mitre guage into the slot that runs across in front of you. Set the angle and distance from the blade. Tighten the mitre guage into the slot and you have a degreed fence to push. On each leg, all you have to do is push it through, rotate the stock and the next and successive cuts are made. Just as you have the mitre guage rigged in your post about passing the stock past the table saw blade, just follow these instructions. Works well from my experience. Sorry too late for this project but next time.

[mickyd]

Instead of spending the day woodworking like planned, I instead went back to the setup gages brass ruler and the acid etch process. A week ago when I first tried to get the press-n-peel artwork onto the brass stock, I just couldn't get it to stick. That really bugged me since I had good luck when I recreated the ER10's brass nameplate. This time, I took extra care in getting the brass surface immaculate. Scoured it with 00 steel wool, wiped it down with acetone until there was absolutely no sign of discoloration on the paper towel. Directions said to use a lint free cloth which I did last time BUT this time, I didn't. I thought possibly my lint free cloth (Costco eyeglass rag) might have had some type of lubricant / slippery stuff on it. Well, that might have been the trick since this time, I was successful in getting it to stick.

Here's the steps.

Create the artwork on the computer. Remember, this scale reads in inches, 16th's, 8th's, and 32nd's. Pretty cool. I like it.
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[ATTACH]10130[/ATTACH]
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The artwork (a reverse image of it) is printed onto the press-n-peel blue material (special coated transparency stock) using a regular laser printer. The black toner material from the laser printer, when adhered to the brass with a clothes iron, is the 'mask' that prevents the acid from eating into the brass.
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[ATTACH]10131[/ATTACH]
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You place the press-n-peel material with the toner side against the brass and using a regular clothes iron set on middle temperature, your iron the press-n-peel / toner onto the brass. A piece of paper goes over the press-n-peel to reduce friction. This causes the toner to re-melt and stick to the brass. You iron for about 2 minutes while pressing firmly down then immediately quench the brass and press-n-peel in tap water. You then gently peel the press-n-peel off and on a good day, you leave all the toner material stuck to the brass. Any areas that don't stick (as shown by black areas on the clear film such as above the 5" mark) have to be masked off / covered before etching in the acid. To do this, you can just cover any areas with black magic marker or nail polish. I used black magic marker. Believe it or not, that marker ink prevents the acid from attacking the brass. I had to touch up a number of places.
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[ATTACH]10132[/ATTACH]
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After all the touching up is done, you get your bath ready. The ferric chloride acid works fastest when heated. You aren't supposed to exceed 135 degrees since it starts to vaporize just above that. I use a cooler with a several gallons of 135 degree water in. The reason for so much water is it takes about 30-45 minutes in the acid bath to reach a descent etch depth.
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[ATTACH]10133[/ATTACH]
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Once your ready, you submerge the brass in the ferric chloride, crank up the tunes, and sit there like a vegetable agitating the container by rocking it back and forth keeping fresh acid and dissolved brass off your part. There's more techy hands off ways to do it like using a fish tank aerator with you part vertical but I don't have that so I did it manually.

Start checking at about 20 minutes and every 10 thereafter by taking the brass out and dunking it in water to remove the acid. Then visually look at the progress. I use and eyeloop. When you satisfied with the progress, you again dunk it in the water and your done etching. Only the areas that were bare brass are etched. Where the toner material and magic marker touchups are untouched by the acid.
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[ATTACH]10134[/ATTACH]
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No more room for pics so I'll continue on the next post.

[mickyd]

After the etching is completed, the part is scrubbed with steel wool (SOS) to remove all of the toner and magic marker from the surface of the brass. Here's what the entire ruler looked like followed by a closeup. NOTE: In the close up, the 32nd markings appear to flair up near the edge. Don't know why they look like that in the photo because they are actually straight.
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[ATTACH]10137[/ATTACH]. . [ATTACH]10138[/ATTACH]
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So, don't know if this is a prototype or close to the final product. I know I could do better the next time BUT, I think it's functional as is. Still need to grind / sand to get the ruler to length and also sand the vertical edge to sharpen it up. That's another day though. Too late tonight.

I was going to spray the entire piece with red paint and remove it from everywhere but the etched areas with a combination of razor blade and acetone but....I had an idea. If I can find a way to speed up the tarnishing process, the depressions would be tarnished dark and I could scrub the surface of the brass with steel wool to remove the tarnish. Anyone have any ideas? I'm going to google it but thought I'd throw it out there for any of you metal heads.

[tdubnik]

I was going to spray the entire piece with red paint and remove it from everywhere but the etched areas with a combination of razor blade and acetone but....I had an idea. If I can find a way to speed up the tarnishing process, the depressions would be tarnished dark and I could scrub the surface of the brass with steel wool to remove the tarnish. Anyone have any ideas? I'm going to google it but thought I'd throw it out there for any of you metal heads.

I wonder if gun bluing would do the trick?