This is the finished Version 3 of the Epiphone jack plate I talked about yesterday.
I tried the version I mentioned at the end of last night's post and while the jacks fit better, it was still too high in the middle. After playing with it a while, I thought that must mean the corner mounting holes were too far apart and putting the screws in place was pushing the plastic toward the center, making the plate buckle. I made some measurements of the hole spacing but wasn't confident that measuring on the (roughly) 6" radius of curvature gave me anything I could count on. I decided to make the screw holes into slots. It now mounts flat onto the body. All of the screws are closer to the ends of the slots where the original holes were than the newer end.
I'm not happy with the lettering, and that's after switching to a different font that seemed like it was bolder and wider. I might make another one with no lettering and engrave it on the mill, but I'm not sure. I could extend that to not being wild about the finish, either. There are videos about acetone smoothing of PLA; I should look into that, too.
"…acetone smoothing of PLA…"
ReplyDeleteThat's for ABS, not PLA.
PLA doesn't react to acetone, it might affect whatever is mixed into the filament.
Thanks for that.
DeleteThe videos YouTube as offered me talk about acetone vapors, but I haven't watched one enough to get the details.
I had a heck of a time with getting the model I modified to slice properly. Prusa would not create the hole in the upper right hand corner of the plate. I've been using the Prusa slicer the most lately for a handful of reasons, but I went back to Cura for this. It told me there was a problem with the STL file in that corner but Prusa didn't. Even knowing to look in that corner, it still took quite a while to fix that so that Prusa slicer would work. I used Cura on this print.
Honestly, I think Prusa Slicer does a better job and prints a better surface, but it really threw me by not telling me there was a problem with the .STL file.
The Enemy of Good....
ReplyDeletePerfection has a price, do we pause and ask if it's worth it?
Why not use your cnc mill to engrave a new plate ?
ReplyDeleteA text to g code tool is available on line. Of course a suitable engraving stylus would be required.
Using a suitable aluminum coupon would ensure toughness and it can be given a brushed effect with scotch brite. The engraved text can be filled with a paint color of your choice.
I have not used the text to g code converter so I cant vouch for it. Just passing on some ideas.
http://microtechstelladata.com/OnlineTools.aspx
My original thought was to get a brass piece and I could still do that but I could engrave these plastic pieces, too. I have a text to Gcode utility that I've used a long time. Maybe since about '06.
DeleteMaking it in brass was because the guitar itself has a lot of fake gold or brassy color on it, so it would match. Getting small pieces of brass to engrave, something like .040" thick, seems way more expensive than it should be. You either get too thin sheet at a hobby shop or pay high prices from a metal store.
I have bought brass and aluminum engraving plates from Amazon at decent prices. For example - under a buck each
ReplyDeleteRMP Stamping Blanks, 1 Inch x 2 Inch Rectangle with Rounded Corners, Brass 0.032 Inch (20 Ga.) - 20 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0108YUJQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_EBWT8VZN47EE1TP52SQG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Aluminum Tags 3 inch x 1-1/2 inch Rounded Corner - Pack of 25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BKV7QV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DQSDYV83GAH3V757ES42
Thanks for efforts. Still not quite the right sizes, although the 3 x 1-1/2 aluminum should be usable if I trim it back.
DeleteI found some brass in the same size.
https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Brass-Holes-Rounded-Corners/dp/B08X7JVN1L
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete