Need clear pic of bluestripe 1176 face

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Phrazemaster

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
2,010
Location
Southern CA
Hi gang,

I'm building a clone and I need a clear shot of the blue stripe 1176 front panel, specifically the bezel/lettering. I am just trying to make it look as much original as possible, and I'm doing the font in Illustrator. However, on the web I can only find far-away shots, angled shots, low quality,  or blurry shots. I'm not doing this for commercial gain, so please no flames for putting UA text on my clone - it's just for me only.

So, would anyone with a real 1176 bluestripe be willing to take a couple of clear straight-on shots of the blue stripe section? A large sharply focussed file would be really helpful, a JPG is fine.

Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to help out.

Mike

Edit: attaching a pic similar to what I'm looking for. However, this pic is too small, and it's crooked. I'd love to have 2000 pixels across, clear and clean if possible. Thx!
 

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And in-context, this (original lettering painted over blue, replaced with new).
 

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Note the particular idiosyncrasy of the original: it's not actually white paint that makes up the letters - it's "see through" to the aluminum behind the white stripe.

No matter how good the clone, even perfect lettering, you can tell it's a clone if the letters are in white paint. I'm *not* going to go those lengths!

Anyway, call me crazy but I like the look of the 1176 with the lettering and light, and that's how I roll.  8)
 

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OK I guess I'm having this whole post to myself! What, no thoughts people?

Anyway, I wanted to update on progress. After considerable time tweaking the photoshop file I posted earlier, I printed out the image and noted to my chagrin that a lot of the edges were "jaggy" and not smooth! Of course Phothoshop is pixel-based, but given enough pixel density this is normally not an issue. I had the file at 300ppi.

So after trolling the 'net for some time it became apparent the problem is how photoshop handles what is called "antialiasing." It did not smooth the edges of the letters, even though they were vector shapes. For the non-graphic types out there, it just means you simply can't get a razor-sharp image from certain shapes in Photoshop, like it or not. At least not without a lot of trickery and a boatload of foolish wasted time.

What to do?

Time to export the file to Illustrator and print from there. It actually was quite time-consuming because each letter had to be individually exported. But in the end I think it was worth it. Note the difference in how the two programs handle the graphics, from the file I uploaded.

Later, I'll tell you my first adventures using a special dry-transfer system that actually allows you to create white text on panels.
 

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Phrazemaster said:
PS I cracked the nut of doing white lettering using a laser printer - seriously. If you have a need let me know and I'll share it.

please share....although reading your progression of posts are you saying that you just need to let the utilize "negative space" for the white lettering and let the aluminum show through?
 
Hi dissonantstring, thanks for the response.

I'm not going to try to utilize the negative space technique that the original uses - since that would involve either repainting the panel or stripping the paint where the letters are. But that is one of many differences between a clone and an original! Mine will use white letters. But I'm OK with that; after all I'm not spending 6K on the thing! I'm just after "authentic looks" if such a thing has any value.

Even though I have had success in recreating the logo, it would still be nice to check it against a very clear pic of an original bluestripe (hint, hint! If you have an original, a penny for your high res photo!). FWIW I will be glad to make the final Illustrator file available to the community for no charge. It's taken me many weeks/months working an hour/two here and there, but quite a bit of the time spent was in "guessing" exactly how the letters should look. A clear pic would have cut the time greatly, and I'd still love a nice clear pic for final tweaking.

I'm going to post the next installment soon, on my adventures with the dry-transfer technique. You'll hear about my "double white woes." Until then, here's a link to the company that makes the kit I'm using, and I will say I've had good experiences with the owner when troubleshooting.

http://www.pulsarprofx.com/decalpro/Vertical/1_MENU/1b_Overview/Overview.html

I will also say there's some up-front cost to this, a couple hundred bucks or so. However, keep in mind this will allow you to create some very professional-looking panels without getting them silkscreened, and the main equipment piece (a laminator) you will be able to keep for a long time. And you'll have a great way to make panels far into the future that look as good as silk-screening without all the mess. So, as with anything else in life, you pay for quality tools and techniques.

'Till next time,

Mike
 
well, not to tell you what to do, but why would you not just laser etch the logo on there after you paint your blue stripe? The aluminum would be exposed by the laser marking, and look almost exactly like the original. It's very very cost effective. Send a file to Chae @ prodigy and he'll give you a quote. They do really good work.
 
Love the idea! I will look into it. I'm already out for the laminator and kit, but that is still useful for any DIY project on into the future.

Truthfully, the hardest part was making the logo file.

Question: will the etched logo be sunken in, or is it just slightly sunken? I haven't seen a real example to understand the depth involved.

Thanks and I'll check it out!

Mike
 
I've submitted my files to PE for a quote.

It's kind of a bummer to switch techniques mid-stream, especially after investing in the lamination system, but I would love the original look if possible with the aluminum showing in the letters. Hey, I do graphic design, don't bust my chops because I like good looks!

Anyway, I'll keep this post updated with details. And I'll still share more of the lamination story in another installment.

Thanks dissonantstring for the great suggestion! We'll see how it pans out.

Mike
 
it was gemini86 that offered the suggestion of using Chae's laser engraving services.  i should have thought of it as an alternative as I have used Chae's services a few time before with excellent results.  i prefer the PE services to FPE (and Chae is usually cheaper as well, but quality is outstanding).  a cleaner look and higher rez is achievable with laser than mechanical engraving.

when you first posted i thought you had developed a new method without a dye sublimation printer and was curious to know.  i've also tried the dry transfer method from pulsar over the years and only use it for smaller things like stompboxes.  they do take a lot of practice and trial and error.  the video tutorials on the pulsar site do help.  moisture is the enemy so use a heat gun as described in the videos.  i think all of this has been discussed before...kingston gave some of his experiences with colored graphics printed on clear adhesive paper and i have to say his results are quite impressive.

best of luck in your adventure in diy panel lettering.  always fun and creative (and frustrating)....but that's why we have Chae!  ;D

 
Thanks for the correction dissonantstring; yes, kudos to gemini86! Sorry for dissing you man!

I already have a preliminary quote back from Chae for just $25, although it may be that I can't get this panel done due to screw posts sticking up behind it. I just shot him an image of that and am awaiting his reply.
 

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Hi folks, just wanted to update I've sent final artwork to PE for engraving and I'm waiting their final quote.

As a courtesy to this community which has given me so much over the years, including answering a lot of stupid questions, I'm happy to make the final file available free of charge to anyone who wants it. It was easily 50 plus hours of work. This is an illustrator file and is specifically designed for the Hairball enclosure with a red light you can find here:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Chicago-Miniature/2191QU1-12V/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtEjy7lsqBi5eQbJZ519wmuOczmCav2dEY%3d

As a note, the Hairball case uses a meter that is a slightly different size than the original UA Bluestripe, and because of that I had to re-align the artwork to make it centered and look good. I mention this only because if you're trying to match exactly the original's looks you will find the hairball case just slightly different and thus my art is different. However, this is not a ding on Hairball; the kit is fantastic.

PM if you want the Illustrator file. It's too large to keep on the servers here.

Thanks,

Mike
 

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