Scikotics Logo in Metal

[rfzl]

Okay, you asked for it and here is a first shot at cutting one. Its right at 4.75" x 7/8" for the text.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/1923084308_b9fb4fdb64.jpg

Still crude and I need to work on the cutting depth but I'm interested in feedback on the font and general look.

If I can round up some line drawting of the SCION logo or even the symbol, I can incorporate it into the design.

[Greg]

That's dang cool! I'm thinking of so many ideas right now, that I'll have to narrow down my wish list! I need some polished aluminum "bling" on the Cobra, too, so there will be some ideas coming your way.

Nice work!

Greg

[Fredy]

That looks cool. good job

[rfzl]

When you Sciko guys/gals get ready, I can crank out a few of these for battery hold-downs or as plaques. I have a new design in the works with a little more variation in size and a few letters are off the base-line. It looks a bit more like the Scikotics.com graphic from the web site.

I just happen to have one piece of brass that is 1"x8"x.25" so I'm looking to do a custom hold-down. I may cut it for my use, or as a door prize the next time we hit Greg's. Maybe a Christmas/Holiday gift for those of you who have been so active on this site and so friendly overall.

Another thing for you folks to think about is a colored part. Since the letters are cut with a narrow mill, I can lay in some paint, let dry, and then grinde,polish,buff out the part so you have a nice engraving. I used to do this a lot with model cars so it is rather easy but takes a while as things need to cure.

PS I also found a nice b/w Scion logo on line. I need to play with it a bit but will be one more thing in my bag of designs to offer you people.

[sinner944]

I like it......I'm thinking there is a lot you can do with that

[Scikotic Monkey]

yea man looking good, let me know how much for one battery tie down but a lil more work with that one. i have a few crazy ideas

[rfzl]

Okay, give me some ideas on just what you want done. The text is the easy part. If you would like some kind of graphic or this done with some other font (more stylized), then speak up. I'm just working with scrap stock and simple forms. Doing it with more elaborate shapes and characters is not much harder but I need ideas.

For me, I was just planning on a simple Scion logo, with some edging and color. The only thing I can see that will be an issue is that this will be raw brass or aluminum. Most of the aftermarket stuff is made from Aluminum but then chromed to keep that nice shine. These will tarnish with age. If any of you painter types knows of a good clear coat to put on these that will hold up and not yellow, that would be my choice as a finish. I think some of the wheel paint would work but I've not used any so don't know.

Ideas!!! I need Ideas!!!!

[burstaneurysm]

Pretty cool... I'm surrounded by Scikos, aren't I? :lol:

[Greg]

How about a Factory Five Racing Logo, like on my website, f5banners.com? Factory Five has two logos; the "old" logo (sans checkered flag), and the new logo. I would LOVE to have the old logo engraved, then I can shoot it with some basecoat I have leftover from painting my car, then sand/polish the work. Actually, just the "5" part of the logo would be great, with "Factory Five Racing" written under that. Or, since I don't have the font for the "5", just a cool looking plaque that says "Factory Five Racing" in some sort of cool racing-themed font would be awesome! That would look sweet!

Let me know if you could do something like this!

Thanks,

Greg

[rfzl]

...I would LOVE to have the old logo engraved

The old logo can be done. Just realize that my mill is not a true engraving machine so it is a bit cruder than what you'd get from a engraving shop. Like the samples I provided, the cuts are wide and deep compared to engraved parts.

With that said, I do have a large plate of aluminium, about 8"x6" and either 1/4" or 3/8" thick. It is a big chunck of metal. Since the logo you indicate is a two tone, I'm not sure how you'd finish it other than doing careful painiting and then sand/polish. I can do it but it will take some time and a little trial and error to get it right. If you want this in brass, I can get some thin sheets and see if I can make it work. As the mill does not have a vacume hold-down, getting a fine cut is very difficult.

I'll play with it and see what I can do. Of course, the larger the peice the easier it will be.


Scikotic Monkey: The cost of a battery hold-down will be about $5. I already have the material on hand so can get one done as soon as I get finial designs put in CAM and the dimentions of the part set. I need to make a sample piece to see how the fit is on my xB. You may want to do a measurement of your current hold-down so I can be sure anything I make will fit. I think a good option is to make a larger plate, about 3x8 and then put some stand-offs under it to raise it above the battery. This could be a nice looking part, unusual, and more space to put designs, graphics, etc. on. I'll see if I can mock up something but don't hold your breath.

[rfzl]

Greg,

I just thought of something that might work for you. I have about 2 feet of 3"x3" angled aluminium stock. It is T6 so is strong and finishes out nice. I can put your logo on one face, polish out the rest and bevel the sides and you have a free standing piece. It would look a little like a name plate you'd see on someone desk but only 3"-4" wide. The stock is 3/16" thick so it has plenty of "meat" to cut on.

[rfzl]

I guess I should also mention that I have somewhere between 800 and 900 fonts to choose from. These are characters, wingdings, symbols, and just about anything else you can think of. I have a lot of stylized fonts like those you would see on wedding invitations and some unusual ones with broken type and odd shapes. If you can draw it, I think I can come up with something to fit.

Better yet, if you can send a picture of it, I can convert it to vector format and cut it. The same can be said for the fonts. I can make a basic text, then bend, morph, stretch, etc. and then convert it to a vector for the milling machine. The sky is truly the limit (within reason)!:eek:

[Greg]

The angled aluminum stock would be sweet! Make it happen, but I can polish it. I like doing that stuff, and it'll save you a lot of time.

Let me know how much I owe you for it.

Thanks,

Greg

[rfzl]

Greg,

Let me play with it and I'll let you know. If you happen to have a large picture of the logo, that could save time as I can use it instead of trying to create one from scratch. If not, I can make something up tonight and see how it goes. How about something on the back side? You will have two faces to work from so might as well use them. Perhaps a Cobra logo?

Ron

Cost? Depends. If I can do it in one shot, we're talking about $1 worth of material and 1-2 hours of time. For you, I'd say this one is free. The next one will cost you though!!!:D

[Greg]

I'll leave the design up to you. I'm not artsy. A silhouette of a Cobra would be cool!

Greg

[burstaneurysm]

I'd like to see the finished product when you're done... my battery tie down's a bit messed up... were you gonna do the Scion emblem?

[rfzl]

I have a couple of design options. For the Scikotics, I think I'll have the logo at the beginning and then Scikotics with the holes for the bolts on either end.

For a more generic version, I'll use the Scion emblem without the lettering on both ends and a larger SCION in the middle. I can add xB or tC to the letters to help fill things in. I also intend to put a border around the whole thing and bevel the edges. The border may be more stylish if I have room to go around the bolt holes. I still need to draw this up so don't know right now.

As I'm getting into copyrighted materials here, I need to be a little cautious on what I put on these. Toyotoa seems to be willing to let this kind of thing slide as I'm not making any money and it stays within the current image that Scion has promoted, "do your own thing". If someone objects, I'll ditch the logos and the Scion name and use something else, like toster or shoebox.

As you haven't asked, yes I can make you one and ship it to IL. Just don't expect it in the next few days.

[burstaneurysm]

That sounds very cool... I like the Scion idea a lot (I'm also the lone SE guy here)
But yea, when you get everything together, let me know, I'd take one. And of course, take your time. :D

[rfzl]

Here are some shots of the logo I dug up. You will see two versions with the eariler Scikotics image. The one on the left was done at about .003" depth and the right side about .01". A world of difference but tough to get things that fine.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2250/1940101759_97050facd9.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/1940104091_7aad20bd45.jpg


And Greg, I looked and I only have 2.5" angle stock, not 3". I still think I can make something pretty neat. How about the G.I. Joe Cobra image on the back side? Looks pretty cool and fits your car nicely. Do a search on the Internet and you'll see what I mean.

For you Scikotics fans, I think what you see here will be close to the finial version. As no one has really spoke up on what to add, change, or delete; I guess I'm on my own for the design (as you can tell, I work fast. If I waited too long, it would never get done).

It will be a few days before I'm ready to start cutting anything for "real" but I'm getting close. Depends on whether I can get both logos between the tie-downs or just one. If I had to choose, I'd go with the lighter cut and put it on the left side and stay with a brushed finish. The only thing I would add would be to inlay color into the grooves.

For a Scion Only logo, I'd use both logos, replace Scikotics with SCION xB(tC,xA).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2397/1940107375_682d4e50a3.jpg

[Greg]

Sounds great to me!

Thanks!

Greg

[captainlaziness]

Damn Ron! You should start an online business.

And about that bronze shifter, I'm still tinking about the shape. When I figure it out, I know where to find you.

[Scikotic Monkey]

how about goin through a bit more to get a light underneath it to glow through

[sinner944]

Can the logo be done in a different font???

[rfzl]

how about goin through a bit more to get a light underneath it to glow through


It is possible to cut completely through the metal but it is about 1/4" thick, that would be a little hard. I don't think I can cut it thin enough to allow light to pass through as plastic would. I have thought about using acrilic or other types of material but those would not hold up well under stress. Perhaps making a metal frame and then inset the plastic. Space is limited so this would take some thinking.

[rfzl]

Can the logo be done in a different font???

Sure, I have lots to choose from and making something with one font or another is simple enough. It takes about 20-30 minutes to create the graphics, another 20 minutes to create the CNC file, and 20-60 minutes to do the cutting, depending on the amount. The most work in doing these is getting the mill set up and everything set and calibrated. Once that is done, I can make one, or ten as I don't have to reset anything.

It would really help if everyone that wants something specific to supply a picture, graphic, link, or some kind if visual. I don't have an artistic mind, I am very mechanical so things are usually square, straight, and lacking in organics.

[rfzl]

Just a short update on what's been going on with this. I think I have a good method to create the graphics and get them to the mill with a minimium of work and issues. I also got the spindle speed to where it needs to be for a good cut. Finally, I have a short cut to getting a finish rioght off the mill that will require less sanding and polishing. In its "rough" state coming out of the vise, it looks pretty good, if you consider milling marks cool (the little lines you see in aluminium parts from the cutter. Gives it a kind of rainbow effect).

I'm trying a little color experiment tonight but the paint is pretty old so may not cure properly. I'll see.

As for the "SCION" version of things. I have a graphic in place and looks good. I'll be cutting a hold-down this week and see just how it all fits together. Once done, I should be able to make just about anything as I'll have the dimentions down.

Next up is to use some really frilly font to see just how fine I can get things and still be readable. Maybe I can engrave a wedding invitation on aluminium for someone (with the SCION logo of course).

Greg, I was thinking that this thread needs to go someplace else on this forum. If you have any suggestions, please go ahead and move the chain and I'll find it.

[Greg]

Good call. I moved it to OT.

Thanks,

Greg

[rfzl]

I finally got out to the car and took off the old battery hold-down and took some measurements. I was a bit surprised to find that there is a bracket on the out-board end to hold the throttle cable. That kind of leaves a bit less room for customization. Also, the room over the battery is a bit more limited than I first guessed. All this means that I need to work on two parts for this thing. One is the actual parts to hold the battery. The second is to make some stand offs to raise the engraved plate above the battery and to clear the bracket.

Now, on other models of Scions, I wouldn't know if the throttle bracket is there or someplace else. In my case, I can't move it very much as I also have the cruise control unit on my box which parallels the throttle cable.

What I now intend to do is to make some generic hold-downs to relpace the single part in place now. Then make a larger plate to put the engraving on. Lastly, mate the two with some socket head bolts, likely 8x32's in stainless steel. I think the overall result will be nicer than I first intended but also a lot more work.

Beacuse of the nature of the original bracket, I could do a simple change to it and just add the stand-offs and plate to cover. Much simplier and I think the result will be very nice and clean. (Also more room for stuff)

Stay tune for pictures.

[rfzl]

I haven't seen much response on this for a while and I've been laid up for the last month with a neck problem so nothing has progressed very far. I did get a little time to work on the mill calibrations and have it dialed in so making cuts are clean and consistent. The few test cuts I did with some new 1/16" cutters look very good, engraving quality.

First project off the mill, when I can get to it, will be the logo plaque for Greg. I have the graphics done and cutting file made so I just need to square up some stock and make it. Easier said than done. Once that is out of the way, I have to get serious and get some brackets made. That will be after the first of the year but should have it done by spring (note the aggressive schedule!).


Later,
Ron

[rfzl]

I had a little time at lunch and the files were ready so I did a production run of the logo and they turned out pretty well. Only took about 20 minutes. Some times do work out!

Here are pictures of the front and back.

Greg, when you're ready to get them, let me know and we can link up.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2127/2122674435_4066833904.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2204/2122674337_3e37c8c3fa.jpg

Ron

[Greg]

That's awesome! I'll be home all weekend, if you want to hook up. I'll PM you my phone number; just call me when you have some time, and I can swing by!


Thanks!

Greg