I was commissioned by the South Lancashire Amateur Radio Club to make a decorative plaque for a free prize draw they were running at the 2019 Blackpool Rally for radio enthusiasts. I was given a free run with what I made so I thought it would have to be a plate, a Radio 'Ham' Plate!
The winner of the draw was Robert Lynch from the Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society and it's his call-sign M0NVQ I am to inlay using a black epoxy putty.
Robert became interested in radio in the early 1970s but it wasn't until his retirement in 2012 that he sat all the required exams to gain his full amateur licence..
In the video (below) you can see how I made the 60mm high letter and number templates from 2mm MDF.
My home made pantograph router reduced these by a ratio of 3 to 1 creating 20mm lettering on the workpiece. This amount of reduction helps smooth out any inaccuracies to the point where they are lost in the grain and not noticeable.
After cutting the lettering they are over filled with a black epoxy putty to ensure there are no voids once the putty is cut back to reveal the lettering. The putty is very durable and will withstand a lot of punishment without cosmetic damage should the recipient wish to use the plate for practical purposes.
Click/Tap any image for a larger view
Click/Tap the player below to watch the project video
If you want to find the easiest way to do a job,
give it to a lazy man. I might just be a contender! This is an
experiment to see if I can avoid the laborious task of drilling and
shaping all the holes with a Dremel.
I have had this warped piece of Tulip wood for
some time. I think it's settled down now and unlikely to move any more
so I'm going to use it as a test piece for a project I have in mind. As
it's warped and very slim I'm mounting it with a glue chuck so I can
utilise as much of it's 27mm thickness as I can.
I want the rim to sit a little low of the lip of
the bowl so I take it down a few millimetres. When I have the shape I'm
happy with I remove some of the bulk from the back. And take the rim
down to around 5mm thick with the parting tool all the while eyeballing
the bed rails to help me stay straight. I sand down to 320 grit and to a
fine finish with Yorkshire Grit.
On the scroll saw the spiral blade allows me to
keep the bowl level by tucking my fingers under the rim. Something I
could not do if I had to turn and twist the piece around if I'd used a
straight blade. I cut the holes from the outside edge and work my
way inwards. The spiral blade doubles as a file and I can shape the hole
to my liking and achieve a nice clean line. Once all 125 holes are cut I
sand away all the fuzzes on the underside.
As I don't want the paint to work it's way
through the fibres of the wood and appear where I don't want it, a
liberal coating of sanding sealer is applied on the insides of the
holes. That should do the job. I remove and globs of sealer from the
holes with the airline before moving on to the colour which is Cadmium
Red, an Artists colour which is stable and light fast.
A good couple of coats with spray lacquer makes
the wood and colour sing together. Some Yorkshire grit puts a super
shine on the finish and the job's a good'un.
