tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post9150850133874992417..comments2024-01-23T12:41:44.446+00:00Comments on The Caffeinated Engine Driver: Drawing the Etched PanelsMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418527698793489162noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-55280569427430626092015-03-01T17:00:37.682+00:002015-03-01T17:00:37.682+00:00Having ordered updated prints of the body and sent...Having ordered updated prints of the body and sent off the etches, I think I've already spotted something that might need changing, even having done the mockup. On the real thing the bodywork panel above the engine actually sits on top of the rear panel. When I designed the print I modelled that but forgot the thickness of the etch. So the brass panel sits at the same height as the top of the print when it should be a touch lower. From normal viewing distances it probably won't be noticeable and with the rest of the panels in place it might all look okay. After all if we assume that on the real engine the panel is probably no more than 5mm thick then I'd need to drop it no more than 0.06mm on the model!<br /><br />I have to say I can now easily understand how you can end up with etched parts that don't fit as drawing them up is a lot trickier than I imagined. It must have been even worse when they were all hand drawn as altering them must have been a lot harder. As you say though how the parts of some kits ever made it past a test build I don't know.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02418527698793489162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-38200422274895772202015-03-01T16:37:24.289+00:002015-03-01T16:37:24.289+00:00Nice to see some progress Mark. I like your approa...Nice to see some progress Mark. I like your approach with the mock-ups, probably easier and cheaper than just ordering and hopeing for the best. Of course the correct way is to draw everything out, get the etches done and then stick the kit on the market without doing a test build...Paul B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05278773151546187084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-1213929660985387412015-03-01T14:59:50.945+00:002015-03-01T14:59:50.945+00:00Yes there was an awful lot of maths involved in dr...Yes there was an awful lot of maths involved in drawing out just that one part and it only has four folds! Even some of the flat parts involved some trigonometry to figure out the correct size to fit in the space.<br /><br />I've been drawing the parts using <a href="https://inkscape.org/en/" rel="nofollow">Inkscape</a>, although Steve then takes what I draw and merges it into a larger Illustrator file for the actual etching. It took me a while to figure out how to use Inkscape to produce what Steve needed but now I've got the hang of it, simple parts can be drawn up quite quickly. I certainly don't think I would have tried etching at all if it hadn't been for Steve. The idea of having to deal with the actual company doing the etches, and the cost of a full sheet would have put me off.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02418527698793489162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-89550722470726278822015-03-01T14:34:54.769+00:002015-03-01T14:34:54.769+00:00I admire your chutspah, Mark. Etched brass is alwa...I admire your chutspah, Mark. Etched brass is always fraught with tiny measurements and nasty little calculations for creep and bite, which I always studiously ignore :-) You are obviously the man to do this and I admire your methodical m.o. How are you drawing out the artwork, is it in Illustrator? It's good, too, when you find an etcher you can work with, I have had experience of one supplier's service deteriorating, but in your case, it helps enormously that Steve is a respected model maker and supplier in his own right and knows what he's at.Iain Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03633733907566547236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-34457340171937540882015-03-01T07:18:57.630+00:002015-03-01T07:18:57.630+00:00Good luck. Good luck. ADRIANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113961163396562781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079411123321019478.post-23626829279648199472015-02-28T20:16:26.254+00:002015-02-28T20:16:26.254+00:00By the inside and outside dimensions do you mean t...By the inside and outside dimensions do you mean the thickness of the brass? I'm glad I'm not doing this. I'm very confused. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.com