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Sheet metalwork question


walshie
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I'm thinking about making a simple name sign on a post for our house, similar to this:

2931a46ff9fdd031732e33235ee21ba5--house-name-signs-house-names.jpg.5abf3d9d9b96d439475d3ef563aab113.jpg

I've got someone in mind to make the double sided house name that hangs down, but here is the not-so-simple part:

On the top part of the cross bar, I want the silhouette of a photo I have. This one. (My dog's Grandmother and Mother)

l20741997.jpg.c43f032c71fe2a06b214190799ccbc31.jpg

I would need someone to turn the photo into a silhouette, scale it according to the size of the post bar,  cut it out of sheet metal, then weld it to a flat piece of metal so I can mount it on the top side of the bar.

Does anyone know of someone capable of doing all this or would I need to go to 2 companies, one for the artwork and scaling and one for the fabrication?

Any suggestions much appreciated.

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You could edit the picture yourself to get the silhouette then use something like Inkscape to turn it into an SVG. You should then be able to send this to a metal cutting company. They might have welding capabilities too - not a complicated piece of work. Then get it powdercoated

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Beat me to it.  In addition, why not have the name and the outline cut into the same piece of metal.  Pity your up where you are as I have a compnay close by to me who would make a nice job of that.  Pretty simple job for the right company.

6 minutes ago, spandit said:

You could edit the picture yourself to get the silhouette then use something like Inkscape to turn it into an SVG. You should then be able to send this to a metal cutting company. They might have welding capabilities too - not a complicated piece of work. Then get it powdercoated

 

Edited by Walker570
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34 minutes ago, spandit said:

You could edit the picture yourself to get the silhouette then use something like Inkscape to turn it into an SVG. You should then be able to send this to a metal cutting company. They might have welding capabilities too - not a complicated piece of work. Then get it powdercoated

If only I knew how to edit the pictures and what linkscape and SVG are, I'd be laughing. :lol:

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Can I suggest getting a shot of the two dogs standing which will show more of the body. As it is...in my opinion...as a person driving bye I will not have a clue what is on the sign.  Sory to deflate your ballon but it is the occasional pasing motorist who needs to know what is there.    The experts on here may prove me wrong but the entire sign name etc etc could be cut from a single sheet of 3/16 or 1/4 plate and powder coated.  Even the dogs could be included in the outline of the plate rather than stuck on top.  Just trying to help.

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Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't think a plain silhouette is going to work as you hoped: 

My very first thought on that outline photo was a guy with a broken nose doing a BLM fist up salute. It would need a lot of detail cutting to make it show two dogs IMO.

Edited by Dave-G
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1 hour ago, martinj said:

How can you get more detail in a silhouette? the above is what the laser/plasma cutter will give you

I wasn't being rude. I just meant with the shape of the ears showing, the heads not being square etc. Maybe a bit of poetic licence in moving the dogs apart a bit. Anyone who knows ridgebacks, will "get" the iconic look of a pair laying together.

14 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Can I suggest getting a shot of the two dogs standing which will show more of the body. As it is...in my opinion...as a person driving bye I will not have a clue what is on the sign.  Sory to deflate your ballon but it is the occasional pasing motorist who needs to know what is there.    The experts on here may prove me wrong but the entire sign name etc etc could be cut from a single sheet of 3/16 or 1/4 plate and powder coated.  Even the dogs could be included in the outline of the plate rather than stuck on top.  Just trying to help.

They aren't my dogs, so I can't do that, but you're right. I should maybe find a better picture. I think I'll stick with the dogs above the crossbar and the sign hanging under it though. Maybe not. Things are different when you see them in black and white. Or black in this case.

1 minute ago, Dave-G said:

Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't think a plain silhouette is going to work as you hoped: 

My very first thought on that outline photo was a guy with a broken nose BLM doing a fist up salute. It would need a lot of detail cutting to make it show two dogs IMO.

Possibly not, which is why I was knocking the idea about before going ahead.

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16 minutes ago, walshie said:

👍 Great idea. 

This is the sort of thing I meant by drilling the eyes and "slotting" to make the ears show. The white being obviously where you'd remove the metal. I think the "slotted and drilled" dog on the right doesn't look too bad at all. Obviously you'd take the actual places to drill and slot from an overlay traced with tracing paper from the original picture the same size as the silhouette sign. Hope it helps?

dogs.jpg

Edited by enfieldspares
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8 hours ago, amateur said:

Naah!  Sketch it on a sheet of 2mm stainless, drill out a few holes, then use a fretsaw and files to finish it off.

It should only take you about a month 😂

Reminds me of my apprenticeship. Bench/tool fitting and the sheetmetal working components of our training, we were forbidden from using machinery until we could do everything with hand tools first. "Chain drilling" hand filing and cold chisel were the order of the day! After a few weeks I could have sanded furniture with my bare hands they were that rough

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41 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

This is the sort of thing I meant by drilling the eyes and "slotting" to make the ears show. The white being obviously where you'd remove the metal. I think the "slotted and drilled" dog on the right doesn't look too bad at all. Obviously you'd take the actual places to drill and slot from an overlay traced with tracing paper from the original picture the same size as the silhouette sign. Hope it helps?

dogs.jpg

The omen

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