Luthierwnc wrote:Jim, I've met Jack but not Chad. Does he have a brother who is also a musician? The did a gig at the Peel not long ago.
North Carolina seems to have a cottage amp industry. There are four or five name boutique shops plus Mojo and Hoffman (which is in the next town over from Brevard). I'm hobbyist but have been soldering for going on 20 years and picked up a few things along the way.
This laser cutting is a big improvement. No more having a part spin around like a lawnmover blade in the drill press. I've got a big shop but there are a couple tools I never bought (like a shaper and metal lathe) just because I knew I'd eventually lose a body part. For aluminum, a lot of high-end machine shops prefer high-pressure water cutters.
Hi!
Here`s some clips of my HRM version! What do you think?? I need a chassis ,but Marshall style, with the input jack on right ( looking at front) and back panel std to that, i also use a dual pres control, ( NO inboard loop) i build outboards. Can ya e-mail me? Omegaamps@wilkes.net, better yet i need ta call you, mine`s 336-921-2413. Cliff @ DAG is going to play this soon, can`t wait to meet him!
For faceplates I just use adhesive vinyl. I'm using an older version of Corel (8). You just draw it out anyway you like and send it to FEDEX (used to be Kinko's) electronically. Pick it up a couple days later.
These things aren't really production quality. They scuff easily and need a pristine surface or else you get bubbles. Laminating makes them much tougher (and shinier) but not as flexible.
If I ever made the same amp twice, I'd either get them powdered coated or have aluminum faces done. Remember that at 1/8" material thickness, you can't add much heft or the pot threads won't be long enough to nut. One of the nice things about the CNC work is you can translate the measurements directly to the face program. sh
Luthierwnc wrote:For faceplates I just use adhesive vinyl. I'm using an older version of Corel (8). You just draw it out anyway you like and send it to FEDEX (used to be Kinko's) electronically. Pick it up a couple days later.
These things aren't really production quality. They scuff easily and need a pristine surface or else you get bubbles. Laminating makes them much tougher (and shinier) but not as flexible.
If I ever made the same amp twice, I'd either get them powdered coated or have aluminum faces done. Remember that at 1/8" material thickness, you can't add much heft or the pot threads won't be long enough to nut. One of the nice things about the CNC work is you can translate the measurements directly to the face program. sh
Hi! I`ve got a FP dude who uses laser etched and back filled, and look STUNNING. Looks just like a plexi, but a more vtg look than that! We have a CNC laser place that builds furniture, i`l see @ getting them to do this stuff! Thanks!
Luthierwnc wrote:I just used the freeware on the Emachineshop site. After it was done they wanted 300 bucks to make it but you can export their proprietary file type into the dfx format.
I also bought an older copy of TurboCad on EBay. I had originally thought I needed something else but the Emachine version is specifically for manipulating metal parts while the TurboCad is for everything. Where it came in handy was the ability to print a full sized version of the layout using multiple sheets of 8.5X11 (or whatever you have) paper. Being new to this, I didn't quite trust my competency far enough to order a part and have it come back inside out.
Figuring out the hole spacing is simple -- if tedious. What took more trial-and-error was getting the notches at the corners right. You have to allow for the bend in the metal and gaps for the deflection.
Save yourself a few choice words; as you advance the project, save iterations under a variety of names. If you have the program autocorrect even what you think is a small error, it can destroy what you have on the screen.
Good luck, sh
That software (Emachineshop ) is awesome.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
It really is custom made for our little projects. I feel a little guilty using it and not sending them the business but the chassis I spec-ed came in at something like $300 from Emachine. The local laser shop charges me $132 -- for a one-off. sh
Luthierwnc wrote:It really is custom made for our little projects. I feel a little guilty using it and not sending them the business but the chassis I spec-ed came in at something like $300 from Emachine. The local laser shop charges me $132 -- for a one-off. sh
Now, if I can only figure-out how to get the bends/corners up and running!
