Claptowte Railway on a plate

David1226

David1226

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I decided that the freight stock on the Claptowte Railway needed a final customised detail to stamp the company identity on them. They needed manufacturers plates. The premise behind the Claptowte Railway was that all of the stock was purchased from various Continental manufacturers, in the past, and gradually modified, over the years, in the company`s own workshop facilities. I decided to add plates that reflected this process.

I used the wording `Rebuilt Claptowte Railway Works` for the purpose of identity and accuracy. I kept the wording simple, for the sake of legibility. I avoided adding any dates, for the sake of creating ambiguity as to time period. It may not be strictly prototypical but if anyone disagrees it works for my railway and rule 8 applies.

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I made them by drawing the first plate with Microsoft Paint. I then copied and pasted it until I had a sheet of 48. I then saved this as a JPEG photograph. This was then printed on semi-gloss photograpphic paper. The plates were cut out, a black permanent marker pen was run along the edges to get rid of the white edge. They were then stuck on with PVA glue. This will not suit you outdoor types who run in the rain, but for indoor modellers like me it will be fine.


David
xCR Works Plate.jpg
 
Great idea, David. Another one for the todo list..... or rather the must-do list ;)

Rik
 
nice, I like that. :D
 
Nice job and what a great idea.

I do similar idea (for Lico and Wagin Plates) but on Self Sticky Printing Paper. Surprising how long it lasts outside. Longevity has been significantly improved since I invested in a Laser Printer.
JonD
 
Okay I have had to admit defeat, my maker's plates printed on photographic paper have not lasted the test of time, having faded from black to light brown. I have tried printing them on decal paper without success, too messy/fiddly to print, varnish and apply.

It occurs to me, having seen 3D printed loco name plates offered on Ebay, that in this day and age it might be possible to have some maker's plates 3D printed to properly replicate a cast plate. I just don't know if it is possible to print something successfully that fine and detailed and that small. I would appreciate comments or observations from any of the many of you out there who are now into 3D printing. We are talking about a plate approx. 16 x 8mm.

David
 
There are a couple of materials availible from Shapeways that will be able to print to the definition would require. I have used it to make some name plates for oo gauge locos.

Most home printers won't be up to the task as you would need to work with fused liquid resin.

If you had some artwork of your existing designs, I would be happy to draw up some CAD files so you could check out the prices that Shapeways would want. Just drop me a PM.

Edit: A link to my oo gauge plates and an example of the materials availible. - Frank S Ross by ricky_raybould on Shapeways

Many thanks,
Ricky
 
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How many plates would you want in total, David? If you had just one example (or maybe two or three, to be able to pick the best) of it 3D printed using the very highest definition available, then I could use it as a master to mould from and spin you some off as whitemetal castings....? Costs would be minimal because I'd put one or two into the corner of a regular production mould of other stuff, I'm often looking for an odd little item to usefully fill a space.....

Drop me a PM if it's something you'd like to explore further.

Jon.
 
Interesting i've stumbled across this thread, a friend of mine has just invested in a UV printer. I will have a chat to him about possibly doing runs of 'plates' like this on a weatherproof material. Obviously they won't be 3D but they may offer a long-term solution, the printed ones look very neat!
 
David1226 said:
I decided that the freight stock on the Claptowte Railway needed a final customised detail to stamp the company identity on them. They needed manufacturers plates. The premise behind the Claptowte Railway was that all of the stock was purchased from various Continental manufacturers, in the past, and gradually modified, over the years, in the company`s own workshop facilities. I decided to add plates that reflected this process.

I used the wording `Rebuilt Claptowte Railway Works` for the purpose of identity and accuracy. I kept the wording simple, for the sake of legibility. I avoided adding any dates, for the sake of creating ambiguity as to time period. It may not be strictly prototypical but if anyone disagrees it works for my railway and rule 8 applies.

View attachment 197916

View attachment 197918

View attachment 197920

I made them by drawing the first plate with Microsoft Paint. I then copied and pasted it until I had a sheet of 48. I then saved this as a JPEG photograph. This was then printed on semi-gloss photograpphic paper. The plates were cut out, a black permanent marker pen was run along the edges to get rid of the white edge. They were then stuck on with PVA glue. This will not suit you outdoor types who run in the rain, but for indoor modellers like me it will be fine.


David
View attachment 197922
Click to expand...

That is a great idea, thinking about the outside use a covering of a polyurethane varnish should make it water resistant.
 
For me being waterproof is not the issue as my stock is for indoor running in the main. For me colour fastness and UV stability are the issues.

David
 
David1226 said:
For me being waterproof is not the issue as my stock is for indoor running in the main. For me colour fastness and UV stability are the issues.

David
Click to expand...
I have mentioned this before but you can get UV Stability Spray. Not tried it yet myself, but a rerun of your existing plates should prove the concept for a small cost. The can I have is by Ghíant and is called Inkjet Fix. I got the Matt variety and it has a yellow sticker on the lid saying UV Protection.
 
To reopen this older thread (if that's OK here) - plates look to me like a job for a laser engraver, rather than a 3d printer. Filament deposition (extruder type) 3d printers have got pretty good in the last few years but embossed plates at tiny sizes aren't something they thrive on. UV-cured-resin printers could do very well but there aren't a lot about and the resin is nasty stuff. Lasers, though, are now creeping their way into maker/hobbyist hands as they got a lot cheaper in recent years. If you can beg, bribe or borrow your way to accessing one (perhaps at a local makerspace?) it might be just the ticket.
 
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