DIY Brass Nameplates
Can't Find a Replacement Nameplate? Make Your Own -
April/May 2003
Jeff Conner
It's Easier Than You Think
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Finding an original brass nameplate isn't always easy, and
while reproduction nameplates are available for many of the more
popular engines, those of us with less common equipment are often
left empty handed. If you're missing the original nameplate, or
your original is badly damaged, there is a fairly straightforward
process for making your own reproduction nameplate, and one that
looks identical to the original. Called photo etching or chemical
milling, the process involves chemically removing metal around an
image mask to leave raised letters and images.
The Etching Process
In commercial photo etching, transferring the image to the metal
requires photo-sensitive chemicals, ultraviolet light and chemical
developing of the image prior to etching. I was not going to get
into another $300 project to produce a $10 part, so I searched for
an easier method.
The hobby electronics field provided the answer with a product
called Press-n-Peel Blue (PnP) toner transfer paper, an emulsion
coated mylar film that you copy your artwork to using any laser
copier. This material is used for making intricate printed circuit
boards, which are etched the same way as a nameplate. The toner
from a laser copier transfers to the PnP film, and the emulsion on
the PnP Blue lets the toner easily transfer to a metal plate using
a simple clothes iron. The laser toner bonds to the brass, becoming
a mask for etching with a solution of ferric chloride. There are
other paper transfer methods (and I tried many of them), but in my
experience PnP Blue provided the best results.
It's hard to believe the brass nameplate started out as the
simple rubbing The end product is almost impossible to tell from an
original nameplate.
It's hard to believe the brass nameplate started out as the
simple rubbing The end product is almost impossible to tell from an
original nameplate.
Making the Art
The first step is to find an original nameplate to use as a
pattern, since an original will give you the best results. Barring
that, a good pencil rubbing taken from a nameplate is second best,
and a good close-up photo (with a ruler placed next to it to give
scale) will do.
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