Does anyone have any ideas on how to model the fat aluminum lettering on Frisco structures like the Springfield diesel shop and dining car commissary/laundry buildings? The same style of signage was applied to quite a few buildings systemwide. Thanks, Tom G.
At one time I had a handful of plastic letters for a menu board that were around 3/4 to an inch tall. Got them off fleabay. I never used them because the font I had wasn't right. If I decided to finish that project, I'd go looking for a 3D printer.
Tom - Letters like these are one of my favorite childhood memory of the "new" Cape Girardeau depot, across from Old St. Vincent's Church. It had a slanted "FRISCO" in aluminum block lettering on the roof slope, facing north so that the letters were slanted. Lee Chronister in Chaffee later had this signage mounted on the top of his old reconstructed frame depot throughout most of the 80s and early 1990s. At any rate, if I had to go about it and come up with a solution in 30 minutes or less, I'd first find a font in MS Word or otherwise that looks good enough. Print out the page, and then razor out the words and glue to an appropriately thick piece of white styrene - say, anything thicker than .040, or laminate some pieces of .040. Cut out the rough shape individual letters with the printed "template" still glued to the styrene, and then cut, whittle and file down to shape with a set of jeweler's files. I used a similar technique to get a 3-D "Sinclair" sign for a filling station that was one of my first scratchbuilding projects, and I was reasonably pleased with out it turned, especially for a first-time job. As Darren noted, I'd think that 3D printing would be the easier, less labor-intensive way to go. Best Regards
Someone removed the CAPE GIRARDEAU brushed stainless steel or aluminum letters from the roof of the Cape office between last June and December. I did get some pictures of them, however I am out of town and they are on my home computer.
A friend of mine suggested that cake baking alphabets might be just about the right size and "look" for those diesel shop letters. I'm going to check it out... Tom G.
Thats a great idea, I was looking for small inexpensive tree one time, and ended up getting a bag of 100 small pine trees at a bake shop for I think $7.00. Wonder if a person could find something close at a Hobby Lobby or similar?
And even if some of those things are edible sugar thingys that might decompose, after they,re painted, it won't really matter. Tom G.
