Ring that bell!

Today’s project was a simple one but it shows an EnRoute tool I use a lot these days. The tool is the revolve tool. Once I learned it I found it easy and handy too!
The job was a small bell (actually two) for the Town Crier Whiskey sign(s). Everything was done in EnRoute. I first used the drawing tools to create a profile of half the bell. Then I drew the centerline. The profile would be revolved around this point. 
The tool in the men bar looks like a wineglass. Select this. Then I filled in the parameters I needed to create a mesh. (100 slices and 100stacks) I selected the profile (as prompted) before hitting the blue forward arrow. Then I selected the centerline. 

When I fit the checkmark I got an instant bell shaped mesh.
I then created a zero height relief. Once I was happy with the shape, size and position I selected both the mesh and the relief. This lit up the combine mesh button and allowed me to do just that. I could then delete the mesh.
I forgot to get any more screen captures but I used the slice tool to get rid of the zero height plate, then duplicated the bell three times to give me my four halves (for two bells) I arranged them and positioned them to cut in one piece from 1.5″ thick 30 lb Precision Board HDU. I used a 3/8″ ball nose bit with an 80% overlap.  I knew it would leave slight tool marks but I am going to be covering the bell with sculpting epoxy in any case so it was of no concern. With the tool paths done it was time to fire up the MultiCam…
As you can see it cut in a hurry! I had the dust hood up and I was blowing with an air hose to keep things clear of dust for the video. Next time I’ll show how we fastened the various pieces of the sign together. Stay tuned…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Here and there and everywhere.

Today was one of those days where I jumped all over the place.  As the day progressed it seemed I got little done. Some days are like that. But through it all the MultiCam kept real busy carving out the Town Crier sign. The truth is it was even busier than that for I couldn’t resist doing TWO of the delightful signs. I simply had to have one in my shop as a reminder of this job. I definitely want to do more of this kind of work in the future and the best way to ensure that is to have some samples hanging on the wall of my studio.
As soon as the MultiCam finished the first sign background I peeled it off the table and set to work. I fastened the head to the sign board and mixed up some Abracadabra sculpting epoxy. His hat was first, roughed out to get a sense of things. He need ears of course and these were added next. It was almost time to go in for supper but I decided his powdered wig better be added while the ears were still soft. There would be no adjusting them later. 
Now it REALLY was time to go in for supper for it was my turn to do the cooking but I had a little sculpt left over – just enough for his tongue.I quickly added it and decided it looked cool. I was happy at last.  But as I turned away I just had to go back one last time to add one last detail…  a little texture on his tongue. It made it all believable and helped sell the story.
 Tomorrow I’ll be back to add some more without a doubt. Stay tuned…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Old and new blended seamlessly

I love to blend old fashioned, hand crafted ways with the modern tools. Digital tablets, virtual sculpting with a modern computer program, file building with EnRoute, and the CNC router of course are blended with hand sculpting, carving and painting to create our art pieces. In the last two days I used a wide variety of tools. I sketched on paper with an old fashioned pen to come up with a concept. Then I used a digital pen and tablet with a computer to put together the final concept. The rough sculpt was done using a virtual digital sculpting program. The was imported into EnRoute to create a routing file I then sent to our MultiCam router.
Once the MultiCam had done its job it was time to break out the hand tools to add the finer features and detail. The sculpt will be done in stages but I made good progress in the first go. 
The right tool for any job is the one that works best. Tomorrow I’ll do some more. 
Stay tuned…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Shout it out!

We needed one more sign for a key area in the Fox and Hounds Pub. The sign wouldn’t be large, measuring about 30 inches tall at most but it needed to shout out. We toyed with a multitude of ideas and I filled my sketchbook with ideas but nothing clicked. The owner of the pub had asked for a sign that featured whiskey and was very British. Yesterday I typed pub signs into google, looking for inspiration. I didn’t see anything I liked but I did get an idea. Town criers dated back to the 1500’s. I did a quick sketch and knew this was the perfect idea.
The idea I had scribbled needed a lot of work. Then I remembered a drawing I had done more than twenty years ago. It had been sitting on my bulletin board just waiting for it’s day to shine.
I pulled it into PhotoShop and cut, pasted, morphed, stretched and tweaked until I had what I wanted. I then redrew the town crier adding a hand with a bell, a tricorne hat, a powdered wig and a ruffled shirt. It made me laugh while I covered my ears. This guy is obviously LOUD!
 Then I added a scroll with town crier and  panel underneath. A whiskey barrel head for a background finished the story and tied it into the Pub decor nicely. The colors will also mirror everything else we have done to date.
Then it was time to start in on the sign design. I created the basic vectors in Illustrator then Imported them to EnRoute.
I opened a barrel I had created for Big Ben the horse as it would save me building this part again. I changed it from an oval to a circle to fit this design.
Using the basic layout I created half of the banner using the drawing tools. I then copied and flipped it for the other half before merging them together. The guild lines were then deleted.
Then I built one end of the scroll, copied, pasted and flipped that for the other end. I stretched out the bottom panel and added a couple of buttons. 
The lettering file I chose was good but a little thin for routing. The cure was easy. I simply added a thin outline and then deleted the original lettering making things a little bolder. I often do this with thin fonts.

I wanted the banner to bow up a little so I drew an oval around it and by selecting the banner relief and the oval I modified the banner relief using the dome command.
Then I added a texture to the whiskey panel using the ‘splotches’ bitmap from my TEXTURE MAGIC collection.
I added the prismatic lettering and then combined all the relief into one file, ready for routing.
For the face I created a rough sculpture in Mudbox – a freehand sculpting program.  It exports an .obj mesh file. I converted this to a .stl file in another program and then imported this into EnRoute. I sized, rotated and positioned the mesh and then created a zero height relief to which I would merge it
Both re selected and then the button that allows me to merge the mesh and the relief lit up. I merged highest to make them one. The mesh could then be taken away.
 The head will be routed as a separate piece out of a 3″ block of 30 lb Precision Board. I’ll be using this rough form to use an an armature for the sculpting with Abracadabra Sculpt that will follow.
 To make sure everything was sized right I brought all the pieces together and positioned them as they would be glued after routing. Here’s how that looked.
 Now it is on to the MultiCam.  Stay tuned…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

One more piece of the puzzle put into place

Yesterday was a big day. The heavy dimensional sign was to be lifted into place on the gable end of the Fox and Hounds Pub. It was heavy and awkward to handle but I had the help of the contractor on the project. He had a lift set up when I arrived. We carefully measured the sign, the crew fastened the backing into place on the wall and the sign was lifted into place. It went quickly for this crew knew what they were doing.
The dimensional sign added a splash of color to the building, even on the dreary, rainy day we were suffering. The outside is looking much more complete at last.
The hours sign still remains to be installed in the circle opening in the brick wall. An address board will also be installed over the doorway. With our new router installed this work is the next on the agenda.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.