CF 31 mk3 Construction site edition

Me too...been a Dodge owner for 40 years and counting.

 

26 Ford, 34 Ford, 52 Ford, 55 Chevy, 67 Ford, 67 Ford, 69 Ford, 80/86 Ford, 84 Warthog Replica, 01 Chevy, 05 Dodge, 08 Mini. Hell just get one of everything, lol

 

Just to steer this thread back on topic.

This is the logo I plan on using. And this is how a standard CF31 looks.

 

Hmm, is that schoolbus yellow?

 

No it is actually closer to the yellow-green safety color of some fire trucks.
Like this

or this

 

yep ...
it is hard to show the true color unless the uv portion is excited by sunlight or a xenon flash .
i tried color correction (etc) in photoshop ... no go ... could not nail it .
the third (flash) picture bears this out .

supposedly , that "safety yellow-green" is at or near the peak of the color response of the human eye ...
this is also where the most subtle shade/tint differences can be discerned .

 

The vinyl logo decal came today.
It looks great. Only issue is he made it about 1.5mm too wide. Not a huge deal.
If I had to do it again, I would leave the plastic badge off and stick the decal on the flat surface of the lid rather than the embossed letters of the badge.

I may put one coat of clear over the badge and logo. I don't know if that will affect the reflectivity or not. I would like a clear coat to protect and seal the decal.

 

looking good .

 

Thanks
I am very pleased with it all.

 

Saddle shop trick is to chuck a sander drum in the drill press. I have several diameters. Different grits available. Another trick is cheese grater type drums for rough cuts.

 

Now that is so much better...great job Shawn.

 

"Another trick is cheese grater type drums for rough cuts."

yep , they are good for *hogging* and do not plug up as easily as a sanding drum .
i was working on a piece of 1/2" plexiglas (perspex to those across the big pond) with a 2" "grater" drum in a drill press .
things were going great until i applied a bit too much pressure and the drum dug in and pulled the piece and my hand into the drum .
i was wearing leather gloves so no big deal there ... however ...
it was in the summer and i was wearing a t-shirt ... yeah ... got a case of road rash on my forearm .
*something* about equipment safety and how fast things can go to hell in a hand basket .

 

Yea buddy,I have the scars to prove that!

 

Sort of related
I am not 100% in awe of the reflective spray paint. It's not near as reflective as a road sign, unless I am using a flash on my camera.

I guess they make glass beads you can put into any paint to make it reflective. I am looking at some type III, which is used for the lines on airport runways.
I will experiment and report back. I should be able to make the silver texture or what ever finish color very reflective. Then just shoot a clear coat over it after I apply a decal.

http://www.sherwinindustriesinc.com/sherwin/virtuemart/848.html

 

Have you tested it outside yet. I would put it on the side of the road and see what happens when my head lights hit it...just a thought.

 

I should do further testing, but it is about 25 degrees outside at the moment. That's warm compared to what is has been the past few days.

I did buy some reflective powder to use on my next custom Toughbook. The paint color will be Fire Engine Red for a good friend.

I got some from Cole. http://www.colesafety.com/High-Index-Reflective-Glass-Beads-1-3-pounds-HighIndexbeads1-3.htm
I found out many ebay sellers have no idea what the actual size of the product is. They post something in the ad, but.....
Cole is the real deal and they seem to know what they are doing.
It is true 45 micron. 300 mesh

The trick will be how to sprinkle it evenly. It is like a dust. A salt shaker's holes are way too big. I am going to try a tobacco pollen shaker thingy.

I would like to see the the military grade 100 mesh powder but I already own 3 different sizes of this stuff.
The 100 mesh is slightly larger than the 45 micron stuff. The increase in size "might" make it wasier to work with.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Reflective-...hash=item234708474f:m:mNbv_Z7-x07mXDn_CsiQsWA

mesh vs micron chart
http://www.netafimusa.com/files/literature/wastewater/Mesh-vs-Micron.pdf

I did a CF19 lid for Jeff's fire dept. The reflective badge is looking good. One photo is normal and the other photo is with a light to show the reflectivity.

 

looks good ...
how does it look at night from about 10 feet with a flash ?
illumination with a set of headlights at 30 feet would be good to see .
(expose for the average illumination ... the case should be hot and the badge a burnt glare)

 

You will have to ask Jeff for further photos and testing. I sent them to the left coast 2 days ago.
I will be refinishing my CF19 in the near future.
I can tell you that the reflective beads I used this time are VERY good.

 

and the three that i admire most
the father , son and holy ghost
caught the last train for the coast
the day the music died
(don mcclean)

did you bake that paint job ?

/me eyeballs my '30
hmmmmm ...

 

No I did not bake them. The only oven I have is the one I cook in.

 

what? youve never used the kitchen for other purposes?

oh wait...... i'm single....

 

yeah ... i was wondering about that myself .
during prohibition they used the bathroom to make gin .

 

No problems as I am single also. I can do whatever I darn well want to.
I do not WANT to have toxic paint fumes in my kitchen or in my oven. I actually use the oven to cook food in.

I worked in a school bus garage for 20 years. I repainted buses when I was not driving or doing electrical work. After all those years inhaling diesel and paint fumes, I am very sensitive to bad and potentially toxic fumes.

So, Keep yer farting away from me!

PS..
Livin' for their whiskey, wine, and gin...Stevie Ray Vaughn..Tin pan alley

 

as long as we're headin' down this road ...
this is one of the very few C/W songs i like .
(puts things back in perspective for me)

relevance ; watching it on the '31

 

Make sure we steer this back on topic.
I have a request to do a white lid for a CF19. I may try lightly sprinkling the larger beads over the entire lid.

CF19 Custom order for the fire chief.

 

I didnt want mine to be so obvious, just waiting on some appropriate vinyl wrap for the palmrest now..... I *did* consider stripping and painting the keyboard too, then wiping the paint off the face of the keys, but meh..... laziness won out

 

Vinyl on the palm rest is a great idea.

 

I did consider painting the palmrest, but experience has shown that virtually every rattlecan paint out there cant handle regular exposure to skin oils without softening, and any that can, need to be baked on.....

the only thing thats got me stumped is how to cut out the LED indicator light holes......

 

You could buy an extra palmrest. Then scrape the silver off from underneath. repaint the underside to any color you like.

Hole punch for leatherwork or cutting automotive gaskets.

Bob's yer unkle

 

isnt the palmrest adhesive though?

I have holepunches, trick is getting them lined up just right.....

 

use tinted translucent or clear vinyl .

 

Replacement adhesive sheets are readily available.
Pull the bottom off the Toughbook
Heat the metal housing from under the palmrest using a heat gun or hair dryer.
carefully pry up the palmrest and remove it.

 

where are the adhesive sheets from, and what kinda $$?

 

Search for VHB tape on fleabay.
VHB = Very High Bond

 

dont really like the pattern and IMO the vinyl isnt that good quality, but it'll do untill i can get back home and get in touch with my normal guy

 

yeah ... that is the "pixel pattern" that was meant to be viewed from 1/4 mile away .
i never liked it - the same for many of my fellow soldiers .

the translucency of the vinyl/dye is working nicely .
the "brown" portion may block too much light (black is a no-brainer , depending on the density) .

if the supplier can actually print a pattern from one that is drawn , you may want to include a portion of color especially for the green leds .

 

They can print photographs on that vinyl.

Here is a link for custom printed skins.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laptop-Skin...hash=item35d3e5825f:m:mDY-2ZicROvwQlvdRJBShLg

 

It was a little disappointing when the vinyl turned up, the seller had 2 digital patterns, military and woodland, and the military one looked a lot smaller than it turned out to be, I was hoping for something like the digicam patttern they use on the uniforms....

 

i have never liked the "woodland" and "mossy oak" patterns .

i have seen patterns painted/airbrushed on military vehicles .
one rather impressive pattern i seen at ft. bliss was a reclining nude silhouette airbrushed into the pattern on the turret .

 

Finally got the CF19 finished in bright orange with the reflective badge.

 

What you really need for the badge on the yellow one, glow in the dark paint!

 

I tested some glow in the dark spray paint. It did not work as well as I had hoped. The color of the base coat makes a huge difference. Maybe it needs to have a white base coat to be really effective.

 

glow in the dark paint .... i wonder if a person could compound their own "active ingredient" and get better results .
one can only get so large of or amount of material through a spray can nozzle . as for the brightness of the glow with the spray paint , the concentration is more the case i would hazard (think , trying to spray oatmeal out of a can) :




this guy's channel is one of my favorites .

 

I have been looking at the powder.

I worked on my CF 52 lid today. I figured I would try two tone this time.

 

it looks like it belongs on the back of an Australian truck!

 

a combie ?!

 

And also while soon to be working on my '51. But avoid the neutered sounding CD or digital versions. The 45 RPM vinyl single has the bigger than life, in your face bass, and captures the Tough mojo the best. However, when I do get my own personal '31 I want mine in the same color the wheelchair it is mounted on some of the time is. And the ToughBook graphic replaced by SpazzBook in the same Font as ToughBook.

 

yep ...
the 45 would have a compressed dynamic range and usually the bass and kick-drum occupy or "take up" most of the dynamic range available .
so , the song would be "built" around these two instruments .
the ability to "layer" a song improved with the advent of "more than 4 track recorders" (more years ago than i care to recall) .
one of the first notable experiences of this (taking into account my age and being able to afford decent audio gear) was with a "guess who" album that was recorded/mastered in canada and pressed/released here in the states , the arrangement and sonic qualities were a vast improvement over albums recorded in the states at the time .
an example is the crash and ride cymbals ... these had a presence and transparency not found in earlier recordings .
this album is not the same one but several of the tracks were mastered when the "change" in the canadian studios happened :

oddly , i cannot find a picture of the RCA album release of the album that i bought on a whim and wound up liking the group and buying more/listening to their music for about 35 years now .

 

Bump to the top because another member was discussing paint ideas.

 

My latest project

I am pleased with the results