coffee table 4 computer desk

[Bert]

Thanks James What gauge metal did you use?
Ever try selling it on eBay or somewhere where the soldiers now in Iraq would buy some?

[fun4now]

i just used some 2"X2" square tube for the slide in part and some 1" angel irn to seperate the white pre-drilled back from the black front.
i was going to add a light but the price was growing too past.
yep the letters needed the most clen up as i needed to cut so slowly to stay on line and even then its better to leave a little to file off then it is to take too much off.
depending on the hand stability & cut speed you can get some clean cuts or some shaky cuts. the lil spect.125-c has been a great lil plasma cutter. i'm realy glad i got it, sad i couldnt sell any for the stuff i made with it but still glad i had it to play with.

[Bert]

James, thanks a lot, GREAT STUFF!!!
Receiver Hitches. Nice! I'm guessing you built the box frame for it...true?
The hanging sign one. Letters looked SHARP! I'm guessing that's where most of the time was with the jeweler's file?
thanks in advance,
bert

[wireburner]

thanks alot

[fun4now]

go for it, the more the better.

[wireburner]

that i s awesome Fun , I used a flap wheel to clean the slag off ,got a piece of plexy glass yesterday at home depot, hey James would you care if I made 1 of those 4 my g-paw ( he is a vv)

[fun4now]

oh ya and once ya have the metal cut out you can use it as a template to paint other stuff too.
check out my screen door, its a 1 off.
i had to spray paint the screen yellow first white just didnt work.

[fun4now]

Paint & prep.

just realized i forgot the part about paint a nd prep. sorry.
i use Krylon paint and primer as its the best i have found for this kind of stuff i can get out of a spray can as im not , or wasent set up for mixing up and spraying my own paints. i'm getting there now but still have a ways to go. i do have some air brush setups i'm looking forward to trying.
as you can see in the below pic i also offerd them with a textured finish. this was doon with a truck bed liner paint. its expensive but adds a nice textrue and shoule add some extra pertection also. its simmiler to the ryno liner every one was putting in there truck bed's. drys solid and can be painted. nice stuff but about $8 a spray can, if i had found a market i would have went to the quart or gallen size reducing the over all price, but for a single or even a few as gifts for frends i would recomend sticking with the spray can.
DO'NT be tempted to go for the undercoat as a $ saver. it never realy drys and is just all around not nearly as nice an option. spend the extra $4 and get the bed liner.
as for prep.
yep just a plane old 4" dewalt square pad orbital sander.i did ocationaly use a flap disk on some parts. i would realy have liked to sand blast them but have not sprung for or built a blast cab. yet. would have if i could have found a market, but no such luck.
so injoy the project and make lots, are latest generation has forgotten what POW*MIA stands for and its just sad realy. i have the POW*MIA tatooed on my arm and you would be suprised how many 20year olds ask "whats that some kind of japaneas food ? i see it alot" no kidding guys it happens all the time. how easily we forget how we got here and thouse that got us here.
better go now befor i start another rant.

[fun4now]

Bert
...how about a POW*MIA one?? big seller at the VFW one would think, too bad its a lot of work...
i ment how about a POW*MIA coaster, being as that was the letest thing going on, sorry about the confution. as for the would be a great seller at the VFW i figured they would probly buy some, the problem with that is the amount of time put into them, making it too expensive to get any $$ for your time. hence not a lucrative venture. this pic should give a better size reference. as its made to go into a 2" reciever for a hitch plug.

as for how did i make them, where did the design come from??
i started with a picture of my POW*MIA flag. made the smaller ones just by using a print out of my computer. the larger one for the table i tool to kinko's (i think or some one like that) and had them blow up my B&W print to the size i wanted. i was going to make security screen type doors with them also. kind of a decrative security entrance for the summer that would let in a brezz, buit no way to market so most of the stuff just sits in a box in my shed, the table is in the atic of my small shed.

any how after i had the B&W print in the size i wanted i just used carbon papper to trace it onto the steel, then engraver over that so it would stay long enough to get it all cut out.. the biggest thing is to remember your negative spaces. dont let any corcles or lines conect you dont want to fall out. or you will look like a hack , like the fool on OCC that dropped out the middle of the P, O, & A. bummer realy, he was suposed to be a metal artist and made a stupid beginners mistake. on an otherwise great looking bike. man was i screeming at the TV that night. (the wife said i should be doing his job.)
anyhow, in off an a rant again. if i missed anything feel free to ask i'll try to help out if i can.

[Bert]

James,
may be a dumb question, but I'm guessing you're making everything out of steel and not aluminum, right? Then, how are you prepping it? Just a hand sander and what kind of paint?
thanks in advance,
bert

[Bert]

James,
...how about a POW*MIA one?? big seller at the VFW one would think, too bad its a lot of work...
Please explain what you said here, very intrested...also, where did you get the design to trace? All your work is absolutely AWSOME!!! I HAVE TO MAKE SOME ALSO!!! PLEASE?!!!!!!!!
THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!

[fun4now]

here's the rest.
did we decide on a prize for the best coaster ??
how about a POW*MIA one?? big seller at the VFW one would think, too bad its a lot of work.
OK im done now.

enjoy the pic's

[fun4now]

here is a walk threw of my POW*MIA flag holder. its a smaller version of the table for holding a 3'X5' flag. but it shows the hole process.
i also added a hanging version for under a mail box insted of the ugly 2X4 brace. i also add a flag holder to the hanging version for those that want it on a 4X4 post. but i dont have a pic handy. if i find one i'll post it to on the next thread.

[fun4now]

wow thats a bad pic, lets try this one. i gotta get it cleaned uop and add some paint, but its the best i can do with old left over stock. sorry just no $$ to invest in the design contest.

[fun4now]

i freehanded mine. did a little bit of fileing with a jewlers file after it was cut but i wqs on my last set of consumables, so that didnt help. its also hard to keep a constant speed when freehanding small intrecate shapes. the only drawback to plasma is sitting on one place too long starts to create slag and a wider cut. all in all i been realy happy with my little plasma cutter though. looking to upgrade it to the spectrum375 if and when i can now that i have air to feed it.
when i got mine i did not have a decent air compresser so i had to go with the spec.125. but i would like to start making targets for larger cal. bullets so i need to be able to cut thicker steel.
i generaly use standerd carbon papper to trace the design onto the steel then i go over that with an ingraveing tool so the lines wont come off with heat or rubbing when cutting it.
the biggest thing to lern or get used to is negative spaces, gotta make shore they dont conect or it all falls out.
but with a lil thinking almost anything is possible.

OK guys how is this for my coaster entry?? its my TIGGerr coaster.