Badger
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know a company on the south coast that can make me an engraved switch panel facia based on an old one that has come off the boat ? Thanks in Advance
Engraved switch panel facia
- Thread starter Badger
- Start date
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Yellow Pages to find a local sign writer or sign maker.
Dipper
Well-Known Member
alahol2
Well-Known Member
Trophy engravers will often do this type of work.
D
DogWatch
Guest
Second that. A local one made mine for me and I added the switches and breakers.
I have contacted quite a few around here and the answers range from we'll get back to you to a wha?? Sent pdf designs and never had a reply.
can you remember where you bought your trips by chance?
Paul1962
Well-Known Member
Hi,
GEA Smith on Portland regularly make this style of Traffolite Tally in various colours etc. They are in the phone book and will reply.
Paul
GEA Smith on Portland regularly make this style of Traffolite Tally in various colours etc. They are in the phone book and will reply.
Paul
Dipper
Well-Known Member
The first few that I tried couldn't make one for me. The firm that did had never made one before but they had all the right equipment for engraving so it wasn't a problem. I think they enjoyed the challenge.
I bought my trips from CPC but they don't have exactly the same ones any more.
PilotWolf
Well-Known Member
There is a place in Southampton near to Saxon Wharf. They have done several jobs for us both in perspex and aluminium.
Quick turn around and reasonably priced.
I can't remember what they are called but if you PM I can give you directions so you can drop in.
W.
Quick turn around and reasonably priced.
I can't remember what they are called but if you PM I can give you directions so you can drop in.
W.
William_H
Well-Known Member
Switch panels
Aircraft often have switch panels made of perspex that goes over the switches. The perspex is painted flat black then the names are engraved into the paint. a thin white paint is put into the engraved hollow.A light globe let into the perspex gives a very pleasing light through the letters, effect at night.
I would imagine any trophy maker or jeweller with engraving gear and talent could do a nice job fairly easily if you cut the holes in the perspex and paint it. just a thought olewill
Aircraft often have switch panels made of perspex that goes over the switches. The perspex is painted flat black then the names are engraved into the paint. a thin white paint is put into the engraved hollow.A light globe let into the perspex gives a very pleasing light through the letters, effect at night.
I would imagine any trophy maker or jeweller with engraving gear and talent could do a nice job fairly easily if you cut the holes in the perspex and paint it. just a thought olewill
Last edited:
silver-fox
Well-Known Member
Second that. A local one made mine for me and I added the switches and breakers.
Can I ask roughly what it cost as a project as I am thinking of following down that road too?
Dipper
Well-Known Member
I made this about 5 years ago. I think the sign firm charged £40 for the engraved panel. You then need to add the cost of the circuit breakers and switches (plus rubber boots) depending on how many you want and I also have a large 10 hole busbar fixed to the back of the panel for all the negative terminals.
You can price the circuit breakers and switches from a site such as CPC or others such as Maplins will have them. I know there are better marine type circuit breakers out there but they are very expensive and when you multiply it by 14 it comes to a lot!
I think mine cost around £100.
testmonkey
Well-Known Member
Mail order from the U.S.
you could design your own with your PC and get it CNC milled from this company http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
you could design your own with your PC and get it CNC milled from this company http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
silver-fox
Well-Known Member
Many thanks, that is a lot more affordable than some of the other options I had been told about.... looks nice too
Badger
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that link and all the other posts with useful advice. It appears they have a European partner for UK customers http://www.schaeffer-ag.de/en/news/home.html . You can download the software apparently and they can turn it around quite quickly.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
You can buy modular units from various suppliers like Merlin to make up your own panels or buy just the components and make your own like dipper.
However, when I went through the exercise a few years ago, I decided that I did not have the skills to make one from scratch, and the modular units did not give me what I wanted in the space available. I had mine custom made by Taplins in Southampton who do many of the custom panels for UK builders and the RNLI. From memory it was about £500 (about £100 more than a modular unit) but was designed exactly how I wanted it and included a mimic of the boat for nav lights, built in log/depth repeater and battery voltmeter. Spent a bout an hour with the designer going through the options and agreeing layout. All very high quality and worth the extra.
Badger
Well-Known Member
Tranona,
Very interested in what Taplins did for you. Have you got any pictures you could share ? Thanks Badger
Very interested in what Taplins did for you. Have you got any pictures you could share ? Thanks Badger
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Hi
I have a good photo, but I am rubbish at posting pics on here. Happy to send as an email attachment if you PM me an email address.
contessaman
Well-Known Member
I spent ages phoning different companies. they either quoted a fortune or were not interested.
Then I was in my local garden centre, I noticed they did traffolite engraving -the stuff people have key fobs and pet i.d. discs made from.
I asked the guy what was the biggest piece he could do and it was something like 2 foot by 1 foot.
I made a cardboard mock up, and he did a damn fine job of engraving the panel. I went for a brushed alloy look with black lettering but all colours were available. It cost £36.
it was a flexible affair though so I glued it to some 6mm acrylic. voltmeter, ammeter, switches and fuseholders all came off ebay shops.
I got some stiff copper wire and soldered it through all the fuseholders and that became my positive busbar.
I also put a green neon light on it for the shore power, and a red LED for the 12 v power.
the whole lot cost about 100 pounds.
sorry the pictures of the finished article are not very good, I only had the rubbish camera on my phone. It really does look very good. retro too in keeping with the rest of the boat.
I know its not local to you, but if your stuck the guy who did my panel was called kevin, and the place is AK timms and sons, brize norton, oxfordshire.
good luck!
Then I was in my local garden centre, I noticed they did traffolite engraving -the stuff people have key fobs and pet i.d. discs made from.
I asked the guy what was the biggest piece he could do and it was something like 2 foot by 1 foot.
I made a cardboard mock up, and he did a damn fine job of engraving the panel. I went for a brushed alloy look with black lettering but all colours were available. It cost £36.
it was a flexible affair though so I glued it to some 6mm acrylic. voltmeter, ammeter, switches and fuseholders all came off ebay shops.
I got some stiff copper wire and soldered it through all the fuseholders and that became my positive busbar.
I also put a green neon light on it for the shore power, and a red LED for the 12 v power.
the whole lot cost about 100 pounds.
sorry the pictures of the finished article are not very good, I only had the rubbish camera on my phone. It really does look very good. retro too in keeping with the rest of the boat.
I know its not local to you, but if your stuck the guy who did my panel was called kevin, and the place is AK timms and sons, brize norton, oxfordshire.
good luck!
Last edited: