MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
I think you use the cutter to make masks (I too am fluent in Photoshop lol). They cover up the areas where the acid won't etch. The darker areas in the badge are what's eaten away
ORBO Belle: Round 2!
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I've heard a bit about acid-etched headbadges before, but I'm not too familiar with the process. Sounds like something I might have to try!
Yeah sorry, my bad
You can make stencils with the vinyl cutter.
You can also paint your graphics or use electric tape and then cut by hand with a scalpel but that's much more time consuming...
Then you just need some destilled water, vinegar and salt, some wires and an old power supply and you're good to go. I played a little with concentrations, voltage and time but it is fun and not that hard. There are also many videos on how to do it. Aluminum is a good metal to start.
I used iron-3-chloride for brass because when I tried with electricity like with aluminum it just wouldn't work well (I'm to lazy to find out why or to buy equipment)
Edit:
For drawing I use sketch book from autodesk for android. It's free and works just fine even on smartphones. You can import and export your drawings quite easily and the software of the cutter can work with the .png.
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I really ought to get a vinyl cutter... between this and using vinyl masks to paint graphics on bikes, I could get some serious mileage out of one.Yeah sorry, my bad
You can make stencils with the vinyl cutter.
View attachment 287816
View attachment 287815
You can also paint your graphics or use electric tape and then cut by hand with a scalpel but that's much more time consuming...
Then you just need some destilled water, vinegar and salt, some wires and an old power supply and you're good to go. I played a little with concentrations, voltage and time but it is fun and not that hard. There are also many videos on how to do it. Aluminum is a good metal to start.
I used iron-3-chloride for brass because when I tried with electricity like with aluminum it just wouldn't work well (I'm to lazy to find out why or to buy equipment)
Edit:
For drawing I use sketch book from autodesk for android. It's free and works just fine even on smartphones. You can import and export your drawings quite easily and the software of the cutter can work with the .png.
I just checked out a couple videos on the process, and yeah, I think I could do that! My only real concern would be cutting the metal to shape afterwards. If I was just making a rectangular or circular badge, I could easily do it myself with just a jigsaw and a belt sander, but this is a design where I want the outline to be where it's cut. I feel like if I were to engrave this design, it'd make more sense to have it laser-engraved, as it could be cut to shape with the same machine and a .eps file. My brother actually did that sort of thing back in college, except it was mostly with wood, not metal.
That all said, I designed this icon for print as either a sticker or t-shirt graphic. I'm sure I could make a sweet aluminum or brass headbadge out of it if I took it to a shop with a laser engraver, but that's an idea for later. Right now, I'm in "print shop" mode.
I had used Autodesk's Sketchbook desktop app waaaaay back in high school about 15 years ago, and I've been meaning to try it out again. I have the android app, but I barely use it, as I prefer using a computer over my phone for pretty much everything. I just looked up the desktop app, and it's only $25! I might just get that and play around with it again.
Laser is of course a luxury and really cool.
I used a fretsaw and fine metal saw blades for sawing. With aluminum it is very easy and quick, brass is a bit more difficult but not so bad. After sawing you just need a few small key files and some sandpaper and a little patience.
I don't have a PC, so I do everything with my smartphone or tablet
I used a fretsaw and fine metal saw blades for sawing. With aluminum it is very easy and quick, brass is a bit more difficult but not so bad. After sawing you just need a few small key files and some sandpaper and a little patience.
I don't have a PC, so I do everything with my smartphone or tablet
I'm old, have lots of tools, but I'm still learning. Looks like I'm going to get another saw to hang out with my coping saws. Tighter turns, I like that!
The weather was nice and warm yesterday, so I decided to spend the afternoon getting some more work done on Belle.
First, I cut and bent a piece of copper tubing to help guide the rear brake cable away from the rear tire. It definitely works, I just need to figure out the finish. On one hand, I like how the bare copper looks next to the blue paint, but on the other hand, I'm wondering if I'd like it better if it was painted to blend in with the rest of the bike... I may cut off another piece of tubing and paint it just to see how I feel.
Most of yesterday was just spent cleaning and shining up parts. I hit the rear brake, brake levers, and shifters with steel wool, wire brushes and Simple Green.
I needed to clean some built-up dirt on the chainrings, but I figured instead of filling a bucket with some water, I could just use the deep puddle at the end of the driveway and scrub the parts with a hard plastic brush. (Ever since they repaved the road back in 2020, the driveway turns into a cement pond every time we get a decent amount of rain. This is how it looks after a day has passed, and it's still about 2-3 inches deep where the driveway meets the road!)
I got a bit of the gunk off, but these parts really need to soak in some water and either soap or Simple Green. I was going to do that yesterday, but I discovered a problem that might make that effort pointless for now...
Here's where I left off last night. I went ahead and reinstalled the fork and kickstand, but while I was doing that, I wanted to test-fit the front derailleur to see how it'd work with the cable guide. That's when I ran into a new potential problem.
I don't know if I'll be able to have 2 forward gears on this bike. The front derailleur can only go up so high on this frame thanks to the low top tube, and it just might be too low to clear the chainrings. If I mount it above the top tube, then it sits too high.
I compared it to a couple other step-thru multispeed bikes, and the derailleur on those bikes sits between 1/4-1/2in higher than what I can do on this Schwinn.
So, while this isn't a complete setback, I may have to settle for 5, 6 or 7 gears on this bike. Still, 5-7 gears is 4-6 more gears than what I usually have, so it's still an upgrade. If the top tube sat just a little higher or just a little lower, I could've made it work, but I think that's why none of the other step-thru klunkers I've seen had more than one forward gear: there just isn't enough room for a front derailleur on these old step-thru cruisers.
Fortunately, I should have at least one chainring for a 7-speed bike in storage somewhere. I'll run by my storage space today and see if I have one loose there. Otherwise, I know one of the last donor bikes I picked up has the part I need.
One other thing that I need to clean is the rear derailleur, but I've never done maintenance on one of those before. Is there a good in-depth tutorial for taking one of these apart and cleaning/greasing them? I tried doing a quick search on Google and YouTube, but most of what I saw just shows a basic cleaning without dismantling the derailleur, something I know I'll need to do with mine.
First, I cut and bent a piece of copper tubing to help guide the rear brake cable away from the rear tire. It definitely works, I just need to figure out the finish. On one hand, I like how the bare copper looks next to the blue paint, but on the other hand, I'm wondering if I'd like it better if it was painted to blend in with the rest of the bike... I may cut off another piece of tubing and paint it just to see how I feel.
Most of yesterday was just spent cleaning and shining up parts. I hit the rear brake, brake levers, and shifters with steel wool, wire brushes and Simple Green.
I needed to clean some built-up dirt on the chainrings, but I figured instead of filling a bucket with some water, I could just use the deep puddle at the end of the driveway and scrub the parts with a hard plastic brush. (Ever since they repaved the road back in 2020, the driveway turns into a cement pond every time we get a decent amount of rain. This is how it looks after a day has passed, and it's still about 2-3 inches deep where the driveway meets the road!)
I got a bit of the gunk off, but these parts really need to soak in some water and either soap or Simple Green. I was going to do that yesterday, but I discovered a problem that might make that effort pointless for now...
Here's where I left off last night. I went ahead and reinstalled the fork and kickstand, but while I was doing that, I wanted to test-fit the front derailleur to see how it'd work with the cable guide. That's when I ran into a new potential problem.
I don't know if I'll be able to have 2 forward gears on this bike. The front derailleur can only go up so high on this frame thanks to the low top tube, and it just might be too low to clear the chainrings. If I mount it above the top tube, then it sits too high.
I compared it to a couple other step-thru multispeed bikes, and the derailleur on those bikes sits between 1/4-1/2in higher than what I can do on this Schwinn.
So, while this isn't a complete setback, I may have to settle for 5, 6 or 7 gears on this bike. Still, 5-7 gears is 4-6 more gears than what I usually have, so it's still an upgrade. If the top tube sat just a little higher or just a little lower, I could've made it work, but I think that's why none of the other step-thru klunkers I've seen had more than one forward gear: there just isn't enough room for a front derailleur on these old step-thru cruisers.
Fortunately, I should have at least one chainring for a 7-speed bike in storage somewhere. I'll run by my storage space today and see if I have one loose there. Otherwise, I know one of the last donor bikes I picked up has the part I need.
One other thing that I need to clean is the rear derailleur, but I've never done maintenance on one of those before. Is there a good in-depth tutorial for taking one of these apart and cleaning/greasing them? I tried doing a quick search on Google and YouTube, but most of what I saw just shows a basic cleaning without dismantling the derailleur, something I know I'll need to do with mine.
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