button protectors - home made STTNG and now some others

inspired by spacies fantastic button protectors, depressed by lack of money to buy some readymades, seeing as work has stainless sheets cut almost to size for testing punches that the offcuts can be put to good use and fortunate that i use a laser all day, i put my morning teatime (and a little extra time to get the appropriate fonts) to good use and made myself a pair of STTNG button protectors.

not finished yet as i have to find some appropriate old tooling at work to make a 29.5mm die punch and die at no cost next week (hence the paintshop button hole at present), the first try hasnt come out too bad i think (i havent got a pic of the other side, but it is the same except i have moved the logo to the other end of the protector so they are both towards the back of the machine).

i may have to refine font size and spacing etc once its on the machine if it doesnt look quite right, but i'll do a set for the WH20 as i have fonts that are pretty darn close (now done in later post) and worry about the getaway, FT & roadshow in following weeks.

Looks good. Nice work

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Throws hand up for a set of Getaway...

If your making one set why not two :)

Wow nice theft of my idea mate.

inspiration takes many forms and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but i hadnt realised you were the first in the world to make button protectors :blink:

the laser engraved plates dont look anywhere near as good as your cut ones which look the ducks guts, but if anyone wasnt allowed to make anything similar to something else without being called a thief, there wouldnt be much going on in terms of mods or other on AA or anywhere else (mirror blades, cannon mods, getaway mods, pin trolleys, cabinet leg protectors, pinball covers, etc all come to mind).

i was only going to do them for myself cos i couldnt afford to buy any commercially available at present.

Very effective. :)

Do you take requests for other machines, Mr Pubstuff?

Anyone know where you can get Bram Stokers Dracula cabinet decals?

Very effective. :)

 

Do you take requests for other machines, Mr Pubstuff?

 

Anyone know where you can get Bram Stokers Dracula cabinet decals?

no mate, just did this set for myself after being inspired by spacies great items and having the material on hand and the time and availability to be able to do some at no cost. gonna do some more for my other machines and that will prob be it apart from some blanks for future units, altho if im going to be judged harshly for making something for myself and demand is there for cheap alternative to the quality ones being sold by spacies, who knows?

As far as I can tell, there is no monopoly on good ideas and these protectors look great. While inspired by spacies design, I don't think they could ever be confused as the same item?

When I read spacies reply, I got the impression he was just having a friendly crack so maybe no need to assume otherwise at this stage?

I think both protectors can co-exist.

thanks guys. i just put 'em up as a looksee for something i did with inspiration from some high quality product, nothing more. wasnt interested in making 'em for anyone, just made a set for myself from scrap and tools i use at work (and free fonts available online of course) to save me a dollar and i would have made old crafty a set as well when i got around to making some for the getaway before he had to feel bad about asking, despite us going back a few years now. if i was selling them, then they could co-exist no doubt, but this is (was) just a hobbyists interpretation of a fine product at no (or low) cost for personal use.

who wants sets delivered at 20bux a throw? (ONLY JOKING!!)

i would have to get thinner material :lol

Wow nice theft of my idea mate.

i could of said the same thing about you, and a few other people. just take it as a compliment, which is what he meant by it anyway.

wizzed up a WH20 at work today in morning teabreak after finding an appropriate font. nothing flash, but looks ok (crappy picture sorry, very hard to get a good pic). probably do it again as i didnt really leave enough room between white and water, but i may just chuck 'em on for now and see how i like 'em :)

altho i thought i had an appropriate font, i cant find anything like the font in getaway hs2 and fish tales. if anyone knows of a font thats it or close, yell out can ya?

i havent had a lot of time to find the right fonts or find how to import corel files into the bloody laser, but while i was doing some other stuff the other day i decided to have a play with doing something for the roadshow. gotta be redone as the sheet is warping with the heat from all the laser work on this font and in trying to get it better i got some lines in my hatching, but heres the idea anyway

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an engineering company next to where i work now (and where some guys work that i used to work with) want to play with a new machine they have there and have offered to make me up a few sets of button protectors for my other machines.

as i dont have a protractor (is that the right word?) to measure angles/degrees accurately, can anyone advise what angle the side rails are from the vertical/front of the cab (in this pic, the angle/degrees from the front of the button plate to the siderails? must be something like 95-100 degrees?

im happy to give them some stainless to play with but they want to set it up properly to be able to replicate them at the touch of a button (where i just used a hydraulic shear on mine to suit) and im guessing all bally/williams machines will be the same angle that the siderails rise?