JCook Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I've seen some of the builders here have made the square, circle and rocker type gray buttons that are used for the CDU, UFC, CMSC, MFDs etc. These are the covers with numbers or letters that go over the electrical switches - I'm assuming they're made of rubber or silicon. I have no idea how to make them - but if there was enough interest in buying a full set for the A10C perhaps some who knows how to make them could sell them. Anyone interested in buying a full set? Can of the pit builder talent be talked into in a production run? How many complete sets would be needed to make it worth your while? John P.S. - put me down for the first set Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hog_driver111th Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Most of the "buttons" you see on panels being made are out of the same acrylic that the panels are cut from. They are typically 2 pieces, the top engraved layer and the larger base area, to allow the button to be held behind the panel. A-10C - FC3 - CA - L-39 - UH1 - P-51 - Hawk - BS2 - F-86 - Gazelle - F-5E - AV8B - F/A-18C i5-4590 - GTX 1060 - Oculus CV1 - TM:Warthog [sIGPIC]http://forums.eagle.ru/signaturepics/sigpic9979_1.gif[/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCook Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Ahh that makes sense and they're just glued together. Got any resources for where I can by this acrylic and the thickness to use (i'm sure I've seen that somewhere in the posts). Would the acrylic need to be cut with CNC or is that something that could be done by hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hog_driver111th Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Your best bet is to ask some of the others like Pitbldr or Gadroc as they are the ones working with the acrylic. I'm doing my panels out of wood for now. A-10C - FC3 - CA - L-39 - UH1 - P-51 - Hawk - BS2 - F-86 - Gazelle - F-5E - AV8B - F/A-18C i5-4590 - GTX 1060 - Oculus CV1 - TM:Warthog [sIGPIC]http://forums.eagle.ru/signaturepics/sigpic9979_1.gif[/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitbldr Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 John, I get my acrylic from Delvies (http://www.delviesplastics.com/), but if you google 'sheet acrylic' you'll get some other options. For the parts I am making, I use .125" and .25" for the buttons. I also use a mixture of clear, black, white, yellow, and green. The Caution Panel for instance uses the green acrylic. My panels are made from two pieces of .125" - one clear and one white. The black I use in parts where light passing through it is not needed. I would highly recommend a CNC or Laser to cut the parts, especially the smaller pieces.... but I guess it could be done by had if you had the patience and the proper tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadroc Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) I get my acrylic from the same place that pitbldr does. For my buttons I've been using 1/16" flange and 3/16" cap. You can see my process in this post. There is no one true way to do these and they are actually quite a bit of work. The paint thickness changes your engraving settings and doing this by hand makes getting that consistent non-trivial. I end up having to make an extra dozen or so test buttons to get my settings dialed in before I can cut a run. I have not mastered this yet. Y2kiah mentioned he does it a little different. He paints the button color, masks the piece and engraves through the mask and paint to the clear. He then spray paints white and then removes the mask. I may try this on my next run. Edited January 4, 2012 by Gadroc Premature posting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCook Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) Gadroc - thanks, I've got a little better understanding. What is involved in the cutting - just wondering what type of toolset I need to get or if this is going to be a specialized machine (like CNC) that I'll have to farm out. Thanks for that Link on your process. That really explains alot - its starting to make sense to me (pictures always help). That painters masking material gives it that rubber or silicone look. Q: What adhesive do you recommend for the acryllics - I saw several at the delviesplastics website. Q: The black acrylics are also use for the panel faces correct? Like for example the power panel Acryllic top, E-sheet for lighting in the middle and then aluminum base on the bottom which is what the switches screw on to. And then I have laser etching done on the top panel. Sound right? Edited January 4, 2012 by JCook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts