Fallout 4 Fusion Cell

DIY silkscreen is something I still want to try. You can also look at stamping, or hot foil transfer.

They do make white decal paper, you typically print the black surround and then trim it as close as you can before applying it.
You could also print the top in white, mask the text, and then paint the rest black. Or pre-paint it and then laser-etch the text exposing the white. Any laser-etch shop that does mugs would have a cylindrical tool for etching. The same process would expose the red on the bottom (if painted white).
Of course none of that would look the same as real silkscreen.

zapwizard said:

DIY silkscreen is something I still want to try. You can also look at stamping, or hot foil transfer.

They do make white decal paper, you typically print the black surround and then trim it as close as you can before applying it.
You could also print the top in white, mask the text, and then paint the rest black. Or pre-paint it and then laser-etch the text exposing the white. Any laser-etch shop that does mugs would have a cylindrical tool for etching. The same process would expose the red on the bottom (if painted white).
Of course none of that would look the same as real silkscreen.

Click to expand...

I am not at home so I cannot include one of my screenshots and I could not find any images of the the Fallout 4 fusion cell that includes the white text, so I have to include one of the similar Fallout 3 version. Keep in mind I came up with a 48mm diameter, about two inches. The white paper is not an option for a couple reasons. I have not started work on the graphics yet, but the white text is going to be about an 8 point font. That is probably close to what you are reading now. No way I would be able to trim that by hand. And I would probably have to buy a very expensive inkjet to get it to be able to match the dark green I am using on the anode or the yellow I am using on the main body. The trimming problem also applies to creating any sort of mask. The other options are expensive and/or only practical for a one off.

I'm still not totally sold on the color, but the yellow is on. There is a spot where I touched it with my finger. I'm going to leave it and if I remember I will add extra weathering to it. The masking was just kind of slapped on so I would have something to hold without leaving fingerprints. The dark green will cover any overspray. The color is Vallejo "Gold Yellow", 72-707, in the Game Air line of acrylic.


Tonight I will paint the dark green on the anode. I figure Monday and Tuesday will be the metallic part of the anode then clear coat. I am also starting in on the decals in Inkscape. Getting a set of videos that Bill Doran is selling on his Punished Props store is helping.

I'm posting this update from work, don't tell anyone.

There are a few spots that look like they might be a little light. I did not notice them last night so I might just leave them alone.



Tonight I will mask off part of the top and spray the inner round parts. In my screenshots the outer ring and the inner ring are slightly different colors, but I might just paint it one color.

That looks sweet! :thumbsup

Hurrah! I found a mistake! Pretty minor actually. After I glued the top and bottom together I used Bondo glazing putty to fill the gap. Nope. Looking at my screenshots I see that there should be a gap. Minor, but annoying. Minor enough that I'm not fixing it and repainting.

For future reference, paint the shiny part first and THEN the dark green. It would have made masking a lot easier. More spots to apply extra weathering.

I think I finally nailed down the font. I'm going to print out some text that has not been damaged/weathered tomorrow to see if the size looks right. If so, then I'll un-clean it up and do the rest of the decals.

I got the Gocco screen printer and I'm hesitant about using it. Partly because I have been considering being able to print larger images, partly because the water based ink I am going to use can eventually damage the screen, but mostly because this thing is pristine. It has never been used. But, these things were built to be used, not collected.

Sent from my Motorola StarTAC

The polarity might need some tweeking, but other than that it looks right to me.


Remember earlier when I said these are small?


I was hoping the printer at work would print darker. Looking at the last photo you can see that the print is not solid, there are some faint areas. For this that is not a problem, but in the future for other decals it might be. I do not know yet how much of that will show up in the decals.

Well, if you got some clear decal film, you could gang up all the decal art on one screen, then mask off parts of it and print only one color at a time. Set them aside to dry, then print the next color tomorrow, or whatever.

Mike J. said:

Well, if you got some clear decal film, you could gang up all the decal art on one screen, then mask off parts of it and print only one color at a time. Set them aside to dry, then print the next color tomorrow, or whatever.

Click to expand...

That is kind of how I am going to do it. I put the white and black decals far enough apart I think I can get away with using one of the Gocco screens for both of them. I am going to try printing those two at the same time when I get home. I will have a fan blowing on it for about 2 hours while I wander Far Harbor and then I will use a second screen for the red and print that.

Speaking of which, I finished up the design for the decals.
Red:


White:


Black:


And how they should look after being printed. Except with color:


With any luck when I apply these I will remember to put the red stripe on separately from the warning message because the gap is too big to apply them as one big decal. Also, that red line is going to reach almost to the edge of the Gocco screen so the edges might not print well. But since this thing is supposed to be old I can live with that.

I'm still having second doubts about using that Gocco. :confused

Everything looks great!

If you're having second thoughts about screen printing, I've had good results using a vinyl cutter to make my own adhesive backed stencils then airbrush/rattlecan.

Synth said:

If you're having second thoughts about screen printing, I've had good results using a vinyl cutter to make my own adhesive backed stencils then airbrush/rattlecan.

Click to expand...

My second thoughts are because I am literally pushing the boundaries on the device but mostly because it is vintage. It has never been used.

Sent from my Motorola StarTAC

Huzzah! It mostly worked.

Here is a before shot of the screen for the white and black decals.


Here are a couple of tests of the white and black decals. The text is not as clear as I would like. I do not know how much of that is because of the ink, how much pressure I applied, and the paper. It looks ok on the decal, but the decal paper I got has a white paper backing so it is very hard to see it in a picture.


And here is the decal itself. The corner is cut off because I got water on it while I was trying to take a picture of the white and it got wet. So I cut it off to stop the water from spreading.


In the morning I will clear coat this and the model and after that has a chance to dry I'll give this a try.

Now that I've had a chance to use it I'm still thinking a regular screen printer might be a better option. Maybe one of those Yudu machines, but with aftermarket chemicals and screens.

Maybe I missed, but are you going to sell decals once you get it perfected? I hate to be that guy that asks :lol, but I would be in for some. I haven't started my rifle yet, but I never even thought about how to tackle the markings on that fusion cells!

Sluis Van Shipyards said:

Maybe I missed, but are you going to sell decals once you get it perfected? I hate to be that guy that asks :lol, but I would be in for some. I haven't started my rifle yet, but I never even thought about how to tackle the markings on that fusion cells!

Click to expand...

Well, the actual plan is to first get the fusion cell all buttoned up. Then I will start in on the institute pistol. Following that I am hoping to sell a few combined kits before Bethesda gets wind of it and shuts me down. The problem with just selling the decals on their own is that the dimensions for my fusion cell are probably not going to be the same as somebody else's. They might be close enough to work though.

Close enough would be way easier than trying to get similar results. My photo skills are limited to resizing and fixing redeye. :lol

It mostly worked. That does not include my decal application skills. I did not trim them enough before I put them in the water. And the decals seemed thick. I don't know if that was the film or if I put to much clear coat on the paper. I still need to clear coat and weather.

The arrows are too long and I think the polarity signs may be a bit large.


There are two other problems. The first problem is the red line and arrows are far more distressed than what I had designed. Actually, the black polarity sign is too. If you look at earlier posts you can see what the were supposed to look like. I looked at the screen and that is where most of the problem lies. The second problem is that some of the text is heavier than it should be, like too much ink was put down.

The print quality is on me needing to learn how much pressure to apply while printing. The quality of the screens is the big problem. I have enough supplies to make three more screens, but there is no guarantee they will turn out any better. This thing went out of production about eight years ago so screens are at least that old. The only real source of the screens is ebay. The cheapest ones are about $9. The other part needed to make these screens are disposable camera flashbulbs. The cheapest I saw in the correct size are about $3.50 each and it takes two of them to create a screen.

My options for fixing the red part of the decals are:
1. Try again and hope the screen turns out better. This is basically rolling the dice and crossing my fingers. The option I like the least.
2. It is possible to get presensitized silkscreens that you burn using more traditional transparencies and light along with aftermarket plastic frames to put them in. I would still be limited to a small print area.
3. Screw it and get regular silkscreen equipment. I like this option for several reasons. I can print full size sheets of paper and if I screw up it is possible to clean the screen and remake it.

Option 3 is the most flexible and long term the cheapest. Each print I make with the supplies I have costs $16 regardless of success or failure. I'm also limited to just over 4x6 inches. I'll think about it some more and make a decision.

Hey NormanF I've sent you a PM