Kansas Poultry Supply Co. Crate Plaque
Here's another idea that came courtesy of Prop Store- the plaque that is on the side of the chicken crate that Dorothy climbs in when escaping Dr. Worley's clinic, and ends up arriving in Oz's Deadly Desert in.
And here is one of the Prop Store photos.
According to the site listing, the plaque is "intentionally corroded" to create "rusted steel," and is 5.75" high x 8.25" wide. There is no specified depth, but I just assumed it to be a bit less than .25". Using the help of my brother-in-law, I made a tracing in Photoshop, and used Illustrator to make a file that could be turned into a 3D print. I don't have a more coherent explanation, as he was taking the lead for me.
I then black primed it, and acrylic weathered it to look like rusted metal. I did not attempt to exactly duplicate the exact look of the Prop Store plaque, just a general rustiness.
I then wanted to mount it on some old wood, just like it is on the crate. I estimate that it would have to be 6.75" x 13.5" to match the screenshot. I have some old pallet wood lying around, just not in 1 single width of 6.75", so I used 2 pieces that are 3.375" wide instead to approximate the look. Zooming in, it appears the plaque is mounted with nails, and the board is mounted with slotted, flat head screws. Intentional or not, they used period correct screws, as Philips head screws weren't invented until the 1930s.
I predrilled the nail holes to be the exact size as the nails, so I can remove it later if needed, but won't fall off when displayed on the wall or shelf. Nails were rusted in bleach to oxidize them, they are not painted. I put some support pieces on the back, as well as a sawtooth hanger. Along with the previously shown Tik Tok rivets, it is my plan and hope to sand cast this in actual metal, and swap it out with a "real" one.
The eagle eyed among you will notice that the tornado clipping and this sign's cities both match: Cottonwood Falls. Chickens must be the local commodity of Dorothy's hometown.
I'm particularly pleased and proud of this one, as it is I believe the first time anybody has attempted to replicate this plaque. It is definitely a blink and you'll miss it prop, but being a project I invested a decent amount of time into, I think it turned out great!