Well, I've been busy this past couple of weeks producing the control surfaces (or face-plates if you prefer) As I don't have access to laser engravers and other fancy gadgets, I've gone for my usual approach of using photo-etched brass sheet. I used 0.4mm for the 'auxiliary' panel and 0.5mm for the main panel, because my double sided etch needs that extra bit of thickness. Here's my main stages:
View attachment 471463 1. Brass plates coated, U.V. exposed and developed using photo negatives produced from my full scale vector artwork.
View attachment 471468 2. Plates etched and ready for paint. At this stage I also soldered in the two brass rivets near the lens hole.
View attachment 471470 3. Undercoat and black gloss coat done. I've used cellulose automotive sprays this time, because they tend to be harder than 'project' paints.
View attachment 471473 4. Gold acrylic inlay done and ready to buff down, to remove the excess from the edges of the etch, and thin down the lines a bit.
This painting method was all a bit experimental for me, but I was using techniques and similar principles learned during my time in the printing industry.
I'll keep you all posted on the progress.