Cutting out lettering - steel

[Gragson]

Been asked to make an OPEN sign, small art gallery mrs co runs.
Floor standing, they are going to get back to me on dims.

I'm alright welding up frame/base, likely 25mm box and likely 2mm steel sheet - which I have most, but never cut out lettering.

Drawing is not to anything dim wise or frame, just fag packet
Any tips or on line resources for cutting out? I've got a 40a hand held plasma but never done anything other than straight lines. Lettering likely 80mm h

Cheers
Chris

 

[Barking Mat]

Chalk it out, and take your time with the plasma cutter is my advice.

 

[wyn]

Buy them.

 

[Smallfry]

Are the letter going to be cut out and fixed to the background on one or both sides, or are they cut out of the plate, so see through ?

 

[Erie Fred]

Good excuse to get a CNC table & software.....

 

[addjunkie]

Pay a man with a table…..

 

[Gragson]

Chalk it out, and take your time with the plasma cutter is my advice.

Will do

or are they cut out of the plate, so see through ?

Yep, see through is the idea.

Pay a man with a table…..

No thanks, would rather make a mess and learn something or two.

I'll crack on, arty people probably ain't up for something cock on anyway.

 

[julianf]

Been asked to make an OPEN sign, small art gallery mrs co runs.
Floor standing, they are going to get back to me on dims.

I'm alright welding up frame/base, likely 25mm box and likely 2mm steel sheet - which I have most, but never cut out lettering.

Drawing is not to anything dim wise or frame, just fag packet
Any tips or on line resources for cutting out? I've got a 40a hand held plasma but never done anything other than straight lines. Lettering likely 80mm h

Cheers
Chris

View attachment 426337

What about the inverse?

Keep the letters, loose the rest?

Letters would need to touch, otherwise you would need magic to support them, but I suspect it would look more interesting?

 

[Turbo]

Print out the letters individually on a printer to whatever size you want them. Stick the sheet to thick cardboard or thin ply & cut the letter out. Then use this as a guide to cut the steel with your plasma.

 

[Stupoty]

You can print a pdf of the letters from word and send them to a cnc place , might not be that much dosh as its only a few letters.

Stu

 

[DAPPH]

Print out the letters individually on a printer to whatever size you want them. Stick the sheet to thick cardboard or thin ply & cut the letter out. Then use this as a guide to cut the steel with your plasma.

That's what I did on hardboard , glued on the big numbers I printed off cut it out on the scroll saw as individual numbers , made a nick where I was going to start the numbers used thin double sided tape to put the masks on steel then plasma cut starting in the nicked out hole .

 

[MattF]

I'll crack on, arty people probably ain't up for something cock on anyway.

 

[Dcal]

Been asked to make an OPEN sign, small art gallery mrs co runs.
Floor standing, they are going to get back to me on dims.

I'm alright welding up frame/base, likely 25mm box and likely 2mm steel sheet - which I have most, but never cut out lettering.

Drawing is not to anything dim wise or frame, just fag packet
Any tips or on line resources for cutting out? I've got a 40a hand held plasma but never done anything other than straight lines. Lettering likely 80mm h

Cheers
Chris

View attachment 426337

Here's one I did years ago that might be the effect you are after.
No templates, just follow the lines as best you can and it might be just "cock off" enough.

Stuff you have made today

I put the saw blades above the track saw table and extended the dust collection so the hose to the track saw and mitre saw comes from above. All I need to do know is put the power to the track saw from above and add a bunjee to take up the slack so the hose and power don't drag across the bench...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[premmington]

Pay a man with a table…..

That is what I would be doing...

 

[Mark 2]

Two immediate problems;
It only reads from one side.
The centre of the 'O' and the 'P' are unsupported.

 

[My Old Landy]

There are fonts for plasma. @doubleboost did this one for me.

 

[Erie Fred]

Why even use the plasma ?
Tin snips work real nice.

 

[Gragson]

Tin snips work real nice

2mm, you must have some grip

There are fonts for plasma.

Don't know why I didn't think to google that although "font" might be a bit of a misnomer by the time I've finished cutting it out

 

[Erie Fred]

2mm, you must have some grip


Don't know why I didn't think to google that although "font" might be a bit of a misnomer by the time I've finished cutting it out

View attachment 426583

I didn't see your thickness requirements before sir.
20 ga would be adequate for a sign.
Another stencil font is "Octin Stencil"
I'm sure there are others.

 

[awemawson]

Here's some I did a few years back with my plasma cutter, admittedly the computer helped bit !