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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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2nd Aug 2017, 9:17 am | #21 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Scott - when I were a lad I had a B44 VHF transceiver (it came from a dealer via PW I think) and I used to look in awe at the innards and was especially fascinated by the labelling of the major chassis-mounted components. The chassis itself was lovely clean aluminium and the labelling so black & crisp, just like your photos.
Re type-faces. I don't know if anyone here watched it, but on BBC4 the other night was a fascinating documentary about the Johnston typeface which was developed for use on the London Underground. From this came the Gill typeface which was almost identical but cleaned up somewhat. Very 'wartime'.
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2nd Aug 2017, 9:52 am | #22 | |
Dekatron
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Quote:
You can watch the hour long BBC4 programme on i-player here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ces-of-britain Some interesting info about it here, and about the design aspects of typeface proportions: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35916807 This too, might be of interest: Helvetica: How did one typeface conquer the world? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-26383185
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David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339. |
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2nd Aug 2017, 11:30 am | #23 |
Dekatron
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
An unfortunate feature of Helvetica is that the upper case "I" and lower-case "l" are identical. In many situations the context makes it clear whet is meant, but in technical documents where both symbols appear in forumlae (and in on-line passwords, where in addition, two contiguous letters "V" are indistingushable from "W"), it can cause problems.
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2nd Aug 2017, 12:23 pm | #24 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 1,464
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
So Helvetica is perfect for Apple then since it looks great and is good for the vast majority of the time but for certain specialist uses it lacks a necessary functionality. Hmmm yes... perfect for Apple
Cheers, Steve.
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2nd Aug 2017, 3:52 pm | #25 | |
Dekatron
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Quote:
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7th Aug 2017, 10:01 am | #26 | |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Quote:
Thanks, Scott.
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7th Aug 2017, 10:08 am | #27 | |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Quote:
Your B44 transceiver sounds just like the sort of lettering I'm on about, looks so much more purposeful than a stick-on label, where an engraved plate would be overkill. Cheers, Scott
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7th Aug 2017, 10:56 am | #28 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Thanks again for the tips.. .Now have some clues as to where to look...
Gill Sans is on the whole very close, the number 1 is correct (more like a capital i), but the capital J hangs below the bottom, m middle does not go all the way down, and 9 AND 6 are incorrect.. Futura Bold has the correct J, but incorrect 1. Johnson, while it's awesome, is too stylised for this application. Learning lots, have a few close matches, but still can't find the perfect typeface answer! May end up having to learn how to design my own font to match these examples!
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www.scottbouch.com Last edited by ScottBouch; 7th Aug 2017 at 11:02 am. |
7th Aug 2017, 12:27 pm | #29 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, UK.
Posts: 722
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Hi
When I needed the right font for my Stirling model there were many that were close. I suspect that that long ago people just made up stencils for themselves and never released them as a 'standard'. I too only needed to change some small details of the lettering so I downloaded a font designer software package. That allows you to modify any standard font or draw your own. I downloaded two, one wasn't very good, the other was OK. Cheers James Last edited by jamesinnewcastl; 7th Aug 2017 at 12:36 pm. |
7th Aug 2017, 12:50 pm | #30 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Hi James,
Thanks, at least you've shown it is possible! I have used Inkscape before to make SVG's. Inkscape is a free vector line drawing package, a quick google I found this tutorial on making fonts with it: https://www.thoughtco.com/create-you...kscape-1701895 So may try it, but if you can recall the package that worked for you, I may give that a try, as it will probably be easier using a dedicated front creator than Inkscape. Thank you, Scott.
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8th Aug 2017, 5:40 pm | #31 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Another example of the typeface I'm interested in finding / replicating...
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9th Aug 2017, 1:39 pm | #32 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: Lettering on metals - how is is done?
Another application of printing techniques discussed in this thread is the faces of aircraft cockpit indicators / gauges.
This Cold War era Westons brake pressure indicator looks like white paint on black, so possibly an example of silk screen printing? Cheers, Scott
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