30 replies to this topic

[BALDY_MAN]

a piece of art. in the making well done

[johnm]

Amazing work.
you are taking a peice of art and making it into somthing new, yet, just as beautiful.. maybe even better.

[Mr.D.]

I'm wanting to cut the apple logo out, save it, glue it onto something clear, glue that something clear back in place on the inside of the case, then illuminate the clear something. I tried to mock it up for you in Google's Sketchup but I am in fact retarded and cant figure out how to use it and gave up. I imagine that you can picture something this simple in your mind. I have always been a learn by doing rather than a plan, plan, plan guy.

Needless to say, I need to cut curves - tight curves. I don't think anything short of a laser or water cutter (or a milling machine perhaps) will do the trick for me.

Thanks for the tutorial though - I'm sure it will be useful to lots of people on here!

[movinginthedark]

BALDY_MAN, on 13 September 2012 - 09:00 PM, said:

a piece of art. in the making well done

That's very kind of you to say, thank you

johnm, on 13 September 2012 - 09:32 PM, said:

Amazing work.
you are taking a peice of art and making it into somthing new, yet, just as beautiful.. maybe even better.

Cheers mate - that means a lot. I hope it doesn't disappoint

Mr.D., on 13 September 2012 - 10:29 PM, said:

I'm wanting to cut the apple logo out, save it, glue it onto something clear, glue that something clear back in place on the inside of the case, then illuminate the clear something.

Well, it depends how large you want it.

If you're looking for tight curves then a jigsaw is definitely gonna be the way to go. If you have a dremel and a lot of slitting discs you could slowly cut it out this way, then just clean up the edges with a file afterwards - it wouldn't be too difficult.

You mentioned illuminating the outline through a plastic sheet. How thick is the illuminated outline you're going for? 5mm/10mm/15mm all the way round?

What I would do is draw up the logo to size on your computer making sure you have both the inside and outside lines on the same drawing (so the waste is the 5/10/15mm illuminated section), print it out scale 1:1 and using spray adhesive (the 3M stuff from staples) stick it to your side panel.
Cut the inner section first (remember to stay on the outside of the inner line i.e. you're cutting into the waste, as it's the centre piece you want).
Once this is done, cut the outer line (remember to stay on the inside of the outer line i.e. you're cutting into the waste, as it's the panel you want to keep)
Throw the illuminated section away,
Debur the edges with a file/deburring tool
Use double sided tape to mount your acrylic and inner logo section.

If all this sounds too much, jump on the nearest search engine and look for local laser cutters and get some quotes, although a lot of them will probably have a minimum order charge.

Note: This might just be my Sketchup, but if you draw your logo out and export it as a .dwg drawing to be opened by their cad drawing - get them to double check the dimensions with you as my Sketchup upscaled all my exports to 1:1.97, which was very weird. So just check that before you order anything

[Mr.D.]

The idea was to cut the apple logo out that's etched into the side panel of the G5 case I have. As you know, that aluminum is pretty thick. Then I wanted to glue the cutout to a piece of clear plexiglass or Lexan that is larger than the apple shaped hole I just cut, and then affix that to the inside of the panel. Then run some el-wire around the plexiglas or Lexan to create the glowing apple window. There is no way to cut that apple out with a jig-saw cleanly, its has too tight of curves. same problem with a cutting disc with a Dremel.

I have priced laser and water cutting - Whoooo boy is that expensive!

Thanks for the ideas - the odd thing is that if I get a laser cutting shop to create a whole new door for me with the apple logo cut out, its cheaper than cutting a hole in the existing door. I might think about that option - after I rob a bank or win the lottery.

[johnm]

Mr.D., on 14 September 2012 - 05:13 PM, said:

The idea was to cut the apple logo out that's etched into the side panel of the G5 case I have. As you know, that aluminum is pretty thick. Then I wanted to glue the cutout to a piece of clear plexiglass or Lexan that is larger than the apple shaped hole I just cut, and then affix that to the inside of the panel. Then run some el-wire around the plexiglas or Lexan to create the glowing apple window.

Getting a bit off topic here... i thought at first you wanted a clear side with the aluminum apple logo.. now I think you want to light up the logo like a macbook pro..

i think the OP meant one of those table mount jigsaws that hobbyists use. not a handheld unit. you can get some fine metal cutting and diamond blades. but those panels are thick. you might be able to rough cut it with some power tool then file it into perfection..

[Baudouin]

you're not walking in the dark at all !!! beautifull and neat work.

Mr.D., on 13 September 2012 - 10:29 PM, said:

I'm wanting to cut the apple logo out, save it, glue it onto something clear, glue that something clear back in place on the inside of the case, then illuminate the clear something.

I used a dremel with diamonds blades, several of them, and finished the curves by hand.

[snackole]

More pics

[Acro_Design]

sketchup is great isnt it! could i have a copy of your g5 model? was your milling machine btw, was it CNC? sorry so many questions its nice to see somebody with similar ambitions and skills.

You use sketch up and illustrator so you must be a designer. Could i point out that perhaps the window that will be cut on the side of the case doesn't really fit the proportions of the case, might I propose a round window, like the lion login portrait. sand blasted apple and back light . sorry i know its none of my business.

I will shut up now, i cant help it when i get excited about a project.

[Mr.D.]

johnm, on 15 September 2012 - 01:51 AM, said:

Getting a bit off topic here... i thought at first you wanted a clear side with the aluminum apple logo.. now I think you want to light up the logo like a macbook pro..

i think the OP meant one of those table mount jigsaws that hobbyists use. not a handheld unit. you can get some fine metal cutting and diamond blades. but those panels are thick. you might be able to rough cut it with some power tool then file it into perfection..

Quit right about off topic - I'll take the rest of my questions to a PM. With regards to a table mounted jigsaw, I didnt know such a beast existed until I looked it up - however, I still dont think that would be a good idea for cutting that side panel on the G5 case (at least not it I want to save the waste).

Baudouin, on 16 September 2012 - 11:02 AM, said:

I used a dremel with diamonds blades, several of them, and finished the curves by hand.

Again, not a good choice if I want to save the waste. Think of what I want as a cookie cutter. I want to remove the apple logo, then use that which I removed again in a window (yes, much like the macbook pro).

Sorry if I took up too much space in this thread trying to figure out what would work for me - this is movinginthedark's thread.

[pukujuhla]

Holy {censored} fingers... that is some great work!  keep it up!