The Astroliner

[me&z]

Only one more suggestion. If you have another scrap of glass, make a test of your boomerang moon. Having done a bit of "lightpiping" in a previous career, I think you are going to get too much light bounced out of the moons. It could overwhelm the rest of the design.

Compare the rocket to the stars in your test piece. Now imagine how much more light the larger, solid moons are going to kick out.

Maybe if you start by making the moons just a double outline, you can tell if they will be too bright. You can always fill in the middle to make it solid but you can't undo the etching.

[Atomic77]

Only one more suggestion. If you have another scrap of glass, make a test of your boomerang moon. Having done a bit of "lightpiping" in a previous career, I think you are going to get too much light bounced out of the moons. It could overwhelm the reset of the design.

Compare the rocket to the stars in your test piece. Now imagine how much more light the larger, solid moons are going to kick out.

Maybe if you start by making the moons just a double outline, you can tell if the will be too bright. You can always fill in the middle to make it solid but you can't undo the etching.

Good point. And it's a pretty large piece overall. I will be cutting it soon. I'll have to find some glass and do a test.

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[me&z]

Back in the day, we used white-out (typewriter correction stuff) to simulate how the light was going to be reflected out of the acrylic for automotive backlighting. Easy to wash off and retry. Usually we only had a few prototype pieces to play with and we needed to get balanced lighting before going into production. Did a decent job at predicting how the pad printing would work. And was the first step towards molding in the texture on the back side of the lightpipes. We never wanted to have the molds textured until we knew appearance was approved.

I quit doing that work before LEDs were in use. But Z continued until his last design job. It worked with LEDs too.

[Atomic77]

Back in the day, we used white-out (typewriter correction stuff) to simulate how the light was going to be reflected out of the acrylic for automotive backlighting. Easy to wash off and retry. Usually we only had a few prototype pieces to play with and we needed to get balanced lighting before going into production. Did a decent job at predicting how the pad printing would work. And was the first step towards molding in the texture on the back side of the lightpipes. We never wanted to have the molds textured until we knew appearance was approved.

I quit doing that work before LEDs were in use. But Z continued until his last design job. It worked with LEDs too.

Fellow Artists! Nice!
Here's a bit of the backstory on the divider. Originally I had pictured a piece of rectangle shaped, solid frosted glass.



The idea was to protect the Media Center from cooktop splatter while also dividing the two spaces of the Galley and Aft Cabin. After I decided to add artwork, I considered making the artwork clear, with the panel mostly still frosted. Then came the idea to do LED's. At that point, it occurred to me there would be too much "frosting" for the lighting. (As you are suggesting.) That's when I decided to reverse it. All that in mind, the highest % of the glass will still be clear. (I'm thinking out loud with all this jibber.) I still want the panel to be a "screen" that divides fore and aft. Also, it will be illuminated less than half the time I suppose. Anyway, once I get some vinyl cut I'll go to the dollar store and buy some picture frames and steal the glass out of them for test carvings. Then I'll know how much is too much, etc.

My Mother is also an Artist, who has found it challenging to understand the Retro-Futuristic, Mid-Century style that I love. I was trying to explain "Googie" to her. Everytime I said "Googie" she was thinking "Google." I kept saying she grew up in the fifties and sixties and should remember that style! Recently, we were in Florida together and passed a little roadside Motel. I said, there it is! That is the Googie style I've been talking about! We pulled in for pictures and she says, now I get it!! Lol! Gotta love it...





http://www.astroliner.blogspot.com

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[me&z]

Not artists. Mechanical Engineers. But all stuff on the dashboard of your car has backlighting, color matching, and fit issues that the ME has to design for.

But good training for camper building.

[Atomic77]

Here we go, it's the final draft. I think we have it all worked out. Sized and printed, then cut full size on vinyl. I think this one is it, but one can never really say for sure until it's etched in stone, er, I mean glass!

Here it is on Paper:


Here it is on cut Vinyl:


There are very few places in town that can still do hand-cut glass. I found this one and can't wait to get it cut. The Mid-Century vibe of the shop is incredible, authentic and original! My kind of place.





Enough art for now. Astro is de-winterized, cleaned and we are off for a little road trip. Headed south for a few days to camp at a friend's vintage woodshop so I can finally finish the woodworking. I still have the bathroom door, closet door and drawer fronts to make. More on that to come in the next few days.

Here's a quick shot from the road when we stopped at a McDonald's for the worst fish fillet of my life...



http://www.astroliner.blogspot.com

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[Atomic77]

I have really been chipping away at unfinished items on my to do list and I'm starting to see the fruits of my labor. My friend Kent has been kind enough to let me use his shop and some really nice tools to get some things done. This morning I started out with breakfast, after a night of barn- lot camping. It's been a good bit of an escape and so quiet!



I'm working on finishing cabinetry but spent the day fabbing up a much needed backsplash for the bathroom. As careful as we may be, water still splashes on the Birch and it bugs me. The Flake don't care but I still wanted some protection there.

This is before I started



Before paint





I was so "in the zone" I forgot to take pictures, but here's the finished product anyway.











Back to making doors!

Happy Building...

http://www.astroliner.blogspot.com

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[OP827]

It is a Spaceship!

[featherliteCT1]

It is gorgeous!

[Atomic77]

It is a Spaceship!

Thanks Oleg

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[Atomic77]

It is gorgeous!

Thank you

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[Atomic77]

So far I have Nine Doors and Drawer fronts cut and working on sanding and finishing. If you have ever made custom cabinets, you know how tricky figuring out overlays, hinges, etc can be. We cut all the pieces and literally had the width of a saw blade left over! Too close for comfort. Cabinet grade 3/4 Birch ain't cheap, so we had to make it work! I don't really have pictures, as it takes a lot of steps with little to show for it. But, just so you know I'm making progress, here is a shot of the Galley fronts and a couple cabinet doors. All rough cut and ready for sanding.





Matching all the grain and sap lines was a challenge, but I believe it will be worth it in the end.

Happy Building my friends...



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[KCStudly]

[twisted lines]

Matching all the grain and sap lines was a challenge, but I believe it will be worth it in the end.

Happy Building my friends...


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That does line up very well, so far mine could not be any more different

[Atomic77]

Matching all the grain and sap lines was a challenge, but I believe it will be worth it in the end.

Happy Building my friends...


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That does line up very well, so far mine could not be any more different

Well, thing is... it doesn't just magically happen that's for sure. It took a lot of pre-planning to get it all laid out. I'm a stickler for making the grain all run the same way, anyway. But I really wanted it to flow through each piece without waste. That's where my friend Kent Smith came in. He has been a Master Craftsman for over 40 years and has taught me a lot! Admittedly, I'm a metal and composite guy. Woodworking is a much more technical art, but I do have my moments! Looking forward to get some Lacquer sprayed this weekend.

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