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CNC Plasma Cut Vintage Motorcycle Figures

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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 20:38 - 20 Dec 2021    Post subject: CNC Plasma Cut Vintage Motorcycle Figures Reply with quote

I cut out these 19" long figures from 1/8" steel. I wanted to see how much detail I could fit into this size piece with plasma, which produces a kerf width of about .050".
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Ste
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PostPosted: 22:21 - 20 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Come on people, it's not spam, he's not trying to sell anything.
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WD Forte
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PostPosted: 22:43 - 20 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spam? really?
The guy just seems to be sharing his interests, I see no website or
price lists.
0.050" or 50 thou is 1.27mm, not bad for plasma so with that on a 19" (48Cm) plate
you should be able to get pretty good detail.
How do you create the vectors and what sort of post processing/clean up do you have to do?
Not my kind of thing, but the method is interesting nonetheless.

It reminded me of a box top design experiment I carved out on my wee cnc and had forgotten about
until now so just dug it out ( must put the hinges back on if I can find the buggers)

Its just under 10" long and the top is white faced hardboard
The cuts were filled with black boot polish then clear acrylic laquer sprayed over
it all which gave it a ceramic tile look.

https://imgur.com/X3n9ypE.jpg
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 23:06 - 20 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used CorelDraw to trace lines over a photo of the actual bike. All lines and internal shapes had to be .150" apart to be sure they wouldn't run together. I used FlashcutCNC software to generate the G'code and cut out the shape.

I have to tap the dross off after cutting, and use isopropyl alcohol and a Scotchbrite pad to clean up both sides.

WD - that's a great looking piece of yours.
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WD Forte
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PostPosted: 00:42 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Coreldraw eh? not familiar with that I use Adobe Creative suite
initially then Vectric Aspire which does have a vectorising function
( like Illustrator) but it's far from perfect and often needs to be 'hand finished' especially if you're working with bitmaps as a source.
I've tried Inkscape too but haven't found a magic tool yet.

Finally I pass it to Mach3 to run the toolpaths and hope it comes
out as I wanted
(got a big box of off cuts where it didnt)

I would imagine developing the bridges and voids is the most time consuming of the vectorising process just as in making stencils
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 01:45 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I suppose I use CorelDraw because I am quite familiar with it, and produces 2D dxf files which are dead nuts on it terms of dimensions.

I can scan bitmaps with it, and get a workable exterior outline of the object if there is enough contrast. However, if the bitmap is a photo, as with the bikes, it is less work to manually trace the interior parts. I also have to move things around to get at least .150" between lines and interior shapes. Individual nodes can be manipulated down to almost microscopic adjustments.

Simple shapes like brackets and industrial parts are much simpler, but where's the fun in that?
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jeffyjeff
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PostPosted: 01:47 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

What are these bikes?
I'm guessing (clockwise from 12:00) Vincent, Matchless, Norton Commando, ???, Indian Chief, Ariel Square Four, ???, Center:Triumph Tiger
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 02:38 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely stuff Thumbs Up
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 02:55 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

jeffyjeff wrote:
What are these bikes?
I'm guessing (clockwise from 12:00) Vincent, Matchless, Norton Commando, ???, Indian Chief, Ariel Square Four, ???, Center:Triumph Tiger


Good guesses!

Top row: BSA Gold Star (my first attempt), Vincent Black Shadow, Matchless 500cc

2nd row: Ariel Square Four, 1966 Triumph Bonneville TT Special, Norton Commando

3rd row: Indian Chief, 1951 Triumph Thunderbird
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 08:25 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Impressive stuff. CorelDraw?! I remember using that in the 90s, seem to recall it had a rainbow coloured hot air balloon as the programme symbol in Windows 3.x. Ah, them were the days. Laughing I suspect the version you use is a bit more recent!
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JustinW
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PostPosted: 08:33 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very cool
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Fat Angry Scotsman
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PostPosted: 15:18 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plasmaman wrote:
I used CorelDraw to trace lines over a photo of the actual bike. All lines and internal shapes had to be .150" apart to be sure they wouldn't run together. I used FlashcutCNC software to generate the G'code and cut out the shape.

I have to tap the dross off after cutting, and use isopropyl alcohol and a Scotchbrite pad to clean up both sides.

WD - that's a great looking piece of yours.


Are you using a R-Tech/Xtremeplasma set-up?
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steve the grease
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PostPosted: 16:08 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those bikes are very nice indeed. Our local blacksmith knocks bespoke items or regular sellers like these up by the dozen, Ive seen a Peugeot 205 that he did for someone with good detail, he seems to be able to produce pretty much any design from a windows font or a jpeg, within constraints of course. Biggest problem he has is the dust off the cutting fucks the gears on the chart plotter up.
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Last edited by steve the grease on 02:04 - 22 Dec 2021; edited 1 time in total
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WD Forte
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PostPosted: 16:19 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fat Angry Scotsman wrote:


Are you using a R-Tech/Xtremeplasma set-up?


Here's his rig,
I know little about plasma kit but it looks kinda self build-ish

https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=105199
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 23:33 - 21 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

WD Forte wrote:
Fat Angry Scotsman wrote:


Are you using a R-Tech/Xtremeplasma set-up?


Here's his rig,
I know little about plasma kit but it looks kinda self build-ish

https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=105199


I put this together with some 8020 extrusions and Origa linear rails/cassettes. Totally self build-ish. This wasn’t a kit - pretty easy build though.
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Fat Angry Scotsman
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PostPosted: 02:18 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plasmaman wrote:
I put this together with some 8020 extrusions and Origa linear rails/cassettes. Totally self build-ish. This wasn’t a kit - pretty easy build though.


Very nice and pretty cool it’s self built. I bought a cheap 1.2m x 2.4m CNC set up from ExtremePlasma and it’s pretty solid. Was a mission getting speed and height above material recipes dialled in but wrote them all down now for mild steel (black), galvanised and stainless.

I never thought to make little signage and sculptures before. I mainly mess around making various designs of batarangs Embarassed
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 10:55 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone noticed that the right hand side of most motorbikes seems more interesting and aesthetically pleasing people than the left?

I noticed this when i was trying to find pictures of how people had modified rear brake levers on classic trials bikes. Left side shots are way less common.

If I do an image search for BSA goldstar, 43 of the first 50 images are of the right hand side of the bike.
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Ayrton
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PostPosted: 12:56 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
Anyone noticed that the right hand side of most motorbikes seems more interesting and aesthetically pleasing people than the left?

I noticed this when i was trying to find pictures of how people had modified rear brake levers on classic trials bikes. Left side shots are way less common.

If I do an image search for BSA goldstar, 43 of the first 50 images are of the right hand side of the bike.


I found the same thing when I was trying to find pictures of my bikes side stand so I could make my own. I think it's mostly because of how the bike leans when on the side stand makes it look better from the right and it always looks better with the exhaust in the shot.
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UncleFester
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PostPosted: 13:08 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Coreldraw ... the 90s called, it wants its drawing package back! Not used that in literally decades!!!!!
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xX-Alex-Xx
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PostPosted: 13:20 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ayrton wrote:
stinkwheel wrote:
Anyone noticed that the right hand side of most motorbikes seems more interesting and aesthetically pleasing people than the left?

I noticed this when i was trying to find pictures of how people had modified rear brake levers on classic trials bikes. Left side shots are way less common.

If I do an image search for BSA goldstar, 43 of the first 50 images are of the right hand side of the bike.


I found the same thing when I was trying to find pictures of my bikes side stand so I could make my own. I think it's mostly because of how the bike leans when on the side stand makes it look better from the right and it always looks better with the exhaust in the shot.


Another thought is that and when looking at things on a page/screen, people tend to associate movement as more left->right (at least in Western countries), same as reading direction.
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 19:47 - 22 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I chose the right side of the above bikes for the same reasons. ThE Indian Chief’s right side was complicated by gear shift and brake linkages cutting across the motor, so I did the left side.
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 18:40 - 24 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have always felt that a large part of the wonder and mystique of motorcycles died out when the heyday of British motorcycles passed.

The bloated Harley’s and fiberglass shrouded Honda’s, Suzuki’s, and Kawasaki’s don’t stir the soul as much as the slower, less reliable, but charismatic air cooled bikes I remember from my teenage years. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I was a teenager.
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Mr Hammers
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PostPosted: 12:41 - 25 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plasmaman wrote:
I put this together with some 8020 extrusions and Origa linear rails/cassettes. Totally self build-ish. This wasn’t a kit - pretty easy build though.

What plasma cutter are you using? I ask as i want to build a CNC plasma cutting rig next year, but had problems finding a suitable and affordable cutter. As you probably know, it's recommended that you use an low frequency cutter (so it doesn't interfere with the electronics)...something the UK doesn't seem to do very much..and the only decent one i can find is a Hypertherm 45, imported from the US, which is just over 2k.

I still use Corel btw, (mostly PhotoPaint) thought i was the only one Smile
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Plasmaman
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PostPosted: 21:27 - 25 Dec 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr Hammers wrote:
Plasmaman wrote:
I put this together with some 8020 extrusions and Origa linear rails/cassettes. Totally self build-ish. This wasn’t a kit - pretty easy build though.

What plasma cutter are you using? I ask as i want to build a CNC plasma cutting rig next year, but had problems finding a suitable and affordable cutter. As you probably know, it's recommended that you use an low frequency cutter (so it doesn't interfere with the electronics)...something the UK doesn't seem to do very much..and the only decent one i can find is a Hypertherm 45, imported from the US, which is just over 2k.

I still use Corel btw, (mostly PhotoPaint) thought i was the only one Smile


I am using a Hypertherm Powermax 45xp with a machine torch. It uses a pilot arc to initiate the cutting process. No electronics interference. I have also used their Powermax 800, 900, & 1,000 plasma cutters successfully. Don’t go with one of the cheap Chinese jobs.
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