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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default Any of you seen those decorative laser cut weathering steel light boxes

    Hi lads,

    I've been playing with my artistic cad software and my cnc plasma cutting table, and I'm actually starting to get somewhere with the generation of the cut path. I just cut out a trio of steel panels with a bamboo pattern, and I'm going to make some light boxes to go on our living room wall. The wife was quite impressed just with the bare cut on the uncleaned steel LOL.

    Have any of you seen any of these in peoples gardens. Sometimes they are just a screen mounted to a wall but what looks much better is when a light box is made and they are turned on in the evening. I've seen them when Googling and they look pretty impressive.

    I'm wondering if I should start dabbling in making these and try and make a bit extra cash, or if it's not worth the effort.

    Cheers,

    Keith.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alexandra Vic
    Age
    69
    Posts
    654

    Default

    Without commenting on the saleability of the units, the first thing to take into account is the lightbox assembly that they mount to. While you can DIY for yourself, once you start to sell an electrcal product, it needs to be inspected and certified to meet Australian Standards. Make different sizes etc to accomodate different panels and if there is any electrical variation, each model needs to be inspected and certified, i.e getting model A certified does not cover model B unless they are electrically identical. Testing and certification costs big time. You need to investigate this as a starting point, or alternatively find approved light boxes suitable for your needs, and develop your product as a value add to them.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    belgrave
    Age
    61
    Posts
    231

    Default

    I know someone who does it professionally in "the hills". You see them everywhere now. But always room for a different creative person in the world.
    anne-maria.
    T
    ea Lady

    (White with none)
    Follow my little workshop/gallery on facebook. things of clay and wood.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Heidelberg, Victoria
    Age
    79
    Posts
    2,074

    Default Creative art

    I love that stuff. A friend of mine has a ms panel laser cut out in the form of a fern leaf. It sits outside against the fence with a light behind it, looks fab.

    The steel has just been left to rust adding to the effect. Another friend of mine has a ms panel, 2400 x 1200 punched out to depict an old fashioned Melbourne tram. It's remarkable. He has a metal processing factory and was able to do it in house.

    Are you taking orders?

    Ken

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North Brisbane. Qld. Australia
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    70
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    1,511

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by malb View Post
    While you can DIY for yourself, once you start to sell an electrcal product, it needs to be inspected and certified to meet Australian Standards.
    How about 12 Volt?

    Nev

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default

    The electrical thing has definitely crossed my mind. I'll look for an off the shelf solution, something like low voltage LED lights. I used to be a sparky and I know how much electricity hurts LOL. No wonder they use it for torture, but I guess a lawyer set onto you hurts more. I mainly just need a little power pack with the low voltage output, the lights I could do separate.

    Tealady, it's good to know you've seen them around. Guess that means there is some demand for them. Suppose I need to find out what's out there and how much they go for. I've seen some prices when Googling and I'm gobsmacked, I know I can make them cheaper than the prices I've seen there, and be quite content with the profit margin.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default

    [QUOTE=neksmerj;1596843Are you taking orders?

    Ken[/QUOTE]

    Hi Ken,

    you caught me off guard with that one, and now I'm trying to think of an answer LOL. I'm more than happy to make a buck if I can fulfill your needs.

    My issue at present is I don't have any of my own personal patterns yet. I've pretty much just got to a stage where I can reproduce a cut path from a picture, either by manual tracing in the software or auto tracing, depending on the image.

    Tell you what, if you PM me and give me some contact details, we could have a chat and discuss the options.

    Keith.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Heidelberg, Victoria
    Age
    79
    Posts
    2,074

    Default Site worth a look

    Here's a site that's worth a look, it seems they make laser cut panels you may draw some inspiration from.

    Entanglements Laser Cut Metal Art, 'The Murray' design

    Ken

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Heidelberg, Victoria
    Age
    79
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    2,074

    Default PM sent

    Beefy, PM sent.

    Ken

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default

    Thanks for that site link Ken, I think I've actually seen that one before.

    I've sent you an email with my contact details on by the way. Much easier to communicate with email than PMs.

    I'm always collecting links to those sort of sites, some nice looking stuff on them. I've noticed some of the patterns keep cropping up on many websites so I'm guessing certain patterns are not copyrighted. I managed to "decode" the construction of one very common geometric pattern using hexagons. I've seen this particular pattern as a basic wall decor in a couple of back gardens. I can even modify the thickness of its lines or change the pattern where the hexagons meet. Sorry if I'm going on a bit, it's been a long journey to get to this stage with all the learning and the building of the table, and software looks so innocent on the CD but it has had me pulling my hair out with the learning curve. It's exciting to start seeing things come together.

    Keith.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Rural Victoria
    Posts
    358

    Default

    I work for a company that makes them, have designed quite a few myself. Yes, they are expensive.... but when you consider that a company has to employ someone to draw these things and they may take a few hours to design and then convert into G-code.... and sometimes we get customers who see a photo in 'House and Garden' and bring us a very dodgy photocopy which we then need to spend hours converting to a usable CAD file.... it is extremely cheap. Our 'programming' charges would easily be a tenth of a Graphic Designer, and our skill ten times higher, and even when we get a dxf from a Graphic designer it still has to be 'fixed' so that the software can put a usable toolpath on it..... and don't get me started about architects.... LOL!

    The steel to which you refer to is called Core Ten or HWS350, yes very pretty, but as a restorer of vehicles and owner of machines tools I spend most of my time trying to prevent rust. I suppose they have to recycle old Fords into something usable

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default

    Hi Gerbilsquasher (I'm still having a chuckle when I read that),

    I totally agree. I've started another thread about a folding machine, related to this matter, and in one of the posts I mention about all the costs involved, and that's before any custom artwork. Being at the entry level with this I was just going to create my own artwork and put them up for sale, and see how that went. Then when my speed of reproducing art was fast enough I'd probably start the custom stuff. I like the idea of ready made patterns the customer can choose from, which I can then scale to whatever size they want and produce a new cut file. I won't make as much this way but at present it's just a bit of extra cash. No doubt I'll probably get drawn in to custom stuff within a short time after I start producing.

    I do auto tracing and manual tracing in my software. Auto is great if the quality of the original is fine but well, you'll no doubt know the story with that one. Also as you'll know many customers don't understand that the finished product is not like drawing on paper, it actually has to hold itself together, and the pattern they give might have a lot of "holes" that just drop out after the cut. That's where the artist skill would have to come into the equation, and change the pattern, then the customer has to be happy with the revised design. I hope your company gets compensated for all that business time. It's reminiscent of my present business and the quoting time and expense, which I never get compensated for if they don't go ahead. Do you guys have much problem with customers not expecting to pay for the design time, I mean the actual cutting time can be small compared to the labourious time spent in the creation of the art work and the cut file.

    Hey I'm a little bit like you. My business at present is excavation but my passion is metal (my garage is now a small machine shop) - and rust is just metal going bad LOL. Personally when I see Corten (Xlerplate is the Australian version) I see rusty steel, but lots of people love it. I like the way it gets called a patina, makes it sound real chic, but I suppose it can look good against the right background, I find beige seems to contrast quite nicely.

    Keith.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
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    155

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher View Post
    and don't get me started about architects.... LOL!
    Actually I'd love to hear about architects. IF this little venture of mine was to get underway they would be one of my potential customers. Would I regret approaching them

    Are they like beginning engineers that design stuff. One example I heard was a lot of bolts so close together you couldn't get a spanner or socket in to tighten them.

    Keith

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    belgrave
    Age
    61
    Posts
    231

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by beefy View Post

    Tealady, it's good to know you've seen them around. Guess that means there is some demand for them. Suppose I need to find out what's out there and how much they go for. I've seen some prices when Googling and I'm gobsmacked, I know I can make them cheaper than the prices I've seen there, and be quite content with the profit margin.
    Don't go under cutting too much. They are prolly aware of all the costs. And now much "design" is actually worth.
    anne-maria.
    T
    ea Lady

    (White with none)
    Follow my little workshop/gallery on facebook. things of clay and wood.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    155

    Default

    Thanks Tea Lady,

    perhaps I need more people telling me that.

    My present industry, tight access excavation, has more involvement in domestic than commercial so there's not as much cash available. As a result I've earned less in this industry than if I'd had a basic job. It's also a very unsophisticated market with no glamour, no legacy left behind, and is generally just viewed as an operator digging in dirt. It has knocked me down quite a bit and perhaps I'm thinking lower than what I should. I've done so much quoting, travelling to the job, chatting for an hour to educate the customer on what's involved and all the stuff they never though of, then travel back home and they don't go ahead with it. That's probably why I'm a little bit averse to custom design and one off stuff but maybe with these panels the target audience has more appreciation of the unseen work involved.

    Instead of counting sheep each night I'll repeat what you said

    Keith

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