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Post by aluomala on Mar 3, 2018 22:59:59 GMT -5
Hey all. Taking the time to post a few pictures of my works from my new AR4Pro+. What started off as a hobby has morphed into a small business venture. I have been carving out badges of various military units, with a goal of gifting them to my old friends (I served 20 years in the Canadian army, as a tank crewman) and selling to people who serve(d) in the Canadian military. I had the good fortune to happen upon another Canadian soldier who was doing the same thing that I was, and we have formed an informal partnership and are making/selling to people who are interested. He discovered a young 3D artist in Russia who takes the various reference photos that we send him (some are from the official Canadian military websites, and others from other sources on the internet) and creates the 3D models needed to carve them out. We have around 30 files between us and keep trying to get more created. I'd give you an email for him, but he's a university student and does the artwork in his spare time, and is already behind schedule for a bunch of badges we are waiting on  . I'm not sure how it works in the US, but in the UK and Canada all military badges/insignia are copyright protected (in right of the Crown). It is quite an ordeal to get permission to use the various badges/insignia for commercial purposes, so much so that I have only received permission for 3 so far (the Canadian Airborne Regiment (disbanded in the 90's), the Physical Fitness&Recreation Instructor (that trade was retired in the 90's as well) and the parachutist specialist badge). Otherwise, permission has to be obtained from each unit Commanding Officer, and even then there are strict regulations in place. I have received permission from my former unit to use their badges, but that is only to create plaques, etc for their use, and for sale through their "kit shop" (not sure what the equivalent would be in the US, but basically an in-house canteen where t-shirts, hats, etc are sold) and directly to serving/former soldiers (custom work only). These are all just iPhone photos I took as I was working on them. I plan on having a "photo shoot" to get nice shots to post to my website and FB business page (neither are live yet). First photo: Parachutist specialist badge (AKA "jump wings"). Walnut Second photo: Plaque with cap badge of the former Canadian Airborne Regiment (in purpleheart). Third photo: A combination of 2 units' cap badges: on the left is my former unit, the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), and on the right is the Military Police branch badge. I made this for a friend who served with me, and then changed trades to become an MP. |
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Post by aluomala on Mar 3, 2018 23:00:27 GMT -5
Part 2: First photo: Unit cap badge for Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). Sapele. Second photo: Medical corps cap badge plaque I created for my wife (she served 26 years, with 2 tours to Afghanistan). Purpleheart Third photo: Lid for a crib board that I am gifting to a rest area at my former unit. Maple, from a table-top that I purchased at Habitat for Humanity ReStore (a great place to get wood to practice on, and if you're lucky, the wood has nice grain and no defects). I shopped at HfH exclusively for wood once I realized how much of a PITA it was to glue up wood (for larger pieces), and how cheap the cabinet-doors they carried were (they had a sale once to clear them out since they had so many, and I was able to pick up around 20 doors at $2.50 each, and each yielded at least 2-3 board feet of 5/8 - 3/4" panels in maple and oak. Even at their regular price of $5.50-$7.50 (for larger doors), that's a steal. |
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Post by aluomala on Mar 3, 2018 23:01:36 GMT -5
Part 3: First photo: Royal Canadian Air Force pilot wings. Figured maple Second photo: Detail of a much larger (19" tall) badge I did of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) badge. My machine got caught on the dust collector hose (my fault) and lost steps, so the badge itself is kaput, but I finished it to touch up details, etc. Sapele (single piece) Third photo: Cap badge of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, in quarter sawn maple. Didn't turn out as stunning as the flat wood would have lead me to believe. |
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Post by aluomala on Mar 3, 2018 23:14:09 GMT -5
Part 4: First photo: Badge of the Canadian Rangers. Quarter sawn maple. This is by far the nicest grain I have achieved yet (need to sand and oil it yet). Same piece of wood as the RCD badge (in post above), so I'm definitely only using the remainder of the wood for flat pieces. Attachments:
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Post by ricphoto on Mar 4, 2018 0:12:51 GMT -5
Beautiful work I can see how you were able to make a business out of it...the detail in some is really great...I especially like your old unit badge (3rd photo in the 1st post)...
Bring them down to Seattle and I'll trade you a professional photo shoot for some lessons ;-)
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Post by aluomala on Mar 4, 2018 0:16:56 GMT -5
Thanks Ric. Luckily, my eldest daughter has a good eye for photography, so I'll be leaning on her for my better quality photos (for website, etc).
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Post by gerry on Mar 4, 2018 0:19:24 GMT -5
Very nice work...
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Post by Mezalick on Mar 4, 2018 8:44:23 GMT -5
Very nice....Good looking models..
Michael
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Post by branson on Mar 4, 2018 9:32:48 GMT -5
What bits are you using for the finished detail and profile cuts? I can’t find any machining marks in your designs and am curious at how you accomplished that? I have to clean up a lot of lines out of my models and am interested to hear your methods.
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Post by aluomala on Mar 4, 2018 12:06:44 GMT -5
What bits are you using for the finished detail and profile cuts? I can’t find any machining marks in your designs and am curious at how you accomplished that? I have to clean up a lot of lines out of my models and am interested to hear your methods. For roughing, I am using Amana 46294 1/4" Ball nose, pass depth of .125", stepover of 41%, feed of 100ipm. My friend recommended this. Initially I was doubtful, but I haven't had ANY lines from tearouts (which I occasionally had from using 1/4" upspiral endmills) so this might be the most critical part of the operation. For finishing, I am using Amana 46282 taper ball nose 1/32" radius (1/16" diameter), stepover of 7%, feed rate of 125-150ipm, spindle speed 16K RPM. Occasionally I will use the Amana 46280 taper ball nose (1/64"radius, 1/32" diameter) to get the fine detail in the lettering (where the letters are very close together, or close to the banner edges), but I will first do a regular finishing pass with the 1/32" radius, and then create a vector boundary/border, and do a second (or third, depending on what bit I started with) pass to clean up those areas. I experimented with rest machining to accomplish this, but it was far too "hit or miss": it creating halo-ing in the worst possible areas, and took far too long to accomplish. I have vector files for the majority of my models, and if I don't, I use the Trace Bitmap ("bird" icon on Create Vectors section on Drawing tab) to get rough outlines, and then edit the nodes, and use a boundary offset to create a clean border/boundary to work with. I have found these settings work best for me (a colleague of mine that uses AR4Pro+, who actually convinced me to buy this machine, has been helping me find best balance of feeds/speeds for these carvings, since we use the same models). I used to think in terms of minutes/seconds (for finishing passes); now, I think in terms of 6 hrs, 12hrs (overnight runs on the machine.... no bad mojo... yet), etc and it helps me relax and let the machine do the heavy lifting. I could probably just knock the dust and errant wood chips off of these and then lightly sand (or use 3M pads) and finish them, but I have been "working the wood" to get them to be the best they can be (I usually overwork them and sand off detail  ). I use sanding mops and small sanding blocks with 120/150/180/220g and then 3M pads (green, then grey) where I didn't dare sand (the rounded details). I have been following a few posts here (and on Vectric forums) regarding this issue (getting good detail) but haven't had the time to jump in and give my 2 cents [my machine was delayed in shipping (2-3 weeks turned into 9 weeks) so I had a ton of models/projects ready, and I've been running my machine 12-18 hrs a day almost every day since I've gotten it.... many mistakes (which I haven't posted pictures of, since I feel bad about making such simple (yet educational) mistakes) were made along the way. If I could offer 2 pieces of advice to people who want to achieve fine detail, it would be these 2 points: 1) buy the best bits you can afford. You'll notice I have been harping on about Amana bits. I have spent $2000-$3000 on them in the last 2-3 months (ToolsToday.com has been a god-send, since I get them 2 days after I order them (I pay for premium shipping, which includes the duty/border fees, but getting them in 2 days is a near miracle, considering I wait 7-10 days for pretty much anything else I order from the US, using standard shipping). I used the cheap, crappy router-style bits for far too long, and wasted a lot of time/money/effort with them. If you are going to spend over $5000 on a CNC machine, buy bits designed for CNC cutting. Period. I have been using the same 1/4" ball nose bit for about 10 projects, and it seems no worse for wear. I have swapped out my 1/32"r bit (I bought a 5-pack on ToolsToday) just to give it a break, but I think I could have kept using it. I also bought a 1/4" compression bit (it has up-cut on bottom of bit; down-cut on top) to do the profile passes on plaques with straight 90degree edges, since it prevents chipping on both top and bottom. Realistically, I could just use a downspiral to prevent damage to top of piece (not really concerned about bottom that much) but having it is handy (albeit it is relatively expensive). 2) As I mentioned above, think in terms of hours/fractions-of-a-day, not minutes/seconds. I could use bigger bits and larger step-overs to cut out the pieces faster, but I would be spending way too much time getting rid of machining marks, sanding, etc. We all purchased expensive computerized cutting machines: let it do the heavy lifting. I have lost complete days-worth of work due to a stupid mistake (not zeroing the machine; not using a seperate last pass on a profile cut (purpleheart chips VERY easily, and that Airborne Regiment capbadge plaque was almost ruined because of that, and I spent a few hours trying to recover from that (by sanding it flat on the edges/border, and it still looks horrible); not paying attention to rapid z-gap clearance distances (if you have "islands" or parts of your model that aren't getting cleared out, having too small of a z-gap clearance will allow the bit/spindle to hit these areas as it transits the piece, causing lost steps (at the least) or catastrophic damage (at the worst). I hope that helps people a bit. If I get some down time (unlikely since I am almost ready to open my website and FB business page, and I expect orders to come flooding in, since this is an under-served market in Canada, and we are also moving to a much bigger house in May, so I will have to move my shop and be shut down for a short period) I might come up with a bit of a tutorial or documentation on my process, with some of my "wisdom" from what I've learned along the way. But, realistically, if you follow what I offered above (and start with the best source materials (3D models and woods)) it isn't too mysterious/difficult. Allan |
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Post by RetiredAFChief on Mar 4, 2018 12:55:59 GMT -5
Nice work, working on something like that now....
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Post by ricphoto on Mar 4, 2018 13:09:42 GMT -5
Appreciate those pointers and will look forward to your "tutorial"
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Post by stevem on Mar 4, 2018 17:38:20 GMT -5
Your detail work is fantastic! It sure sounds like you have the corner on making these items considering you can't seem to make them fast enough.
While we discussed to problem with your coulper, I think that no matter what machine you have, long cutting times are what you have to put up with to get the fine detail you have.
I have a friend that has a older Shark and has made 12-18 hour cuts with a router no less. his work is quite nice as well, but with the volume you need, you're only solution is to get another machine. Because we talked about this, I don't think it would matter what you get, you will still have long cut times to get the excellent quality of work you're producing.
If you still have the Shark, why not make them on that machine as well?
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Post by traindriver on Mar 4, 2018 20:44:46 GMT -5
Wow, that is fantastic! I absolutely love the detail in the "Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), and on the right is the Military Police branch badge" from the first set of pictures. The cabinet door thing is a good tip. Congrats on the launch of your business. I hope it goes well. Here in the U.S., our military insignia are not copyrighted. There's a guy who has a website where you can buy some of the crests here. He also takes requests, but it looks like he's backed up quite a bit. Branson: I also use the Amana 1/16" diameter ballnose bit. I run at 100 ipm, around 15,000 rpm, 8% stepover. Sometimes, for bigger jobs, I'll use an 1/8" diameter ballnose, 100 ipm, 15,000 rpm, 5% step over. I have been so fascinated by what the machine does, I haven't been playing too much with speeds/feeds until recently, and I've got some scorched bits as proof. I have been cautious about upping the feed rate, but I think rather than slow down the spindle, I can easily up the feed somewhat. When I first started doing the 3d models, I only used the 1/8th inch bit, and I had tool marks I had to sand out. I talked with one of the guys from Vectric at the international woodworking show in Atlanta 2 years ago and asked how they got their display samples so smooth and they said they came that way straight off the machine. The guy quickly diagnosed by my machine time that my stepover was too big. I had been using the default value for stepover, and after making that adjustment, everything came out much better. The 1/16th bit takes more time, but provides a more detailed end product, especially if it's small. |
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Post by garylyb on Mar 4, 2018 23:05:40 GMT -5
Wow, that is fantastic! I absolutely love the detail in the "Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), and on the right is the Military Police branch badge" from the first set of pictures. The cabinet door thing is a good tip. Congrats on the launch of your business. I hope it goes well. Here in the U.S., our military insignia are not copyrighted. There's a guy who has a website where you can buy some of the crests here. He also takes requests, but it looks like he's backed up quite a bit. Branson: I also use the Amana 1/16" diameter ballnose bit. I run at 100 ipm, around 15,000 rpm, 8% stepover. Sometimes, for bigger jobs, I'll use an 1/8" diameter ballnose, 100 ipm, 15,000 rpm, 5% step over. I have been so fascinated by what the machine does, I haven't been playing too much with speeds/feeds until recently, and I've got some scorched bits as proof. I have been cautious about upping the feed rate, but I think rather than slow down the spindle, I can easily up the feed somewhat. When I first started doing the 3d models, I only used the 1/8th inch bit, and I had tool marks I had to sand out. I talked with one of the guys from Vectric at the international woodworking show in Atlanta 2 years ago and asked how they got their display samples so smooth and they said they came that way straight off the machine. The guy quickly diagnosed by my machine time that my stepover was too big. I had been using the default value for stepover, and after making that adjustment, everything came out much better. The 1/16th bit takes more time, but provides a more detailed end product, especially if it's small. Just to clarify, the US military insignias are trademarked or copyrighted. You have to apply for permission to use them. I know that the US Navy recently did a sweep on Etsy and took down a bunch of items. DoD sealsThe guy you pointed to appears to make up his own version of the insignia, his version is not the official one. |
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Post by arsystems on Mar 5, 2018 9:56:47 GMT -5
dude those are absolutely stunning. incredible work!
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Post by arsystems on Mar 5, 2018 9:59:41 GMT -5
what program are you using - did you specify and I missed it?
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Post by aluomala on Mar 5, 2018 10:22:05 GMT -5
what program are you using - did you specify and I missed it? Thanks for the compliment, and no I didn't mention the software: Vectric Aspire. I had a copy of VCarve Desktop that I was able to do an upgrade with, so I figured that since I'm trying to make a go of this as a business that it would be a worthwhile investment (and I reckon it has). I wish they had a "hobbyist" version (maybe a maximum project size, or maximum IPM) so that more people could use it, because only a hardcore hobbyist would be able to afford the full version. Allan |
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Post by arsystems on Mar 5, 2018 10:45:30 GMT -5
Yeah I can't justify buying that... Nice work though, those are absolutely beautiful.. some of the nicest I have ever seen.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2018 1:24:58 GMT -5
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Post by aluomala on Mar 6, 2018 12:17:39 GMT -5
Thanks, Fean! I was thinking of using an electric/battery toothbrush as well, but never got around to trying it. It would be interesting to see if there are more rigid bristles available for those things. I was thinking of adding some type of backing and Velcro to a toothbrush head to attach 3M pads to get into the slightly deeper areas. I bought a Micro-Make mini-sander ( link). I also got the file-set. It has it's limitations (finer sandpapers with PSA backing are fairly difficult to find, and the sandpaper they include is junk, but I cut heavy duty Velcro pieces to size to fit on the heads and use hook-and-loop backed sandpaper (very easy to find, particularly in finer grits). I have a damaged hand (a run in with a table saw a few years back....) so it's difficult to grip anything too tight and sanding is a PITA as it is, so anything I can find that helps on that front is worth the money (within reason). Thanks for the link to 2L. I looked at them before, but didn't pull the trigger. Will give them a look-see to see what they have that Amana/ToolsToday doesn't carry (or I can get for cheaper). I didn't know that about the coatings (I was hoping that that might help if I cut acrylic (to prevent sticking to bits). I might do some brass cutting/engraving down the road, so not sure if that will help and/or be worth the premium for the coating. |
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Post by TTT on Nov 9, 2019 21:50:04 GMT -5
Just a question about the 3d models. Where would I purchase the Canadian military 3d models that you have? I have many vector ones but have no idea how to convert them even with the online tutorials. I was looking to save time and just purchase them. any help is appreciated. I've searched all over and have had no luck. thanks
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Post by aluomala on Nov 10, 2019 19:54:51 GMT -5
These models were custom made for me. I share them with a group of other soldiers that are doing the same thing, so I can't really share/sell them without their permission.
Allan
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Post by Danny on Jun 20, 2020 22:13:59 GMT -5
Part 3: First photo: Royal Canadian Air Force pilot wings. Figured maple Second photo: Detail of a much larger (19" tall) badge I did of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) badge. My machine got caught on the dust collector hose (my fault) and lost steps, so the badge itself is kaput, but I finished it to touch up details, etc. Sapele (single piece) Third photo: Cap badge of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, in quarter sawn maple. Didn't turn out as stunning as the flat wood would have lead me to believe. Where can i get the Royal Canadian Dragoons file? |
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Post by aluomala on Jun 21, 2020 15:28:01 GMT -5
You would have to contact a 3D artist to have it made (I can't share the file, sorry).
Allan
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Post by redwood on Jun 22, 2020 12:12:08 GMT -5
Have you used any of the 3D Wave models?
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Post by aluomala on Jun 22, 2020 20:07:37 GMT -5
Have you used any of the 3D Wave models? Yes I have (tbut not the Canadian military official crests... I don't care for them, since they look "cartoony"). The guy I use (Russian university student) is excellent, and cheap (compared to N American prices for 3D artists). I am having an issue with PhotoBucket, will post some images in a bit. |
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). I use sanding mops and small sanding blocks with 120/150/180/220g and then 3M pads (green, then grey) where I didn't dare sand (the rounded details).
