The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Homage Tektronix Circuit Computer: Laser-Engraved Painted Hairline

    Having established that laser-engraving the hairline fuses the protective film to the PETG cursor, I wondered if the bond would allow filling the hairline by painting it with good old Testors enamel:

    Tek CC - Painted Hairline - finished
    Tek CC – Painted Hairline – finished

    Which is, straight up, the best hairline I’ve ever made!

    I use a fine-tipped paintbrush, but there’s no need for finesse:

    Tek CC - Painted Hairline - mask detail
    Tek CC – Painted Hairline – mask detail

    After the paint has cured a bit, peeling the film removes everything that isn’t inside the trench:

    Tek CC - Painted Hairline - mask removal
    Tek CC – Painted Hairline – mask removal

    The clouds on the clear side come from PETG vapor condensing on the transparent film protecting the bottom of the cursor.

    A closer look through the cursor shows bubbles in the bottom of the trench, presumably from boiling PETG:

    Tek CC - Painted Hairline - detail
    Tek CC – Painted Hairline – detail

    The hairline measures 0.3 mm across and, unlike previous attempts, is perfectly consistent from end to end.

    Now I can go into mass production:

    Tek CC - Painted Hairline - production
    Tek CC – Painted Hairline – production

    I love it when a plan comes together …