TUT - Making serial plates with Soda Cans

[CoryBee]

Quick and easy tutorial on making cheap serial plates for your projects

_Supplies List_

Avery #18665 - "Avery 18665 Clear Full Sheet Inkjet Labels"

Any Clear Coat Paint - I am using Rust-oleum Picture

Soda Cans - Preferably not diet because diet soda sucks

Serial Plate Template - Provided by Tighe Lory

Clamps\Iron & Patience


Cutting the can to size (be careful not to cut yourself - gloves maybe)





The Aftermath





Once you get the piece just right you can either iron it (takes forever) while bending it - "not recommended"





I am making a bunch so I decided to go the press route. I have 8 pieces clamped between two scrap pieces of smooth MDF
MDF isn't over it completely in the first two pictures for illustration purposes









Keep the clamps as tight as possible to ensure a perfect flat surface 

_All of these techniques have been taken from aluminum paper craft websites_

[CoryBee]

Flattened



Cut out the image and apply -carefully, it is fragile and very sticky- to the can





A light coat of the clear coat - Too much and you might make the ink run

[mcseforsale]

subscribed...

AJ

[CoryBee]

Finished product - Just drill small holes to accept the screws in the corners, there are little dots to guide you.



_______

[jammin0]

Sweet   
Do you go to work? Sleep?  Keep the good stuff coming.

[CoryBee]

Sweet   
Do you go to work? Sleep?  Keep the good stuff coming.

I am my own boss 

Sometimes I forget to sleep.......

[CoryBee]

What do you guys think?

[ccmathome]

Looks really good will do something like the for my next cab. >.< already got a few cabs designed in sketchup, just need to figure out which one I want to make. The flash is kind of killing it can't really tell if the aluminum is showing through.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[CoryBee]

Looks really good will do something like the for my next cab. >.< already got a few cabs designed in sketchup, just need to figure out which one I want to make. The flash is kind of killing it can't really tell if the aluminum is showing through.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Yea sorry about the flash. The aluminum shows through pretty well.

[GnobarEl]

This is great!
I will use it when I buil my arcade cabinet.

Thanks for sharing.

[rablack97]

Very cool man....

My only thought is I would modify the design to get rid of those sharp sides and edges, unless your wrapping the label around the can.

Slip of the hand around those suckers and your headed to the hospital....

For protection you might even consider, getting you some lamination sheets, sandwiching the plate and running it through a hot laminator.  They even make business card pocket, scale down the design to fit and it will seal the entire plate....no sharp edges....

[threedprof]

Really awesome idea! Thank you for sharing

[CoryBee]

Really awesome idea! Thank you for sharing

Extra mini-tron serial plates is a good idea

[griffindodd]

You win 10 Internetz points for this, now I'm off to buy some soda

[DaOld Man]

 

[mcseforsale]

Agreed ^^   

Idea (and template) officially stolen:



It's going on this:



AJ

[CoryBee]

Hell yea! All I needed was ten internet points to afford my pirate flag 

[CoryBee]

Agreed ^^   

Idea (and template) officially stolen:

I am glad my post has been inspiration enough for others to improve their already awesome MAME machines!

I stole the template from a KLOV member so feel free!