For the last 6 months or so I've been trying to find someone that can scan a 33 Pontiac radiator cap so that I can then use the scanned file to have one or more printed. I keep striking out. I found one person who tried but said that because of the detail the scan was not good enough. Has anyone done this before and knows where I can get it done? Thanks.
My first thought is that something that was commonplace in 1933 is so difficult to achieve in today's (so called) "technology advanced world".
I have dealt with scanners some but not sure any of them have been able to scan with that much detail.
I’m no scan person but our cnc guy did this https://matterandform.net/blog/the-hardest-objects-to-scan-paths-to-success#:~:text=Dark vs Light Colored Objects,powder, cornstarch, or paint. shiny or certain colored objects was sprayed with foot powder. The scanner picked up the detail better.
Is there a college in your area that has an engineering, machine design, or machine shop program? Maybe a computer science program...
We had a 3D printer here at work for awhile. A few guys reproduced quality plastic pieces. I’ve no idea how to use one, but maybe it could be used to make molds.
There are 3d scanners at work. They spray everything with flat gray primer to improve the scans. That may be the answer.
That part required considerable handwork and polishing to go from a casting to something ready for plating. I did a stint as a "Metal Artist/Craftsman" for HMW. They did lost wax in porcelain shell castings. Short of die casting, that's about as good a surface as you'll get from casting. The waxes were usually made by making a urethane female from a sculptured clay original. Then the wax or waxes were made from this mold. Occasionally they would use 3D printed waxes. A 3D printer has some minimum resolution. A printed wax would be covered in lines like a CNC machined part. They used them where the speed was of benefit. Pouring waxes was always better, did suck up a bunch of time though. Either way, gates and sprues are added, maybe put on a tree. A raw casting looks like shit, even with the best methods. you saw off the sprues and start hand filing to perfection. It is part of the process. Tumbling in ceramic would remove the file marks. A few rounds on a coarse buffer followed by more on the fluffy one. Then off to plating where it is smoothed out even more. It's a journey from raw casting to pretty part. Parts made from 3D printed waxes required more filing to loose the machine marks. 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen than the other. Depending on what part you can do and what you have to pay to get done, 3D printing may or may not be better. What you are looking for is something bigger than final everywhere. More important not to have voids, they either scrap the part or you have to braze them in. Sucks more than filing. The reality is that you are going to have to handwork anything. I spent weeks of 8 hour days with a file in my hand. I had a friend that worked in a similar shop using sand rather than porcelain, he said there was even more filing going on there (shew!). If you were looking to print these in metal suitable for plating, I would think the resolution of the printer would be less than the scanner, parts were not smooth printed in wax. Mike
The way I read what the OP has put he wants to have them made out of 3d printed plastic, not metal of any sort. though I might be totally wrong.
Posted this earlier in "Barn Finds" when I went to look at what was supposed to be a 1940 Ford pickup. Right next to the truck was this '34 Pontiac two door sedan complete with the hood ornament you're looking for. Could have bought the Pontiac and hood ornament for $13,000.
Hello, Am I the only one that likes that ornament style? If it is old and not new chrome, why not take it to a chrome shop and ask if they can detail it for a new shiny chrome look and feel? Any reproduction will be costly in metal and most likely done in some form of plastic or Lexan. Nothing wrong with reproduction products, but it will not be chrome as it was back in those original days. Our local big factory plastic shop has all sorts of colors in various plastic shapes and pieces. I bought some small pieces for a project I was doing and if needed again, the shop does great business and is still open as we drove by recently. There must be a similar shop or factory in most city industrial shops locations. But, the products are all some form of plastic material. No amount of spray painting or surface coating will make it look like it was in the early stock version. Perhaps a chrome like dip in powder coating will be sufficient. so, the choice is yours. Jnaki Will the cost of reproduction and surface coating be acceptable to your eye versus a re-chromed original metal version? If it were our product, it would have a consultation with a chrome shop expert and treatment, before any other reproduction process is considered. Chrome metal is always nicer and is closer to the N.O.S. look. YRMV A quick search provided this photo and information. There are also several for sale on Ebay: This is just one. Make an offer they can’t refuse… A bird in the hand is worth…….. ???? (pun intended?)
You'll need someone with a very high quality (expensive) scanner to capture that detail. Probably an educational institution or business with a big investment in R&D equipment. The problem with 3D printing is that it's not near a finished product like you already have, a lot of finish work is required. Your best bet would be to make a mould off of your part and cast them in resin or pewter or something, then finish them from there. Scanning and 3D printing very likely won't be cost effective in this case for you.
I can ask one of the CT nerds at the next customer I go to if a CT scan can be converted to solid works or something. It could be accurately scanned this way but this is also typically crazy expensive… As in you are better off just buying that one on eBay.
In my prior life as a mechanical engineer I worked closely with a designer on many projects using 3D scanners. What is typically not understood is that after obtaining a scan there can still be significant manipulation of the data required to produce a 3d model that can be used to machine/print a part. It can be difficult and expensive to find the right person/company to provide this service.
You can 3D scan it, and then do a 3D print with wax for a lost wax copy. Jewelers do this now for rings and the like. Just design them in CAD and 3D print them as a tree in wax. Ba Da Bing, Ba Da Booooom!
There's also the possibility of having it done with a 3D metal printer, but that hasn't become mainstream yet. I've held a few 3D metal printed parts, pretty impressive compared to making molds and castings.
Is the original one a casting ? Sounds as though you already have one and just want to make a/some copies. Maybe get them cast and have some "starving artist" do the detailing .
It's actually pretty accessible now. There are several companies that offer the service online. You upload your drawing file, they give you a quote with various material options, then 3D print it and send you your part. This type of service has been readily available for 7-8 years for printing in both plastics and metals. You won't get high-strength alloys, but it can be done in a variety of metals. The problem is the resolution. He's unlikely to find someone to economically 3D print the detail in the hair and hair braiding with any kind of finished texture that would be appealing. This is best suited to casting, this isn't a great application for 3D printing.
OP: This isn't 3D printing, but; If you're trying for a replication of the ornament, something to look at is the silicones from Smooth-on.com . You'll have to search their site, & maybe talk to a tech for the correct product to use. But it'll make a perfect mold. The problem will be shrinkage in/of whatever medium you choose. The plastics they offer sometimes require both vacuum & then pressure to set correctly. I believe they offer silicones that'll withstand a bit of heat, so if you want a pot-metal-type-substance, that may be doable. I don't have the link handy, but there was a guy that posted a few yrs back, EnglishGent(made an-almost-'32 roadster out of acvw bug sheetmetal), that talked about a low heat, low-cost, metal that could be easily poured. I don't know the shrink-rate of that stuff, but since it was low-temp, shrinkage shouldn't be too bad. Might be worth looking into. & then there's the polishing, & chroming, but that'd be needed anyways. . Marcus...
The Jalopy Journal
