User Name
Password
AppleNova Forums » Creative Endeavors »

Happy Mac car emblem (was "Car vandalized. What next?")


Register Members List Calendar Search FAQ Posting Guidelines
View Poll Results: What should I do about the missing emblem?
Leave it as it is. 2 5.71%
Try to find a replacement piece. 3 8.57%
Make my own custom emblem. 30 85.71%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll

Happy Mac car emblem (was "Car vandalized. What next?")
Page 2 of 3 Previous 1 [2] 3  Next Thread Tools
Iago
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Hmm?
 
2010-02-15, 12:28

"It now says cook where it once said COCK, pass where it once said PISS and BABTRIDGE instead of Partridge."
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-15, 12:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by 709 View Post
clown nose ftw.

"I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how? I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?"

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-02-15, 12:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
"I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm funny how? I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?"
Make this your horn, and you'll win the intarwebs.
  quote
Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Over Yander
Send a message via AIM to Ebby  
2010-02-15, 17:53

I had someone steal a Porsche emblem on the back of my car a long time ago. I went out there and asked what he was doing to. Probably a good idea I didn't beat him up since he used a large razor/knife to rip it off. left all kinds of scratches and had to have the back repainted.

Grrr... thieves suck.

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
SSBA | SmockBogger | SporkNET
  quote
Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2010-02-15, 19:16

Boobies.
  quote
Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-02-15, 19:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebby View Post
I had someone steal a Porsche emblem on the back of my car a long time ago. I went out there and asked what he was doing to. Probably a good idea I didn't beat him up since he used a large razor/knife to rip it off. left all kinds of scratches and had to have the back repainted.

Grrr... thieves suck.


That's awful.

But I guess on the bright side, all he took was the emblem. It could have been worse, y'know. A drunk driver could have smashed into it on your first day in the neighborhood and then sped off.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
  quote
zsummers
Avast!
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York?
 
2010-02-15, 19:48

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post


That's awful.

But I guess on the bright side, all he took was the emblem. It could have been worse, y'know. A drunk driver could have smashed into it on your first day in the neighborhood and then sped off.
Or instead of a Porsche emblem, it could've been a 10 year-old Saturn emblem.

Or in my case, a Trek bike emblem...

Love,
Car-less in L.A.

"How could you falter / when you're the Rock of Gibralter? / I had to get off the boat so I could walk on water. / This ain't no tall order. / This is nothing to me. / Difficult takes a day. / Impossible takes a week."
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-15, 20:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by zsummers View Post
Or instead of a Porsche emblem, it could've been a 10 year-old Saturn emblem.
Seriously! At least Porsche is still in business. My baby is a collectable now!
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-20, 17:10

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
Possible, but unlikely. See that little bit of red plastic in the middle? I did a little research on replacements and apparently there are two holes and the emblem has two plastic feet that go into the holes to help hold it in. The red piece that's left there shows sure signs of breakage, see?

...

I don't think plastic just "falls off" with uneven, sharp edges like that.
So, after fifteen minutes of contorting my arms between the engine and front bumper and twisting with pliers... and I've confirmed that this must have been vandalism.



That's the center peg that was still sticking through and that was holding the emblem to the bumper. This plastic isn't very brittle; so, the jerkwads must have pried the thing really hard to break it off. At least I can take solace in knowing that they didn't get away with the whole emblem as a souvenir or something.

Now that the guidance holes are clear, I'm starting work on the replacement emblem!

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-21, 18:40

I slow-printed Happy Mac on photo paper, superglued the print to high impact polystyrene, and coated it once with a matte acrylic sealer and then once with a gloss acrylic sealer for weathering protection.



Modeling cement bonds the plastic pieces together and superglue holds the bolt in place, reinforced with a little dab of hot glue around the edges.



And it's a near-perfect fit! Not bad for a first try.



The black in the emblem seems a lot lighter in the photos than it does in Real Life™ for some reason, but otherwise I think it looks great!



Lemons → Lemonade.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
Quagmire
meh
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-02-21, 18:50

So once the car dies, are you going to change the emblem to the sad Mac?



  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-21, 18:55

  quote
dmegatool
Custom User Title
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: At home
 
2010-02-21, 19:26

Nice work Brad ! It's really awesome. I would totally steal that one
  quote
curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2010-02-21, 19:38

Sweet!
  quote
Iago
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Hmm?
 
2010-02-21, 19:39

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
I slow-printed Happy Mac on photo paper, superglued the print to high impact polystyrene, and coated it once with a matte acrylic sealer and then once with a gloss acrylic sealer for weathering protection.
Scott Forstall approves.

  quote
Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-02-21, 22:27

That is awesome. Brad is the coolest

The rest of you are on notice. Those little white Apple logo stickers won't cut it any more. The bar has been raised.
  quote
billybobsky
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Inner Swabia. If you have to ask twice, don't.
 
2010-02-22, 11:20

i am a little disturbed by the face within the face on the front of your car, Brad. but nice work!

oh... if the superglue gives on the bolt, try 5 minute epoxy next time...
  quote
alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
Send a message via ICQ to alcimedes  
2010-02-22, 11:45

That's great. Do you normally park in that spot by the way? Having owned two Saturns I always glance below for the oil drips.

And I to would totally want to steal that emblem now.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2010-02-22, 12:34

That's the one downside of this, Brad. You've gone and made something 5x cooler (and more steal-worthy) than the original Saturn emblem! The first Mac geek that sees this is gonna want it. Hope you made a few. You know, for backups? Good luck with that!
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-22, 13:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by billybobsky View Post
oh... if the superglue gives on the bolt, try 5 minute epoxy next time...
Good point! I'll consider trying that on v2.0. I was fortunate to be able to make v1.0 using only leftover materials that I had at home, but I don't have any epoxy. $0 budget!

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
That's great. Do you normally park in that spot by the way? Having owned two Saturns I always glance below for the oil drips.
Fortunately, that's not my oil. I've checked! Since I live in an apartment complex, all of the parking spaces are already well-stained with oil drips.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
And I to would totally want to steal that emblem now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
That's the one downside of this, Brad. You've gone and made something 5x cooler (and more steal-worthy) than the original Saturn emblem! The first Mac geek that sees this is gonna want it. Hope you made a few. You know, for backups? Good luck with that!
True. Making it was a little slow the first time as I was thinking through adhesion, the guidance peg, etc., and I did only make one, but I could easily crank another out on a lazy afternoon if someone yanks it.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2010-02-22, 13:13

Have you considered covering it with a transparent resin to avoid further theft?
  quote
alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
Send a message via ICQ to alcimedes  
2010-02-22, 13:24

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mugge View Post
Have you considered covering it with a transparent resin to avoid further theft?
We used that stuff at an old job of mine to try and preserve leaf/plant samples for viewing, and found it was kind of tough to get it to work without leaving a bunch of bubbles in the solution. That looks pretty decent, I'd worry the resin would either cause the paint to bleed into it or end up making it harder to see.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
  quote
Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2010-02-22, 14:15

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
We used that stuff at an old job of mine to try and preserve leaf/plant samples for viewing, and found it was kind of tough to get it to work without leaving a bunch of bubbles in the solution. That looks pretty decent, I'd worry the resin would either cause the paint to bleed into it or end up making it harder to see.
Yes, you would need to do a test somewhere on the car's paint where it wouldn't be noticed. I was thinking about applying it with a brush one thin layer at a time in order to avoid bubbles.
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-02-22, 19:22

Looks like today was a perfect test for my weatherproofing. Raleigh was smack-dab in the middle of a rainstorm system and the downpour was briefly heavy at times.



I was elated to see when I walked to my car this evening that my Happy Mac was still happy.



The good news? Happy Mac lives to see another day! The bad news? It looks like my sealer didn't completely cover the bottom edge, as you can see some of the black Sharpie ink (that I used on the edge of the plastic) starting to seep upwards into the image.

Still, not bad for a first attempt! I'm satisfied.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2010-02-22, 20:22

Maybe you can get a temperature or humidity sensitive ink so it changes from Happy to Sad Mac depending on weather.

Or you could splurge and go for OLED and have custom icon control from inside.

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
  quote
billybobsky
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Inner Swabia. If you have to ask twice, don't.
 
2010-02-22, 22:21

As for sharpie bleeding -- there are industrial strength sharpies that are water resistant.

Though I would be inclined to seal the edges with a black lacquer/acrylic...

This has to be my favorite DIY project I have seen for a while.
  quote
RowdyScot
Ice Arrow Sniper
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Great Bay Temple
Send a message via AIM to RowdyScot Send a message via Skype™ to RowdyScot 
2010-02-22, 23:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by Curiousuburb View Post
Or you could splurge and go for OLED and have custom icon control from inside.
...THIS!
  quote
drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2010-02-22, 23:46

Nice work.
Very impressed.
Time to go cottage, if you asked me.


...
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-02-22, 23:59

That really is good work Brad! I love it. Most will never notice the bleeding you can see in the pic, maybe pull it and reseal?

OLED is just cool.

Oh, you might want to add this recent pic to the PCT in CE. I actually really like the image too.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
zsummers
Avast!
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York?
 
2010-02-23, 20:02

So. Cool.

Next, replace your sideview mirrors with iMac G4 display arms and screens hooked to rear-facing cameras.
  quote
Posting Rules Navigation
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Page 2 of 3 Previous 1 [2] 3  Next

Post Reply

Forum Jump
Thread Tools
Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Happy 4th everybody <3 Robo AppleOutsider 23 2009-07-06 13:59
Happy Anniversary! FFL AppleOutsider 13 2009-01-29 19:44
Are you happy with your life? Satchmo AppleOutsider 48 2007-09-18 17:14
Happy Pi Day!! 3/14 kieran AppleOutsider 14 2007-03-16 01:25
Happy Easter Moogs AppleOutsider 3 2005-03-27 12:52


« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:01.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2024, AppleNova