INTERIOR, Laminated dash knobs

[shoebox72]

My first attempt at tech,so bear with me.

I know you can buy them, but I don't really care for the clear in the center of the bought ones and making your own will add another touch that makes your car"yours"
Alot of you probally know how to make them, but if you're not sure, here's how.

I'll start by listing the supplies/tolls needed for the job.
1.1/8 in.plexiglass,acrylic or lucite,in whatever colors compliment the interior of your car.My plastic supply house has a binfull of end pieces, cut mistakes,scrap Etc. that I buy out of at a big savings over having them cut me some off a full sheet.
2. Adhesive."Weld on" #4 water thin,for acrylic.available at plastic supply house.
3. polishing compound. For acrylic. I use Dico brand. also at plastic supply house.
4. Acid brush. for applying adhesive.
5. scale (ruler)
6. a bandsaw with a fine blade. Too aggressive a blade will chip the plexi.
7. a table saw with a fine blade,not really necessary but it makes cutting down larger sheets a little easier.
8. a belt sander with an 80-100 grit belt.
9. a buffing wheel.
10. an assortment of sandpaper,40-400 grit.

Leave the protective paper on the sheet and draw a grid of 1 X 2 in. squares on both (colors) sheets of plexi. This is a good size for dash knobs, shift knobs should be a little larger.
Cut the squares out on a table or bandsaw.
Note: The reason for cutting the plexi. first is, then bonding, as opposed to bonding large pieces together then cutting them into smaller squares, is that the adhesive dries VERY fast and both pieces must have a wet wet coat of adhesive when stuck together. Very hard to do on large pieces.

For this example I used red & white. 7 pieces will make 1 knob, 4 red, 3 white. i start by lining up the squares in alternating colors to make 1 block. I then pull the paper off one side of red & white, apply adhesive to both pieces with an acid brush and quickly press both pieces together and hold for a few seconds while they bond.
Then pull the paper off the other side of the white and one side of the next red piece and bond the same way you did the first till all 7 pieces are bonded together. Wrap the block in a rag & GENTALY clamp in a vice for for 10-20 minuites to ensure a strong bond.
Note: The reason for leaving the protective paper on the pieces till just before bonding is to keep dust & the oil from your skin off the surface as it makes for a weaker bond, and you still want paper on the outside of the block.

Now I've got a laminated block with paper on each side. Draw out the basic shape of the knob on the paper. I chose a teardrop for this example.

I cut the shape just drew out on the bandsaw.

I then fire up the belt sander and work the piece to get it as close to the final shape as possible. Keep the piece moving and dont exert tooo much pressure, let the belt do the work & be patient. It takes me about 10 minuites to shape a knob on the beltsander. When you're done with the belt sander, if you have a few spots of melted acrylic The 40 grit will knock them off quickly by hand.
Now it's all hand sanding the knob up to 400 grit & you have no scratches. The finer grits you can water sand the knob.

Next step is to laod up the buffing wheel with the polishing compound, hold the knob tightly and keep it moving over the wheel. It will polish up quickly & without much pressure.

Now you can drill it and mount it.

Please let me finish posting photos before commenting or asking questions. I know it was kinda long winded but i wanted to add as much info as I could.

Billy

The supplys you'll need.

[shoebox72]

block bonded & basic shape cut out on bandsaw

[shoebox72]

After shaping on the beltsander

[shoebox72]

Final sanding with 400 grit paper

[shoebox72]

Polish it.

[shoebox72]

The finished product, ready to be drilled & mounted. The end.

[daign]

Tech week RULES. Awesome post and pure genius.

-Dane

[C9]

Very, very nice Shoebox72.

Haven't seen these done in a long time.

I would like to make one small recommendation if I may.
Drill and tap prior to buffing.
I do a lot of aluminum and brass stuff and if they are drilled & tapped prior to buffing and a bolt installed for a handle, it's a lot safer as pertains to the buffer grabbing it and flinging it off into the shop somewhere.
Just be sure to buff on the "tighten" side of the threads so you don't unscrew it with the buffer and lose it.

If you mount a headless bolt into the goodie you can use it as a mandrel on a drill press and perhaps do some additional shaping there.

Regardless, good stuff.
Gets my vote....

[lowsquire]

wicked!!
Im doin it.
one question..what is an acid brush?is it resistant to the glue?

[katzenhammer]

Thanks, this is a great tech post!

Justin

[Rocket88]

Great post!
I might have to make me some knobs for the Olds.

[dondanno]

Cool man reminds me of Jr High we would make those in the 70s. Damn I am dating myself. .Danny

[Unkl Ian]

[ QUOTE ]
..what is an acid brush?is it resistant to the glue?

[/ QUOTE ]

These are the cheap disposable brushes sold for applying flux when soldering Copper pipe.
They are made from Horse hair,so solvents won't disolve them.
Probably each 35 cents in the plumbing section at Home Depot.

[KnuckleBuster]

My only question is where to find a plastic supply house?

Can't seem to find one locally...

[dondanno]

"Tap, Tap Plastics"

[2tall2beahotrodder]

What size block(in inches) to make a shift knob? like 6" X6"?


Thanks,

steve

[kustumizer]

Awesome post, i saw this in a old car mag and was thinking about making a few tonight! Nate

[shoebox72]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

C9, Thats a good point you bring up about drilling them before polishing them. I should have recomended that but in my case, I make them at work (don't tell my boss)and bring them back to my garage and drill/tap to fit for each individual application. Also, taping for a screw to use as a handle is a good idea cause they will launch pretty hard if you don't have a good grip on them while polishing.

Try looking in the yellow pages under plastic suppliers. I get my stuff from Modern Plastics, Bridgeport CT.

Billy

[sleeper]

Cool...We used to make those in my high school wood shop class..I think I'll head over to TAP this weekend..

[shoebox72]

Rat, I'd recomend 2X4 inch max for a shift knob. Regardless, it should be longer than wider or it will look like a popsicle.

Thanks, Billy