3D Printed Ford Battery Case Help

[ford38v8]

Can you come up with a color infused solution to eliminate the paint altogether? As you know, paint is short lived, while the older a battery case gets, the more authentic it looks.

[WarbirdPhotog]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

Can you come up with a color infused solution to eliminate the paint altogether? As you know, paint is short lived, while the older a battery case gets, the more authentic it looks.

The paint helps to hide any micro texture from the 3D printing itself. I don't mind the paint, especially since as it wears, it'll give the battery an authentic look. If the paint is done correctly, it should last a long time as I don't plan on handling the battery all that much once it's built.

But yes, I can go out and get different black filaments of various finishes. But paint, in this instance, will help me achieve a better, closer look to the original.

[WarbirdPhotog]

Another quick update, I thought I'd show how I am constructing things like the Ford script on the caps. So, it starts with the high-resolution photos I took of the original case I'm borrowing from the Early Ford Parts Store. From there, I manually trace the Ford script and turn it into a path.



It takes a while (and checking the photos and the original case to get all the lines right).



I then can turn it into a shape and export that through a program as a .SVG file.



Then, I can import it into my 3D program and set it to the correct size and height based on my measurements.



I even added a raised/lowered surrounding area around the FORD to mimic the raised and lowered stamping impressions on the original caps.



Next, I'll be doing a test print once I get the .2mm nozzle! Coming along, slowly, but getting there. Hopefully, I'll have this all done by next month.