# Custom badge



## Pantmaker (Oct 9, 2014)

I recently got this custom badge made for a project bike I'm doing. I have seen several badges here on the Cabe from the same guy and always loved the beefy look of the various designs cut deeply into the brass. Compared to the others here mine comes off as very flat and with the logo and background both polished, the image is just about impossible to see. Im looking for some ideas to create some visual separation between the logo and background without painting it....i.e. matte vs polished etc.  Also attached is a photo of the badge thickness compared to a US penny.


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## Duchess (Oct 9, 2014)

Maybe engine turn the background. Would look good on brass. Might be kind of a pain to do without hitting the details. You could also selectively patinate it—mask whatever part you'd want to keep bright and hit the rest with bottle patina, which is basically salt and acid with a little chemical for varying color. After, you an shoot it with clear. This is copper with a spray on the outside:


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## volksboy57 (Oct 9, 2014)

*making badges is fun*

I have not tried painting my badges yet, but I have used a sharpie, and it seemed to work well. The negative shapes were really small though, instead of having large open areas.. I tend to have rough, dull brass where the acid has etched, and it is usually enough to see the artwork pretty well.













This one was amazingly hard to do. I use a vinyl plotter, and have to hand weed all the details out. Some of the smallest work I have ever done.


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## Pantmaker (Oct 9, 2014)

*nice*



volksboy57 said:


> I have not tried painting my badges yet, but I have used a sharpie, and it seemed to work well. The negative shapes were really small though, instead of having large open areas.. I tend to have rough, dull brass where the acid has etched, and it is usually enough to see the artwork pretty well.
> 
> View attachment 172711
> View attachment 172710
> ...




Your stuff is really great and has the look and feel of what I was expecting for mine. It's the dull brass that I want in the background. That would solve my problem. How thick are your badges compared to mine? I wonder if I could mask off the polished logo on mine to protect it and hit the background with steel wool to rough it up.


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## volksboy57 (Oct 9, 2014)

*it has been awhile*

I am not sure the thickness I used. I think it was .015"  
I am pretty sure it was thicker than yours. Good luck masking it off and roughing up the background. if you can mask it off cleanly, maybe hitting it lightly with a sandblaster will give you a uniform result??


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## Jkrate1985 (Oct 11, 2014)

Pantmaker said:


> Im looking for some ideas to create some visual separation between the logo and background without painting it....i.e. matte vs polished etc.  View attachment 172697View attachment 172698




I'd go for a light/fine sand blasting to give you the matte finish in the background.   For taping I'd use the vinyl fine line tape usually blue in color available in different widths (I use 3m).   With 1/16 or 1/8 you should be able to make the corners on the raised area eliminating a lot of cutting.   Vinyl also let's the sand "bounce" off protecting the polished surface and keeping a sharper line better than masking tape.  My $.02


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## Pantmaker (Oct 11, 2014)

*Thanks*



Jkrate1985 said:


> I'd go for a light/fine sand blasting to give you the matte finish in the background.   For taping I'd use the vinyl fine line tape usually blue in color available in different widths (I use 3m).   With 1/16 or 1/8 you should be able to make the corners on the raised area eliminating a lot of cutting.   Vinyl also let's the sand "bounce" off protecting the polished surface and keeping a sharper line better than masking tape.  My $.02




Your two cents is right on the mark. I'm going to pursue something along these lines. Thanks a bunch. Great comments all around.


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## Pantmaker (Oct 16, 2014)

*Bammmm*

Nailed it.


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## GTs58 (Oct 16, 2014)

That is SWEET!

Edit: Forgot to ask what project that is going on.


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## 72 Slik Chik (Oct 16, 2014)

This one is particularly brilliant! I would love to have a t-shirt with that logo 



volksboy57 said:


> View attachment 172712
> []


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## Pantmaker (Oct 18, 2014)

*Project*



GTs58 said:


> That is SWEET!
> 
> Edit: Forgot to ask what project that is going on.




I was asked to build a bike for a fitness company that wants to test using a bike as their "open" sign...all tricked out in their logos, colors etc. They roll it out on the sidewalk in the morning and roll it in when they close. Ha...hope they like it...they are nation wide.


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## GTs58 (Oct 18, 2014)

Ahhh, now I can quit racking my brain trying to figure out what that design could be. Guess I shouldn't ask how you got tied up in doing a bike project for a fitness outfit.


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