How to Easily Make Awesome and Authentic Cast Metal Lettering - it's Cheating

[@OzGecko]

Neat process with a great outcome. Agree with the other commentors that having short single-topic videos like this is good.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks Dominic! I was pretty pleased with it and easy too! :)

[@MichaelMantion]

@@PaskMakes Agreed shorter videos are better. You could have cut a couple minutes off this. Really a great idea. I actually think I will do this. I bet the same mold would work for silicon (mixed with baking soda) and a bunch of other things. Would be cool to put custom lettering on a hat or coat or something.

[@olestampevestergaard4746]

I love longer form videos and prefer them, short form videos are also fun sometimes, and this was great, going on my "things to do" list

[@jdmccorful]

Skill takes time! Enjoyed watching, thanks.

[@johanneswerner1140]

I like having these short videos for small tidbits of information - makes it easier to find it again (like "which one of the long videos has the explanation for the thing I'm looking for? The water tank kumiko? The propeller?" I also like the long form ones!

[@juneritchie2498]

Looks great! You asked about having it as a separate video or including the process in a build video. I really appreciate having the dedicated video - makes it easy to find or to save in a 'how-to' playlist when I want a refresher.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks June and thanks for the feedback. :)

[@Syberz]

@@PaskMakes I was just about to say the same thing as June here, separate How-To's are great! I wouldn't mind seeing the bigger project first and then the How-To, should that somehow be easier for you to do.

[@1nvisible1]

*Great for prototyping and set making. Viewers may not understand the barrier to the real deal is a $70K US casting project.*

[@nobodynoone2500]

Agreed, I'd have possibly not caught this tip if it were buried in that video.

[@TheVoidSinger]

That's a great post-construction method. A friend of mine shared with me a quick an dirty method for casting name/number plates.... take some cheap sticker number/letters and place them on a piece of styrofoam, spray the styrofoam with a cheap acrylic paint, styrofoam pits and melts around the stickers, remove them for reuse, and you do a normal lost foam sand casting on the remaining foam form,. once cast, you can coat the recesses (or leave raw) and sand/buff the raised design, and maybe drill some mounting holes. Gives very crisp high vis lettering, in an absurdly short build time.

[@Bob_Adkins]

When Neil mentoned he was searching for the best filler for the lettering, JBWeld instantly came to mind. That stuff is truly amazing, it's always my first choice. FYI it's expensive in small tubes, but dirt cheap in the largest tubes.

[@marcusretaken72]

I love it, and I love the short how-to videos. They are going to be more detailed than you could get within a much longer video.

[@PaskMakes]

Glad you enjoyed it Marcus! You right, this does let me show the method in more detail. :)

[@jeffgoldenberg9579]

Great idea. Try using blades and gouges meant for linoleum and woodcut printmaking; they're much finer/smaller. Speedball is (or was?) one of the biggest brands. You can get them at any art supply or craft store. Cheers.

[@SeanD313]

Excellent idea! Those would work perfectly for fine details.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks Jeff! I did have a couple of homemade ones (I made a video on it) but I gave them away to someone wanting to try carving. I need to replace them. :)

[@skeezix8156]

The fact that he made those letters look that good with what he has is astounding. Reminds me of the lettering on the old ferry boats where I live. Excellent work sir !

[@larrybud]

That was ingenious! This is absolutely my favorite channel in the "maker" category.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much Larry! :)

[@Sztivmon]

Definitely love the experimental videos for the detailed small parts of larger builds. It always helps that you're narrations are just such a joy to listen to.

[@withoutatrigger]

Neil could narrate a trip to the grocery store and I would probably enjoy that.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks Steven - glad you enjoy the narration, it's something I don't find easy but hopefully I'm getting better with each video. :)

[@tomclevenger5668]

About 10 years ago my wife bought me a nice set of carving knives. They are still in the packaging they came in untouched. This gives me a reason to use them, and my wife will be happy. My lathe will be the first thing I'll put my name on. Thanks

[@Crewsy]

Nothing wrong with a short “outake” video as a how to. Like June mentioned, it makes finding or saving them much easier. The V gouge worked great and the JB Weld seems like a great choice for the letters.

[@roynielsen1911]

Brilliant idea Neil! This shorter video was perfect to call out the simple technique.

[@snoddyification]

To the point. Clear, no fluffing about. No blah blah. Awesome. Thanks. Subbed.

[@vesslewiththepesstle]

I just noticed the 1 million subs, congratulation on a huge milestone, I've been watching for 5 years, you've come a long way.

[@Enigma-Sapiens]

This is great, I'm glad you showed it separately, thank you!

[@uncledave8857]

That's cool! And the kayak looks good up there on the wall.

[@philipp4025]

I missed these nifty easy-to-make, homemade workaround ideas of yours and this is a prime example! I have to say though, that I thoroughly enjoy the more sophisticated ones as well and haven't missed out on any of your uploads for the last 3 years

[@elisabethreeves1786]

I appreciate having this process in a separate video so I can reference it without watching a whole project video. Also EXCELLENT use of HDPE for a mold.

[@موادقيمة]

Man, didn’t you know that there are ready-made letters that keep you from leaning on plastic, there are ready-made letters that you ignite with fire to make letters with ease, and using wax to make it easier to remove letters with ease, I don’t know what happened to you, you were the first to do this wonderful work, MADE IN ENGLAND

[@samanthadean1083]

I like having a separate video for this! Also can’t wait to see your Drill Press Stand!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@georgecunningham9175]

Does your ingenuity know ANY bounds? I am consistently amazed.......................

[@johnszpak1512]

Pretty neat. Also, got my Kumiko jigs in the mail recently and did my first panel this week. As you would say “I reckon it came out pretty good”. Cheers.

[@PaskMakes]

That's awesome John - thanks very much! :)

[@johncheek07]

I love seeing it on its own instead of burying it in a longer video. Very nice skill. Thanks for sharing.

[@dakotamax2]

Never seen this done or even imagined it could be. Another amazing revelation of creativity.

[@mhpjii]

No question: Neil is the most creative, diverse maker on KZbin.

[@en2oh]

this is GREAT! talk about using a vehicle to teach a concept from. Many of us won't be tagging our machinery with raised letters, but the principles are useful well beyond this project. Thanks again for sharing this!

[@kerrygibbs8198]

Heck yeah, this definitely deserves it’s own video. This is inspiring!!! If this wasn’t it’s own video- I think I would have missed it!!

[@brunopmcosta]

Sir, you just blew my mind. There is so many possibilities of applications of this process

[@teresab.1448]

I love what ever you make!!! Thank you!

[@stevehood10]

Never had any desire to do this - until now! I agree with others, I'd much rather things like this are broken out particularly if you're experimenting before the actual job. Great video once again.

[@mandyleeson1]

Fantastic result, Neil and I really like separate hints/tips/instructional videos, as it’s easy to miss a process in the longer ones. 🌟👏🏼

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much Mandy! :)

[@SmilefortheJudge]

I got hooked on carving in the late nineties. I’ll never forget when my pop caught me carving out back. He was oldschool and didn’t realise how much carving can go from habit to necessity.

[@starlightnixie]

Short process/technique how-to videos like this are definitely a welcome format.

[@danceswithaardvarks3284]

Fantastic. I made a small hydraulic press a while ago and wanted to give it a vintage "Made in Birmingham" look. It's was a great functional addition to my workshop, but I never figured out how to do the lettering. This technique will allow me to revisit the press and realise my original vision, so thanks very much.

[@darrylbuckett5380]

Nice one Neil, yet another skill you've added to your vewry long list of skills. Cheers from the west

[@ELCADAROSA]

From one Neil to another … Well done! What’s nice about the individual shorts like this is they can be saved on each viewer’s playlist for future reference without having to search through many videos.

[@rickdoby7361]

This is a great idea! I was an engraver in a stationery shop for 30 years. We use to print out the artwork with a laser printer or make copies of the art on a copier that uses toner. Position on the work piece printed side down. Dampen the copy with acetone. The acetone will transfer the toner to the work piece and leave a faint image of the art. I know this technique works on wood and metal but I'm not sure if it will work on plastic but I'm going give it a shot. Let me know if anyone else gives it a try.

[@robjchristopher]

Fantastic work Neil - I really fancy giving this a go. A short stand-alone vid like this works for me, thanks for sharing.

[@doc3164]

Again, you've knocked it out of the park!!!! Whatever this was is perfect...short, detailed, separate videos. Thanks again!

[@Tom-xn7zc]

That's so cool! I appreciate the fact you made a separate video to show this process.

[@JohnBodoni]

This is one of those brilliant ideas that seem obvious in hindsight - of course it's easy after you see someone else do it! Neil, thanks for sharing the idea and the technique with us. I'm also going to echo what others have said: I love any video you release but sometimes searching for a specific topic can be difficult, so the short videos are a win.

[@PaskMakes]

Glad you enjoyed it John! :)

[@Mentheus]

Thanks for the great Video, really love the dedicated Video for it showing people some neat little tricks. Used this technique myself for some decor and two handy tricks for people wanna try it. Nr.1: Light! good lighting while carving will give you at least a bit more contrast on the white cutting board material while carving. Nr.2: from my experiments filling the carving and then having a very thin layer on the workpiece itself gave me higher a better result, makes feathering easier or even can give you that little stamp roughness effect.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

This is brilliant. JB Weld is an amazing substance and it never ceases to amaze me how many different ways people find to use it.

[@W4TRI_Ronny]

I thought for sure the JB Weld would stick to the HDPE surface but that is a neat way to make a mold! Wonder what PLA or other 3D printing plastics would work.

[@kylebija]

Same thought. I'm curious to experiment.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

Your hand carving is how early cast material was lettered, but today, they have a big typewriter to make metal plates to install in the molds. The plates would be held to the wood molds with screws, and if you can add screw heads to the process, it would add even more realism, and having minor errors in the process makes it look even more realistic!

[@dass1333]

That looks spot on. Adds a vintage aspect missing from modern production.

[@Joe___R]

That is a nice idea. It really does look a fair bit like casted lettering.

[@Qopzeep]

Definitely a separate video. I think many people will find this useful for their diy/arts & crafts projects, while they would skip over a video about a drill press stand. And that would be a shame because this is a really useful technique!

[@GunnerAl9]

Very creative idea - way to think outside the box. You did a great job explaining each detail of the project without over-explaining it. Your voice is very clear and the pace is spot on. Now I have to figure out what project I can apply this to because when I watch something like this, I have to try it at least once in my wood shop. If I don't attempt it, I can't really recommend it to others or say anything bad about it. I think I can add it to a steel ammo can for the Marine's Rank and Name. I build a lot of retirement and leaving service awards and shadow boxes. I can see how criminals would use it to make fake items.

[@jonareli]

Super cool and simple. I like the video format too

[@MrAwawe]

If anyone's having trouble carving the letters they might find it easier to switch to a serif font (the kind that have little lines at the corners of the letters, Times New Roman being a popular example). The serifs were originally an artefact from when the Romans and Greeks were carving the letters into wood or stone.

[@sgsax]

Very cool effect that is relatively easy to do and get great results. I'm a fan of shorter form content (5-10 min), so I really enjoyed this focus on a single process. Thanks for sharing!

[@paulolsen4867]

This makes a great stand-alone video. It is better as a reference if people are searching for guidance and want to attempt this for a project.

[@randelcross]

Brilliant Neal, definitely worthy of its own video.... this is a clean looking project with not metal edges or rivets to catch on your clothes. Love it! Cheers...

[@thomask4836]

Pask, you are brilliant! What a great idea! I've used those cutting boards for so many projects in the workshop that I keep 6 or 8 of them on hand on a shelf. At less than a dollar each, they are a bargain!

[@sureshot311]

I think this deserved the stand alone video. It was fun to watch an indepth look. Plus now we get two videos! Thank you! Q

[@firesurfer]

I did the same thing 50 years ago in school using 1/4'' rubber and carving tools. It was a design I found on the cover of Silver Surfer 1. We used a hand press to print it on paper instead. Came out decent looking too.

[@waterboy8999]

That's great! And we get another good shot of that beautiful craft above you. Thanks.

[@texastaterbug5395]

I like the separate video. Some viewers might not have watched the full build and missed this tidbit that could apply to many other projects.

[@ronwalsh]

Great idea. I am always amazed the scope of projects that JB Weld helps with.

[@WoLpH]

I love these short and interesting videos! I miss the good old days where most youtube videos were under 15 minutes.

[@liamfoxy]

Brilliant. I love small things like this that can make a huge difference in the professional look of a finished product

[@husk79]

wow!! thats awesome!! i love that you made a video just with this technique! id love to see more videos like this too!

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

I started applauding this is so genius

[@garryhammond7616]

Short Video works for me. Easy to find like this. In a big video I would forget where I had seen it and spend ages looking. Super job!

[@luciflash]

I like a short video topic from time to time. I would like to see you make a branding iron for wood in the future. Keep up the good work!

[@williamlanphar630]

I prefer it in this separate format. Thanks.

[@IanSmithKSP]

Everything can be a standalone subject. This was great. More searchable for people who might find the need for it down the road. If you find little tricks in your work, you could start making KZbin Shorts too. Little tricks like pre-drilling with a tiny bit before nailing by hand when working with tiny pieces of wood. Or showing off a new glue spreading brush. Things like that. I’m sure you have hundreds of those tricks to showcase

[@tednelson5277]

I think it was a wonderful idea to have a stand alone video showing the process. Great result.

[@seanreidy143]

always nice to have a short video from you. shows how much variety there is to your channel and how there's always something interesting coming out of your shop, regardless of size or application

[@jerryspann8713]

Love this. This is something that anyone can do with a minimum amount of tools. JB Weld is easy to find and a cutting board one may already have laying around. A sheet of carbon paper from Office Depot and a carving knife and you are ready to go.

[@joshd2013]

Thoroughly enjoyed it mate and I really like that you added this as a seperate video I don't comment often but have been subbed for ages but thought I should on this one just to let you know what a great idea the cast lettering is and the seperate "tool tips" video is it's going to make it easy to find and use this technique and in the future if you feel like making more like this when you come across another genius idea I'd be a happy chappy that's for sure

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much Josh - glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@pmdinaz]

Definitely prefer this breakout tutorial! Thanks Neil

[@curtdunlap6818]

Looks great! These "test videos" are dandy! For me, it makes the process stand out in my memory as a multi-purpose application instead of part of a project. Thanks for the video.

[@jamesweller2413]

That looks great! I like the separate video format as I can track it down without having to remember which video I need to watch again!

[@kynetx]

The choice of the polyethylene is brilliant. I don't think any other mold material would release as easily.

[@KBrown6700]

That was awesome! I do a fair amount of sand casting and this method will come in handy. I do carve my patterns by hand and letters are always a struggle. I have been using plastic sign board letters with decent luck.

[@michaelosmon]

Bro this gonna be my makers mark on everything steel I make from this point on. I appreciate you. Thank you for sharing your skills knowledge and experience

[@torbenbop1965]

Its really great when you show sup-processer like this. It makes it easier to find when we want to use it in our own projekts 👍

[@nathanmiddleton1478]

Seeing different ways of doing individual ideas is great! I'm not sure this would have been my approach, but now it's something I can think about. Thanks for sharing!

[@sebuteo]

Love it! Looks fab. And love the standalone ‘little’ video on it, as well. Very inspiring.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks Sebastian! :)

[@helenakhudyna2360]

Wow, that looks legit! Awesome idea! I love that plastic cutting board has some releasing properties, which (with easy carving) makes it perfect here!

[@markchiswell2537]

I love what you do - what's even better is that, for the first time I think I could do this myself! Thanks, Mark

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much Mark - you should give it a go! :)

[@JustTex]

Bloody genius , cheers 4 sharing in a separate video.

[@sternentigerkatze]

very cool idea! The lettering looks great and the process looks so easy! It's great when there are no expensive machines needed to make something so cool! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@8BitLife69]

Brilliant idea. Great execution.

[@realpdm]

That is reall clever! I appreciate these technique videos. I think they will serve you well long term as people may look up particular topics. Also handy for saving later to come back to instead of trying to remember which project video had the technique. Thank you for sharing!

[@Samadjo]

So cool. I watched the video of you making the machine stand first and I really enjoyed coming back to watch you make a detail like this after. I will definately try this, it looks amazing.

[@laurajackson6860]

A video dedicated to Cast Metal Lettering - even using JB Weld is a great idea. Thank you for sharing this! 🎥

[@dustintaylor8673]

I like these smaller videos with more detail rather than this just being buried in a large video. Really neat process and fun to watch!

[@tummy_fritters]

Pask has so many interesting ideas. I like the dedicated video so I don't have to scrub through a longer project to find the instructions.

[@samuelmellars7855]

That is very clever indeed! And I agree with everyone else, having a small "detail" video to refer to is very useful!

[@agp7073]

Great idea Neil. I like the separate video as it will be easier to find later and allow the project your using it on to be more about that project

[@yinn2yang]

to be honest i wasn't interested in this video when i saw the thumbnail but i've always liked your content so i gave it a try and as it turned out i am really excited to give it a try... how fun and easy thanks

[@RJ-wx3fh]

Really good technique of using epoxy applied with a mould for adding raised lettering. At the moment, though, I've got access to an embossing label maker (the kind where you turn a wheel to the letter you want, squeeze a handle and advance a plastic ribbon to make the label). I might try silicone sealant with a strip of fabric on the back to take a mould from one of those labels. I will report back if I do get round to it.

[@richardmahan4197]

Brilliant! I appreciate the separate videos detailing a single process.

[@Grumpyneanderthal]

The breath of your developing skill sets is extraordinary. Such a simple solution which I’m sure would never have occurred to me. While I’m intrigued by the results, I’m more fascinated by the simple process.

[@mrdewilliams]

Very realistic looking. Looks easy enough, that I may do something like this for marking some of my equipment. I might even try doing this to a wood project using a glue and sawdust mix.

[@davebashford3753]

These new-skill how-to videos are my favorite. thanks

[@ardenthebibliophile]

I like the small topics. Not always into the full project videos and this was a nice little tip

[@jonathanking4107]

Loved it as a separate, shorter video on its own. It's now available to people who are interested in this for any reason.