# Electric meter



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

[No message]


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Hmm, for some reason the original post isn't showing up, and I can seem to edit it. Here it is again: 

I just finished making an electric meter and circuit box for the rock shop in Dos Manos. The boxes were made of styrene, then I made a silicone mold and cast duplicates out of resin. The "glass" dome was turned from a 1/4" diameter acrylic rod, using a hand-held drill as a crude lathe. Underneath the dome is a vinyl sticker I printed out, with a photo of an electric meter on it. 
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## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

Ray - that is outstanding!


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Ray
Your modeling expertise never ceases to amaze me, you must lay awake at night thinking up your next modeling trick to amaze us.
Keep the ideas coming.
Dennis


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## coyote97 (Apr 5, 2009)

you guys blame me......
....a hand drill as lathe....and then THIS effect.

Great work! Like it!

Frank


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Again a masterpiece from Ray! 
Outrages! Weathering is great. Such simple details add so much realism.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh! Too cool! 

Ray, I'm beginning to wonder if intervention might be called for


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## jamarti (Jan 2, 2008)

Are you positive those aren't real? The weathering in FANTASTIC.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks!


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Better watch it, the local Power Company will read it and send you a bill. 

Nice work Ray 

Chris


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Super!


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

*INCREDIBLY* realistic-looking, Ray!  

Tom


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## gnichols (Jan 9, 2008)

Way cool. Gary


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## chaingun (Jan 4, 2008)

Ray, 
Just a **** of a job! 
Best, Ted


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Ray, 

I looked at the pictures and thought you were showing us the origional, and then going to show the model you made of it. However there was no other picture, and then I had to do a double take, great work. 

How did you do it?


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

It was really pretty simple. The boxes were made from two pieces of styrene. I added a thin styrene ring to form the base of the glass dome. The glass dome was made from an acrylic rod. I put it in a hand-held drill in order to "turn" it, using sandpaper to give it slight taper. Then extra fine steel wool was used to polish it. Then I just put a knife to it as it rotated, to cut it to length. 

The fittings are tiny hex nuts from Scale Hardware, and the conduit is brass rod. 

The whole thing was sprayed with primer, then a coat of Rustoleum's Cold Galvanizing Compound, a zinc spray paint that I found in the plumping department at a local hardware store. I brushed a blue-gray mix of Apple Barrel acrylic paint onto the meter box to change the shade a bit. 

Weathering was created via a thin wash of Apple Barrel's Nutmeg Brown, plus a little bit of Espresso Brown. Then for good measure I topped it all off with a thin, rusty vinegar solution. 

I printed out a scaled down photo of an electric meter, onto adhesive vinyl. This was cut out and stuck onto the dome site, then the dome was glued in place.


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