Thread: Mad lab gauge help

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Greetings, putting this out there. I believe I saw a link (maybe a youtube link) to a gauge prop it was green and the needle moved. It was not fancy but would work for a mad lab scene. If anyone remembers the MFR please let me know. Thanks in advance.

Could you be more specific? I used to work for a company that made gauges , so I might be of some help...........

Is this the gauge you meant?
http://www.therpf.com/f9/nubsg-firin...-panel-110104/

I am also looking for ideas for lights or lighted gauges (meaning lighted dials) that might work as part of a steampunk equipment setup in a frankenstein's lab. Something like this



I thought about actually buying an antique electrical meter but most aren't lighted and if it isn't lit up then nobody will see it in the dark.

I could cut a gauge face out of metal, make the dial inside out of paper and put some sort of flashlight behind it to light it up but will probably look amaturish. (I find it really hard to cut metal without it looking jagged.

Maybe somebody out there has a more elegant solution. Can't hurt to ask.

I think that's exactly what you should do - find pictures of interesting antique instruments on the web, print them out large enough so they can act as templates, scribe the outline on a piece of metal and then cut them out - with a Dremel. Then use the Dremel to smooth the edges of the metal. Mount it to a piece of wood, add some screws and knobs similar to the ones in the picture, and then age everything.

You should be able to find tutorials on cutting metal with a Dremel tool online, same thing for aging new materials to look antique. For the gauge, print it on heavy paper, glue it in the opening of your imitation instrument and then put a flickering light behind it. If you aren't into electronics, try using one of those flickering candles; put foil behind it so all the light is reflected towards the gauge (like a flashlight).

I did a quick search and found this page on Instructables with lots of how-tos on making Steampunk props, there's probably something in one of these that can help you:
http://www.instructables.com/tag/typ...ord-steampunk/

I have seen people use clocks, make a paper insert, and use one of the hands as the meter on the dial

I have been making some resin casting of gauge bezels this weekend. My plan is to just make a paper gauge face (by photo copying the originals) and gluing them to my panels with the gauge bezels over the top.

I was also thinking about lighting and thought I could maybe place a dim led at the base area and have it shining up.

It has been a little spendy making the molds and buying the resin but they are turning out just as I had hoped. Also I wanted A LOT of gauges. The price of the real ones is too much for my wallet when I am needing 100 or more.

Also I used the silicone to make some molds of misc other items like nuts, bolts, knobs and switches so when I have some resin that is mixed left over I just start filling up some of the smaller molds and have plenty of lab oriented items to just glue on for that over the top look.

Maybe you could try some of these ideas to fill in for your lab.

What about taking some cheap plastic beveled gaskets, chrome spray paint, then weather them, some cheap plastic cut out for the glass and your printed out gauge.

the most simple way is to just spotlight it from the front. we sell tiny spotlights that are good for illuminating small props and instrument panels --- it may or may not be the look you're going for.

Just found this website, they sell some, and some other items that you may be interested in.

http://www.hauntersdepot.com/2007NEW...ndiseFiles.htm