Here are the panels for the modular. I'm absolutely crazy about the patina. All in all, the panels cost $0.75 a panel, which is great.For anybody else who may be looking to do some DIY panels, I found the metal at a local recyclers (see post below). There's a place pretty close to me that specializes in discarded wood, metal, electrical stuff, etc. If there's a place like that near you, it may be worth checking out. Some metal shops also have excess metal from other projects, often called "drops." This may be a good source of cheap metal
Next I started cold-calling local metal fabricators. Many of these places charge pretty high hourly fees. What you need is a place that will be honest about the amount of time it'll take them to cut the metal. The place that I found charged $75 per hour but charged me $40 for the work, which was probably still more than they needed to. Regardless, I was happy with it.The previous quote that I had gotten from another fabricator was $160 for 27 panels with the metal included. I got 60 panels for $45 after everything was said and done. If your doing the DIY thing on a tight budget, it's worth finding your own metal and fabricator.
This is a really good idea, do you have an idea of how you will print onto them?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm just going to stick adhesive on the panels but I am open to other DIY options that won't have me investing in new machinery. All suggestions are welcome!
ReplyDeleteyou could use a permanent marker
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have thought about using a permanent or paint marker for the lettering. Using a stencil is another popular technique. Right now I'm finishing up a few projects that sprang up but once they're done I'll get this modular build back on track. I'll make a post regarding the lettering on the panels when the time comes.
ReplyDelete