[HBR] Barn HBR-16

[LeeCraner at aol.com]

Niel:

That is one ugly HBR, Niel (that is, before you started cleaning it up).  You 
sure have your work cut out for you.  The construction looks solid and I'm 
sure you'll enjoy the results of your efforts.

I don't know what thoughts you have for your front panel, so I thought I'd 
share what I'm doing with the front panel of my current HBR-16 project.  Since I 
would lose the original rub on lettering when I repainted the panel, I 
decided to go for the classic engraved panel look.  I first took a good digital 
picture of the removed front panel prior to paint stripping.  In photoshop I was 
able to clean up the panel picture so that just the holes and the original 
lettering remained.  I then printed an exact full size 19" x 8 3/4" picture of the 
cleaned up photo, taping together the individual 8 1/2" x 11" printed pages.  
After stripping the front panel and repainting with Krylon black wrinkle 
paint (BTW a hair dryer or heat gun is a must to get an even wrinkle) I took the 
fresh panel and the drawings to a local engraver.  By having the exact sized 
drawing he was able to easily and accurately duplicate the original front panel 
labeling into his engraving computer.  The result is a front panel that looks 
professional, is period correct since a lot of the prototype and homebrew gear 
of the 50's and 60's used engraved panels, and yet is true to the original 
builders labeling.  Cost was $85 for the engraving plus $5 for the paint.  Not 
cheap, but it sure gives my HBR-16 the wow look, hi.

73 es GL Niel
Lee WB6SSW