Quote: On the hose stampings, the first one is looking good, maybe a bit too bright and not smeared as much as most originals I've seen, I'm talking fine tuning here, looking good overall.
On the KV I would say the font isn't quite right yet, the original looks a bit heavier/squatier, and the originals ink looks to have been applied thinner, a shade more yellow, and not so clear and bright overall.
On the heater hose I used the best case scenario with what I selected to reproduce. I disagree with regards to the KV hose Scott. Keep in mind the original one is 35 (or more) years old and the ink has definitely turned dingy and dirty over time. I will never reproduce degradation in any of my products. The “Font” is a perfect representation of the sample I used to format my stamping from. Notice the sample hoses posted below. Every one of them are original. Every one is a different thickness, color lettering and spacing. I would have an infinite number of plates to manufacture and would go out of business if I tried to match every variance. The variation you see in the letter size (my earlier picture) might be because the original hose is a larger OD than the sample I printed on. That will cause the “squatier” appearance you referred to. When making this artwork I started out finding a font that was as close to the original as possible. I used Avant Garde BT in a medium configuration. After matching the point size I applied a .05 white stroke to the outside perimeter of the letters. I then converted the font to outlines which actually no longer makes them a font. I then made the lettering 105% larger horizontally and 104% larger vertically. I tweaked the vector points to perfectly overlay the scan of my original sample. Keep in mind that EVERY stamp on the machine has the propensity to be different. Stamping a round semi firm hose does not allow for the utmost in repeatability. That is why you see the MANY variations that exist with the originals. I can assure you that the artwork I created is an exact match to the original KV sample I chose to format my reproductions from. These new stampings are FAR superior to anything that has been offered to the Mopar enthusiast to date. With your ability to see such minute variations Scott, how were you able to get past “those” inferior hose samples that look nothing like the originals but have been on the market for years?
