Uncle Steve came to the house the other day and brought an old plaque with him that he found in a closet at his troop HQ. On this plaque was a picture of a Oklahoma State Trooper and a few words about his service and death. The Tribute is probably 30 years old and Steve didn't feel that it was very honorable to have this Troopers memory in a closet.. Steve asked me what I could do with it if anything and we tossed around a few ideas... Tonight I sat down and devoted some time to the project without Steve knowing anything about it, as a matter of fact he has no idea I am putting this post up nor does he know I have worked on the project.... Steve felt it was necessary for us to do something so that this Trooper that died could be honored and remembered, I agree...
Here is the orginal plaque, notice the picture frame glued to the wood... You can also see the brass is scratched and has stains and things on the words.
I worked up the artwork on the computer and used cardboard at first to get the sizing just where I thought it should be... We wanted something that would look a little newer than the old plaque so I chose black anodized aluminum.
Next I scanned the old black and white photo and added it to the artwork... I also added the OHP door logo and an OHP badge with the correct badge number. Once I had things where I thought they should be I ran the laser on a piece of wood...
I went ahead and sanded and stained it even though I knew it was not the final product, it just seemed like the thing to do...
Next I put in the aluminum sheet (12 x 24) and modified the settings on the laser and started the job... I am very pleased with the way it turned out, I think that we were able to keep the layout close to the original but yet bring it up to date at the same time.. I think the Trooper can now be honored for his service, I'm pretty sure Steve will get this on the wall somewhere at the OHP......
It's not every day that I can say that I feel good about something that I have worked on or made. In a small way tonight I feel good that we pulled the memory of a Trooper out of the closet and soon his story will be back for all to see... Steve it's ready for you to come and pick up sir!
Here is the orginal plaque, notice the picture frame glued to the wood... You can also see the brass is scratched and has stains and things on the words.
I worked up the artwork on the computer and used cardboard at first to get the sizing just where I thought it should be... We wanted something that would look a little newer than the old plaque so I chose black anodized aluminum.
Next I scanned the old black and white photo and added it to the artwork... I also added the OHP door logo and an OHP badge with the correct badge number. Once I had things where I thought they should be I ran the laser on a piece of wood...
I went ahead and sanded and stained it even though I knew it was not the final product, it just seemed like the thing to do...
Next I put in the aluminum sheet (12 x 24) and modified the settings on the laser and started the job... I am very pleased with the way it turned out, I think that we were able to keep the layout close to the original but yet bring it up to date at the same time.. I think the Trooper can now be honored for his service, I'm pretty sure Steve will get this on the wall somewhere at the OHP......
It's not every day that I can say that I feel good about something that I have worked on or made. In a small way tonight I feel good that we pulled the memory of a Trooper out of the closet and soon his story will be back for all to see... Steve it's ready for you to come and pick up sir!
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