Stand out! Customize your stands.
Last month someone shared an image of a Matthews Monitor Stand they saw on set that someone had customized. They had replaced the straps with custom made straps with their name cut into them. I thought it was a great way to customize gear and would be great for G&E companies mark their stands.
Well, I wanted to do it for myself. So, I grabbed my stand, took some measurements and quickly drew up a file to send out to get made. The process took just 5 minutes and then I had to wait a few weeks for production and shipping. Once it arrived it was only a matter of minutes with a couple wrenches that I had it on the stand. Now there's no doubt about which stand is mine. And it's quite a bit better than a strip off gaff tape or a sticker.
The original strap and my new matte black powder coated version. |
If you want to give this a shot here are the dimensions you'll need for the Matthews Monitor Stand II.
You'll start with a 7.75" long and 1" wide rectangle, add one hole on each end (centered on width) both 0.375" from the edge one at 0.26" in diameter the other at 0.44" in diameter. (I used a .35" radius on the corners) Then add you text. Just keep in mind the design guidelines and limitations of the material which you can find HERE. Don't get to fancy with your font. Keep things simple.
Here's a link to a blank .dxf template you could start with.
You'll want to use a vector image software like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. CAD software like Fusion360 can do the job as well. Once you have a drawing you can export it as one of the following file types: .ai .step .stp .eps
- Upload it to SendCutSend
- Choose 6061 T6 Aluminum (.250") for your material
- Select the finishing process you'd like (I went with matte black powder coating)
- Then checkout and wait. (They offer free shipping)
You could obviously do the same process for other brands and sizes of stands. You'll just need to do you own measurements and adjust things accordingly. The original photo I saw that inspired me to do this project they had replaced all 6 straps on their stand. I choose to just go with one. But you could obviously do it to any number of straps on your stand.
If you end up giving this a shot let me know and tag @fainimade on Instagram
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