Do you know of anyone using a transparent scale scale + lamp + lens +
screen to PROJECT the tuning scale in a homemade device? This would
be so retro cool!

I'd even be tempted to write in the names of a selection of
broadcasters, coastal stations, nets, QPR windows, USN fax, GCSS,
whatever....

I'd rather not mess with film and sprockets (a la Racal, was it?),
while I would ask the local glass shop to cut me a glass pane disk to
my liking, like a foot across.

As an added benefit, the disk itself would be rigid and stable enough
to act as slow motion drive: I would turn it through a standard sized
rubber covered shaft leaning against its rim, with some nice big knob
on it.

For the scale proper, I'd start with a log scale using one of a number
available free programs, print it on a transparency, and maybe add
frequency marks (& icons, logos, etc.?) manually in a later version.