The client decided she likes the rough look of the soldering as it is now, so it's getting packed up to mail out. Hurrah! She's also promised to send a photo when the box is in place and proudly displaying its contents, so stay tuned for that!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Custom Glass Box, complete!
Whew! Things went better today, and I'm glad to say that it's essentially done. Here are some pics! I put some stuff in it for demonstration purposes. The combined dimensions of the items in the box are approximately 5" x 6".
The client decided she likes the rough look of the soldering as it is now, so it's getting packed up to mail out. Hurrah! She's also promised to send a photo when the box is in place and proudly displaying its contents, so stay tuned for that!
The client decided she likes the rough look of the soldering as it is now, so it's getting packed up to mail out. Hurrah! She's also promised to send a photo when the box is in place and proudly displaying its contents, so stay tuned for that!
Custom glass box, part five.
Well, I think I probably spent at least five more hours on this box today, and I'm still not happy with it. I've got the base panel surrounded by solder-covered copper tubing, and it fits together, but the solder on the bottom panel is still quite ugly, probably because of how much more slowly the thick tubing heats, compared to the thin copper foil that surrounds the pane of glass. I think I'm going to call it a night and try sanding and buffing the solder around the base tomorrow, to see how it looks when it's smoothed over.
Here's how it looks right now. Please disregard the fingerprints and flux on the glass. :P
I don't know... am I being too picky? It doesn't even really show when the box is closed. What do you think?
Here's how it looks right now. Please disregard the fingerprints and flux on the glass. :P
I don't know... am I being too picky? It doesn't even really show when the box is closed. What do you think?
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Custom glass box, part four!
The top of the box is now mostly done, although I'll probably touch up the solder a bit. Now, to figure out the bottom part, and how they'll fit together. I'm going to use the bits of copper tubing shown below (harvested for me from old air conditioning units (I think) by a friend's parents, who are in the junk recycling business) around the bottom of the box. The long bits will be attached to the sides of the bottom panel and the corners will be attached to the top part, so they'll link together (sort of) to keep the lid from sinking down or shifting.
Custom glass box, part three!
The top and sides are now connected, although they need their second layer of solder to make them look nice. I've finally got the bottom panel cut, I think, which is a relief because I cut a whole bunch of glass before I got a good one! the glass still has plenty of finger prints and flux on it, but it's nice clear glass with no scratches. I had to abandon the first base panel I cut because I found a tiny scratch in it. Ah well, it was close to an edge so I'll be able to cut that off to make a piece for something else later.
Next step is to tape and tin the base, and then I get to figure out how to make the two sit together nicely so they look just right, which will mean a lot more sitting and staring. Through years of experience, I've come to the conclusion that at least 2/3 of the time it takes to complete any creative project is spent sitting and staring at stuff. No wonder I can never give a good estimate for how long something took me to make!
Next step is to tape and tin the base, and then I get to figure out how to make the two sit together nicely so they look just right, which will mean a lot more sitting and staring. Through years of experience, I've come to the conclusion that at least 2/3 of the time it takes to complete any creative project is spent sitting and staring at stuff. No wonder I can never give a good estimate for how long something took me to make!
Custom glass box, part two!
Top and side panels are now tinned, i.e. they have had their edges taped with black-lined copper tape and have received a light coating of lead free solder. Note my new fume extractor, so I don't have to solder outside or blow all the AC out the window with a window fan!
Custom box in progress!
I'm working on a custom box for a fabulous woman in New York, and thought I'd take some photos of the box as it progresses.
I cleaned up a fresh pane of glass last night and did the initial cuts: some long thin strips of glass which will become the sides, and the panels for the top and bottom. Since I was working outside after dark, I only used the light coming out of the shed window so I didn't attract as many bugs.
This morning I went out to inspect my work, and I'm quite pleased. I realized as I was waking up this morning that I should have made the base panel a bit smaller, since it'll have to fit well with the sides even with more solder around the edges than the top panel will have. So I may have to cut a new piece for that. Since I still have to figure out how to make it fit nicely, I think I'll finish the top and sides first, then figure out the base. Anyway, here are some photos of how it looks right now, out on my glass cutting table.
Incidentally, I swiped the table from a neighbor's curb yesterday morning (trash day) and sanded it down after work, then attached a yardstick to slide the glass cutter against. It's working very well, although the legs are a bit wobbly. It was clearly hand-made, and now that I know it's a good height and size for my needs, I'll probably use some of my profits from this project to buy some braces to make it more sturdy.
I cleaned up a fresh pane of glass last night and did the initial cuts: some long thin strips of glass which will become the sides, and the panels for the top and bottom. Since I was working outside after dark, I only used the light coming out of the shed window so I didn't attract as many bugs.
This morning I went out to inspect my work, and I'm quite pleased. I realized as I was waking up this morning that I should have made the base panel a bit smaller, since it'll have to fit well with the sides even with more solder around the edges than the top panel will have. So I may have to cut a new piece for that. Since I still have to figure out how to make it fit nicely, I think I'll finish the top and sides first, then figure out the base. Anyway, here are some photos of how it looks right now, out on my glass cutting table.
Incidentally, I swiped the table from a neighbor's curb yesterday morning (trash day) and sanded it down after work, then attached a yardstick to slide the glass cutter against. It's working very well, although the legs are a bit wobbly. It was clearly hand-made, and now that I know it's a good height and size for my needs, I'll probably use some of my profits from this project to buy some braces to make it more sturdy.
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