Midlag Crisis

[waynio]

Awesome skills!!! How do you manage to cut such straight lines with the fretsaw? Incredible.

Thanks Fenix if I don't manage a perfectly straight cut on the scroll saw I perfect it on my disc sander but usually I get it right on the saw by just taking my time & keeping focused.

 

[waynio]

The project logs forum is making me sad. Everything is so damn impressive!

Fantastic build anyway, I look forward to seeing it completed.

Thanks fishingcat if it's any consolation though the stuff I made when I started was far worse lol.

Amazing work as usual dude, love your commitment to the builds you do!

Thanks dirtychinchilla.

Will update later, today is a good day to dye.

 

[waynio]

Sorry about not updating yesterday, happy face turned to sad face with the result on the actual project due to lacquer application so I climbed in bed to sleep it off to let me wake up with fresher mind to let me tackle it right, the timing test left me feeling quite excited & happy lol, enough to post a picture of the result with it being pretty nice so figured I'd be able to post some good results later in the day.


But ouch, I was wrong & made a horror show instead, should probably censor these gruesome pictures lol, I've seen them up close in person & on full zoom in the pictures, nasty compared to the test pieces.
If lacquer application was good it would have looked as nice as this.

Not this time.

Not to worry though, the stainless steel countersunk & button head screws turned out mostly awesome, typical.

Was meant to be like this but I done the colour saturation level 100% instead of 30% & it's got a smidge too much red so was quite badly miscalculated, shorter dips are horribly orange instead of a nice light brown/beige.

This is how I got the colour wrong, it's the right colour but the wrong saturation level.

Colour wheel helps show the other colour to mix to the main colour, guess the diference, I'd say a tiny pinch of red to orange making hot orange.

For 9 litres water 30 grams seems good but only 1/3 of that should have been hot orange & the 2/3 black.

So I have to strip all the lacquer off every single piece of the project so I can reapply it better, I'll try brush again but without the tiptoeing around detail cuts & instead carefully clean up any excess mess with the makeup brush after a good single straight 1 direction soaked brush stroke covering the full piece fairly quickly.

If that fails there will be a way to do it perfect & I'll find it, has to be perfect or very close to it if I'm to use this method on any future projects.


I also had to use the big pan with not having a perfect sized pan for this, it needs 9 litres to fill it to 50ml deep, I had 3 restarts on the timing tests adding 9 grams of mixed dye with each test ending up with 27 grams so managed to figure out how to make correct colour saturations & brightness in any mass of water, I got solid figures I can work with now to tweak for smaller or larger amounts.

I designed some water mass filler weights held together with screws, bit of square bar, 1mm aluminium, filled with gravel & sealed with high temp silicone, will reduce needed mass which would reduce needed dye also.

Want to make a multi level dunking jig for placing parts well & removing them easy with a handle which could also be used to lift up/down to keep the mix lively.

I'll cover everything properly once I complete this process successfully, until then I'd just be rambling & thinking out loud so more as soon as I make good progress, firstly I need to strip all the lacquer off everything so I can restart & need to find the best solution for stripping it off easy so it could be a while again or less if I get lucky, didn't bother dying the other pieces because I expected same kinda fail rate.

Awesomeness doesn't come easy but when it does & I totally know what I'm talking about I'll post an understandable guide (hopefully) lol, really have no idea if this will be a popular finishing choice but anyone who was wanting to do anodising but didn't fancy the hazardous chemicals I think this will really appeal to them, I'd have loved to have found a guide on what I'm doing lol.

More soon but hopefully the results I was going for.

 

[waynio]

A good google & there are strippers available at shops that are meant to be easier solutions but this home solution I came across doesn't sound a tiny bit difficult.

1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda to each Quart of Water, boil, throw parts in, 15 minutes later it should peel off, any stubborn leftovers clean off with the type of stuff I do for stickers, white spirit.

Sounds great I'll try it now & if it seems like a bit more of a challenge I'll save it for in the morning so I can get back to ready for dying again within a couple days.

Be funny & awesome if I got it all off before I go bed.

--------
edit
It's removing it pretty good, think I'll have a late one tonight, worth it to put me back to just before lacquering stage.

Could do with more baking soda though for the amount I have to do.

 

[waynio]

The boiling water with baking soda did a pretty nice job of turning the lacquer to easily removable mush that could be wiped off but it would have been better to have double the potency of baking soda but would still need a few dunking runs, I only did the 1.

You can see on the screws how it stripped a fair bit of colour out & reduced some lacquer, the screws cleaned up easy with satinising pad.

Still had a lot to remove, I tried satinising pad at first but wasn't getting far enough for the amount of elbow polish I was putting in so resorted to using the metal scrubber shown in this picture.

How they looked after the baking soda & some scrubbing.

So ended up switching to 220 grit submerged wet sanding which helped it go a lot faster, after that I used satinising pad to pretty much get back to pre lacquered state.

Still a bunch of panels to do but I am onto it all, all this will be excellent supplementary info for the guide I make too.

 

[waynio]

really amazing log dude some stunning skills. Really interesting colouring methods I'm looking forward to see the end colour.

very useful little bolt holder you have for colouring hope you don't mind if I use that idea in my own project?

Thanks Samaus & yes you can use it, love that project your working on.

I really like the layered fan mount, great design. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks Shawy, still removing the failed lacqodising & I need to get more dye, looks like another week at least.

 

[waynio]

That it looking really impressive. Just the detail and work that went into the front fan is amazing.

Thanks Sal0hcine.

I love the relentless trial and error you are putting into this.
If it were me I would have weighed it in for scrap a long time ago.

I cant wait to see it finished, please don't give up!!!!

Thanks nick & sorry about the timeout, really needed one though I let something bother me that I shouldn't have.

My get up & go got up & gone somewhere without me so had to get well enough for it to find it's way back to me.

So much sanding needed doing, everything needed stripping & the bicarbonate soda doesn't do that much & is more like a facial scrub & manually wet sanding was just a bit too much effort giving me popeye arms & making me brain dead really so ordered a belt sander for quicker work of surface sanding & can do nice straight brushing with it, still needs a light careful rubbing with satinising pads else it feels grippy so if you wiped it with a cloth it would leave a load of bits all over it.

Bits & few panels in I lost grip of this small piece & it went straight to a gear out of sight, had to take it all apart to get it out, 10 minutes use & had to fix it lol.

Used grub screws & spacers to mount these in the drill press because they are too small to handle another way, held 240 grit paper to it to clean them up a bit, they were quite scuffed.

Ran out of needed dyes for custom brown so tried some plain colours green, blue, red & I placed a strip of black vinyl across them all & put them on the window cill to test out if this fades in sunlight, 3 weeks & they remained un-faded.

New bits including prepping bits, new hacksaw & 500g tubs of black & coffee brown dye, decided to go for the big tubs for far better long term value.

Clamps for the belt sander.

All sanded & brushed, just needs wiping down with white spirit & then clearing any dust particles off with a tack cloth before I lacquer it all up, painter's pyramids I'll add a dot of blue tack on the tips for some grip on the aluminium, no more messing up work surfaces & no more panels sticking to work surfaces.

Made a model of the room I mod in & designed complex worktop units but ended up changing it to quick to make basic worktops, will be so much better less cramped, this is how it currently is & this is without the camera on tripod which has a big foot print, with that I had so little space so was really awkward to mod in.

This is what I want to change it to by using breakfast bar legs with a 3 meter kitchen worktop.

Got 10 breakfast bar legs & installed 4 to the offcut I've been using as a makeshift worktop, just that alone gave some nice extra space, got the 3 meter top today so I'll be happily modding on again in a cleaner more spacious organised room probably tomorrow, still need another bin or 2, a shop vac wouldn't go a miss neither.

All sanded raw, brushed, cleaned up & lacquered.

Sadly it all went wrong again, close but not close enough to pass QC plus colour is completely wrong, this is more brass or gold than brown, I know this method is doable, just have to apply the lacquer in a better way, not sure what's up with the colour though, possibly nowhere near enough dye in the water or it's just a really weak dye mix compared to a custom mix from primaries.

Screw heads turned out great again though, at least those are consistent.

And this 1 panel piece which turned out near perfect so it seams going against the brush finish made it work right rather than going with the brush finish diection, really this 1 piece turned out fully covered to my surprise so I'll have to try doing a more detailed piece like this.

So need to try again, keep getting close to the finish line on this & it pulls far away but here's another shot of the front layer piece which I didn't dye because of the poor results.

This time I'll focus on 1 detailed piece that seems to have the worst finish which I would say is the side panel in this shot, just until I have it solved before I dedicate to lacquering the rest.

First I'll try applying it going against the brush finish since it worked pretty good for the mini side panel, if that fails then I'll try air brushing, if that fails I'll try spray gun, if all that fails then I'll revert back to raw metals or spray paint & write off lacqodising as a semi pipe dream because it works excellent for colouring screw heads, at least that is of big benefit to modders.

Dunking jig is essential for doing the dyeing process, too iffy blindly placing parts in so if I can make the lacquering part work well, it will be made up of 3mm sheet alu, 5mm spacers doted all over the disc which allow for secure mounting of pieces, 200mm threaded bar with nuts on both ends & 13mm tube around them & a handle on top, the big holes will be good for keeping the dye mixed by lifting up & down, I'll make 2 or 3 of these so I can so a run with minimal hassle, I thought of multiple levels but then thought of the mess that could make in the kitchen while trying to get parts out lol.

This update lacks some awesome for the amount of time I've been out so have some shots of the nice shiny new control setup I bought, corsair k70 keyboard & razer taipan mouse, love how easy this board is to clean & the media functions are perfect, brilliant good looking functioning product, pricey but worth it for something my fingers dance about on regular.

Razer taipan & corsair mm600 mat, I actually prefer my old razer lachesis, was perfect for my claw grip style but this is a good one, I'd just prefer the body of a lachesis with the tech of the taipan, scratch build mouse case possibly.

Still aim to complete this project ASAP so I can get back onto lean & green, both projects should have been completed ages ago & it's purely due to making this lacqodising work why it's taken so ridiculously long, not just doing bits but saving & waiting for deliveries every time I think I have everything I need, prep work I have figured but lacquer application is the bit I need to perfect if I'm to use this method on projects.

More soon from the upgraded room which will be more like a workshop.

 

[waynio]

Especially loving the front fan assembly.
I look forward to the future updates!

Thanks kaku, figured I should include a positive in the update.

At last, the play room is enhanced woo hooooo, should be a lot more enjoyable now.

Still need extra electric sockets but I'll continue with extensions.

Got a ton of sanding to do again for a 3rd try on the lacqodising, this time I'll sand everything raw again but only focus on doing the lacquering on 1 detail panel to make sure I get the technique right with minimal work if it fails again, was a huge mistake not doing it this way.

 

[waynio]

Made this rustic weathered look while stripping the lacquer off, looked kind of good with the brush finish so thought I'd show to see what anyone else thinks about it to make sure it's not just me who thinks it has potential, try to imagine it in any colour though, this coffee brown is more like gold especially outside in sunlight, I'll be sticking to using bright primary colours for making custom colours, more potent & more accurate.

Waiting for a new lacquer brush & sanding the rest of these panels will be a quick job, still a tiny bit of wire work that can't be done until I have coloured the parts but once the wire work is done it's time to assemble & do a quick photo shoot.

Next attempt I'll just fully mask the other sides of panels, apply the lacquer heavily with a big brush & then quickly do 1 brush stroke to take excess off, do the same for other side, trim away the excess & quickly & carefully do the internal & external edges, should work good.

 

[waynio]

Waynio, I have just read through all of this and the Stealthlow project log - your attention to detail is awesome. Keep it up mate

Thanks Chris, hope you enjoyed the log.

That weathered look is great, i'd leave it like that, gives it a DOOM vibe

I was surprised how it didn't look half bad.

Was Just thinking the same thing, looks great with the rusty effect.

Seems comfirmed as an OK look.

I quite like that effect, and considering how much trouble you've had with the full lacquering, if it were me I'd go for the rust. You could make it a Steampunk build.

Thanks chilla, its a good fallback effect if the main colour doesn't work out, I want to do a steampunk project some day but a fully functional take on it rather than sticking parts on.

I agree. Its not often you see that sort of effect. And with the right lighting it can look very good.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks jonny.


Lacqodising development continues, it's coming along & is taking so long.

Fully masked, heavy coat applied with 50mm brush, 20mm brush run along all of it in 1 direction to brush excess off & run bubbles out, dry, remove tape & cut the internal pools away.

Latest lacqodising result, it's a bit rustic but it's the best result so far on a panel with cut-outs, it has full coverage, the darkest bits are where the lacquer was thicker which is really hard to avoid on cut-outs.

I lacquered both sides but the underside didn't catch any colour so when doing both sides first side would be prepped, lacquered & dyed then do the same to the other side so it needs 2 runs, I'd need to hang them which would need loads more dye or a custom dyeing tank to do it in 1 run.

Made the custom brown with 1 yellow, 1 red & 4 black amounting to about 30 grams of dye which is what I calculated from the HSB in sketchup, took 40 minutes @ 80c to reach this depth, I gave cold dyeing a try & nothing happened so it definitely needs the heat.

Good to get full coverage though, still some kinks to perfect or accept the rustic look.

 

[waynio]

a acid could bring a good look depends on how far you want the distressed look . great work

I quite like the weathered look in many projects but that was never really an intention with this project, just found it looked the part for that, got the intended look really coming along now though.

Good progress with lacqodising.
Made a part dunking dye mixing piece last night but it needs shrinking a little bit more to fit in a bit easier, all I do is mount a 10mm spacer to a part & anchor it into a hole to help it stay in place & to nicely mix the dye just plunge it up & down a few times now & then, multifunction dunking jig.

Tried using a spray gun for the first time after watching some basic guides & how to clean the gun on youtube to apply the lacquer today because it was still on my to try options & I am really glad I tried it before lacquering anymore parts, it will definitely be my method of choice for lacqodising now, really should have tried it sooner, better late than never though.

Waffle & excuses.
The 4 dots if you can see them are where I didn't properly deal with bubbles when I should have, the flip paint look is due to the new ultra bright 5500k bulb I was using but switched to a 6500k lower powered one which shows the true colour anyone will see in normal lighting conditions, nice thing about spraying it on I can now do multiple coats a heck of a lot easier.

Future project will be far nicer than this since all these parts have been re finished at least 3 times already which made it harder & harder to get the surfaces to a nice state, surface finish really shows everything underneath the lacquer just like anodising so it really needs to be good for it to look good.

Trouble with dyeing parts flat is only the top side takes dye so it's pointless lacquering both sides before dyeing unless you have a dyeing tank to hang parts in on there sides, I tried dyeing the other side but for reasons I have no idea about it wouldn't take the dye so it seems to need 2 complete runs if doing both sides when dyeing parts flat.

Now I really do have the lacqodising figured nicely I should be speeding along from now, I believe the lacqodising took up 99% of the effort in this project lol.

Updates should be more progressive now.

 

[waynio]

Stunning work so far dude. Loving all the pics.

Thanks silk.

Just got a nice tall floor lamp I can easily move around the workshop & put the 5500k light bulb in, here are some shots I just got with it, the other shots were far to intensely bright so I guess this finish will do after all, just requires good surface prep & some spray gun practice, if only I tried the spray gun months ago.

 

[waynio]

That looks really good with the spray gone. Much more what I thought you were looking to achieve. Well done!

Thanks Biffa, was so nice to see how well it covered this time.

Sorry for the hold up, started another log but I'm keeping it a timed exclusive to bit-tech.
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=262068

I'll lacqodise this ASAP though, on a mission to get current projects clear before 2014.

 

[waynio]

I want your tools, mate

Really good job.

So do I
Thanks biuro74

It advances.

Lacqodised the same dark brown, internal pieces 15 minute dunks, external 60 minutes, front layers 15, 25, 35, 45 minute dunks, all at 80c.

Can get the wire work done on this now & get it put to use only about 7 months late lol.

To make accurate lighter browns it's not a simple matter of shorter dunks, need to start off on the lightest tone making it darker by adding dye to do it right but this will do, at least I'll get Lean & Green right, I was also mixing wrong amounts, all the different dyes have different mass so this is really wrong, I'll make custom scoops to make mixing a lot easier.

Surface finish is quite bad on this one due to applying it prematurely a few times & having to strip it all off each time.

 

[waynio]

the time put anskill put into this build....wow amazing work man

Thanks mate.

Is all that slotting and cutting freehand?! or am I missing something, if it is then that is some serious skill, chapeau.

Yes, I just stopped showing all the step by step process with so much CNC in modding making showing how I make it all a bit pointless so mostly been showing end of session pictures.

Not so good news though.

This project is a no go, the motherboard is dead, powers up for a few seconds & then shuts back down, tried alternative memory & PSU removing everything else including the battery to narrow down the problem but same no worky effect, the lazy git just wants to sleep forever.

At least I got lacqodising out of this, nice but empty case is useless but the technique is useful for my future projects, I am in a slight state of depression from it though so I'm taking a break but I will do final photo shoot of useless empty case, ugh.

Photo shoots will be incoming over the next couple of days.

 

[waynio]

Lovely build and excellent log, congrats chap

Thanks Roalith.

It's a real shame to hear about the mobo dying. But with all the craft and dedication you put into this case I don't think it's a loss at all mate. Even the empty is a real work of art.

I should have come back to say I pin pointed the problem, was a faulty switch on the marble button, works good with a new switch, big relief but yeah I would have the posted empty case if the hardware was done.

Does anyone have a mobo to donate? Guys? Anyone?

Thanks Chris but thank goodness there was no need for that, to be honest I'm led to believe I wouldn't have much problem getting sponsored anyway, I've just never contacted any companies for the extra help.

It's complete & it works & will serve it's purpose as a low power very quiet HTPC, it's virtually silent with the fan plugged into the CPU header, I didn't bother making internals look good because only the front will be seen really & it won't be close enough to notice the multi-coloured wires.


Anyway it houses a SFX PSU, mini-ITX motherboard, SSD, 2x HDD's, modded 140mm akasa apache fan, IR sensor which lets me use the marble switch or remote control, snake mess of a wire job mostly stashed between the PSU & SSD so not in the way of air flow.

The SSD mount helps to direct the air flow down onto the motherboard & out through the sides, rear, top & PSU as well as blowing over the HDD's.

On with the final shots.

Here's another project I made for the Intel NUC complete with miniature Titan inspired custom heat sink.

Now I can focus on lean & green again when I'm feeling up for it which should be pretty soon, I don't idle so well lol.