Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube

[TheDarkPope]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

I would really appreciate if you could provide some details on how you get such great results.

Well, I just wrote out a long answer, then I hit the wrong button, and it all went away. Now you get the short version.

Toner transfer method will not get you detailed etchings. Nor will it ensure an unbent piece of metal especially at .005 or .010 inch thick. If you want high quality detail (single sided or through hole) etching, you need to use a photoresist film. It's the same thing a professional etching house does. I made a video and it currently resides on Youtube. It can be found here...

Photo Etching Tutorial

That's a pretty damn cool project :thumbsup

Thank you

What are you using an adhesive, for the brass - cube?

I'm kinda stuck on that one for a few reasons. Most important to me is how it looks. I don't want to slather a bunch of goo on the cube because then it looks like brass floating on a cube of goo. The cubes are new so they aren't full of scratches, and whatever I use should be able to adhere to unscuffed plastic. I would prefer a spray adhesive along the same lines of it not looking like it was floating on a moat of goo.

All that being said, unlike the Hellraiser box proper, this one has the intention of being played with, and a lot. That might mean compromising my lake of goo theory. I'm open to suggestions for sure. Is there a spray CA? I've seen spray CA accelerators, but not the adhesive proper. Maybe I just need to look harder.

I would love to apply these templates over a cube made of mahogany. That would be sweet :cool

I would love it if Rubik would make a wooden DIY mahogany cube. I'd be all over that! I've looked other places to find hand made wooden cubes, but didn't find anything I would be happy with. The biggest problem is there needs to be insane consistency on the dimensions of the cube. That's why I went with a proper Rubik and not some Chinese knockoff.

As always, I'll update as they are ready. Thanks guys for your words of encouragement.

I don't think I've used the word - proper - so many times in such a short period

 

[Gigatron]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

I've been thinking about your adhesive issue, and I might have a solution

Watch Crystal Cement, Two 1/3 oz. Tubes

It's a little thick, but because it uses a needle applicator, you can use really small dots, without having to worry about pools of glue. But, since it dries crystal clear (I use this stuff all the time, so I can personally attest to that), you might be better off, running a thin layer across the top of the cube and pressing the brass into the glue. Run a bead of glue along one length of a cube, then use an old credit card, to drag it across the surface and make a thin layer. This glue also dries incredibly strong, so as long as the glue isn't too thin, the brass should hold, good and tight.

Here's another question - are you going to spray a clear coat on top? Oils in the skin might cause the brass to tarnish, and because of the fine detail, it might be difficult to polish, by normal means.

-Fred

 

[TheDarkPope]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

Thanks for the info Fred. It might be what I'm looking for. The applicator tip is certainly a bonus. Much less likely to have big puddles of goo with little tips.

are you going to spray a clear coat on top?

After each piece is etched, cleaned and dried, it gets 2 or 3 shots of clear coat. Then it's either stored, or applied onto the current project. I don't want to do any coatings while the brass is on the box. It adds to the - swimming in a puddle of goo - look I'm trying to avoid. We're all prone to error, and I don't want to mess up a good box because of a bad pass of clear coat. Especially with this project because of all the possibilities of that coating messing up the movement of the Rubik's Cube.

Small update - artwork has been corrected and etching should start tonight or tomorrow.

 

[TheDarkPope]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

After a bunch more trial and error, I give to you, the - I'm mostly happy with and only 50% complete test piece - Hellraiser Rubik's Cube.

Because in theory, this will be played with - as it is a Rubik's Cube - I put a layer of clear epoxy over each piece so edges won't ever get pulled up. I put way too much on, and it has a bubbly effect that you can see one the first picture. I'll be playing around with much thinner layers on the other sides. When I put it on, it didn't seem that thick. That being said, it feels bubbly so I guess it really is thicker than I thought. I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

- slight edit - When previewing my post, it doesn't look so bubbly because I resized the picture considerably.

 

[Soulinertia]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

Great thread! Thanks for the photo etching vid. :thumbsup

 

[TheDarkPope]

Re: Because I Hate Stickers!!! An Etched Brass Hellraiser Rubik's Cube WIP

Great thread! Thanks for the photo etching vid. :thumbsup

Thanks, and hope you make something cool. I've been toying with making a few more vids on the same subject. The first one would be on what I call a - less etch - method that shows how to alter artwork so you end up using less etching solution, and it takes less time to complete. The second one would be on laminators. I have a lot of them, and how they're made makes a huge difference on how the film turns out. The last one would be making custom lighting for bigger projects. It's something I'm currently in the works of, and have been taking pictures in case I get the desire to put it to a video when done. The last video I was thinking about making is about over-etching, and when to call it a day.

Smaller update - with no pictures.

I got 5 of the 6 sides complete. I was working on the last side putting on the epoxy when all of a sudden it started curing - way too quickly. After a small panic, and attempts at rescuing the last side, I realized I used the epoxy with a 5 minute pot life instead of a 30 minute pot life. So I'm going to put that as a done piece on my shelf hiding the destroyed side.

A few people have asked if these will be available for sale. The best answer I have right now is I don't know. I have 1 more cube and panel set that I plan on putting together over the weekend. When I'm done with that, I'll make a decision if I want to make more.

 

[TheDarkPope]

Here it is, my finished cube...

The biggest issue with these is getting all the pieces that don't connect in place. They have connector doodads so they all stay together when etching, but end up getting cut off before the epoxy goes on.

So all mumbling aside, I'm rather happy with how it turned out. After the panels are etched, it takes a solid 3 hours to put each one together. I will be making some more in the next week or so as gifts for some friends. I will have a few for sale, likely in the $100 range. Feel free to pm if interested, want to trade for something, or just because