Doctor Who Bowtie Box for the episode "The Bells Of saint John"

[Blackboard14]

In the new Doctor Who episode the Doctor changes from his costume as a 1200's monk to his new "uniform". In this sequence he pulls out a box which he opens and produces his new bow-tie.

I figured this would be the perfect thing to make from Doctor Who, it seems like it not a crazy intense project and this being my first prop I have attempted i think i should keep it simple.

Now, I am unsure how to list what I have found, as I want to share this information so anyone can build this. I'm just going to jump right in.

I have found the hinges that the box lid rests on, their apparently called butt hinges and can be found at your local hardware store. The Site I found them on

It appears that the box uses two types of attachments, a latch which I believe to be called a flip latch (I apologize for the poor quality photo)

the other fastening device looks like a magnet is recessed into the the lip of the box. it also looks like the is another magnet recessed into the lid lip of the box.

I unfortunately have to end the post a bit soon as the time is approaching 2 am in my timezone and i would love to be up for any degree of sunlight tomorrow. However, i can guarantee more updates tomorrow (or maybe that's today, who cares?)

'Night

 

[Hellboy59]

Kudos for the speed you got on this the show only aired in the UK on Saturday night, planning an aged box build myself so I'll watch this with interest

 

[TimeyWhimyStuff]

Was wondering what would show up here first.. wonder when we'll see the coat & bowtie to go with the box.

 

[Serenity]

It looks like an old leather and wood cigarette box, modified with a soft lining. I spent a bit of time searching for something similar after the episode but couldn't find anything close enough yet.

 

[NTBBCPD]

Looks like an old jewelry or spice box, with a key lock originally.

Keys were often lost so they were replace with a clasp like this one.. its on the box that I keep my mill bits in.

And here's a modern version..


:thumbsupEdward:thumbsup

 

[Blackboard14]

Looks like an old jewelry or spice box, with a key lock originally.

Keys were often lost so they were replace with a clasp like this one.. its on the box that I keep my mill bits in.

And here's a modern version..


:thumbsupEdward:thumbsup

thanks a bunch! I think i`m not going to go to the bother of finding a genuine spice box, i`ll just create it myself with 1/2 finish ply. Also, do you know the name of the clasp that you had pictures of? the best i could find was "flip latch" however I'm not sure if that's correct. Thanks again!

 

[NTBBCPD]

There are Lee Valley stores in B.C. and they do mail order.

Search under their Hardware Catalogue for Box Hardware they have Filigree Clasps.

They also have a cigar box lock like the one on the prop.



Best of luck on your build,

Edward

 

[j3nnyf3r73]

Definitely looking forward to seeing this one done!!!

 

[HaroldVonBraun]

What i'm more worried about is the engraving on the top of the box. It looks to me like the top is from a black leather, and the rest is wood. I presume it's some sort of rough silk on the inside?

 

[TheNickFox]

What i'm more worried about is the engraving on the top of the box. It looks to me like the top is from a black leather, and the rest is wood. I presume it's some sort of rough silk on the inside?

Here, these shots from a 1080P source should clear things up. It all appears to be wood. No leather, in fact that top design would be way too complicated to do in leather to my eye.

A cheap alternative to replicating the look of the top might be to screenprint the pattern on top using a high density ink to give it that raised look.

I also included a clear shot of the inside of the box, showing the texture of the lining.

-Nick

EDIT: I added a few more additional shots just because.

 

[Serenity]

Still looks like embossed leather or material to me. If you raise the tone levels of the photo showing the open box, you can see the edge of the material being folded over the top and bottom.

 

[HaroldVonBraun]

Actually, it could also be a metal plate on the top. The engraving isn't that deep.

Another question about the wood would be the sort of wood used, if you look at the pictures of the open box, there appears to be 2 layers of wood, the innermost layer looks much more rough than the outside one. Oh and also, if you look on the picture of the open box, you can indeed see the remains of a lock mechanism like NTBBCPD pointed out.

 

[Blackboard14]

Wow, thanks for all the thread support, especially TheNickFox for the extra pictures! That's a great help!

Now on the subject of the top, I have sent pictures of the box to a cigar box museum to see if they could identify the type of lid and/or type of box.

Also, the inside of the box looks to me like a really thick natural felt made from sheep wool or a material like that, it would also make sense that in inside of such a box would be coated with a soft material to protect the contents. However, HaroldVonBraun could be right and it could be some sort of thin rough particle board and filed out of the edges.

Anyway, I'm making a hardware store run later this week and I'll investigate the type of hinges and latches they have, hopefully the museums responds to me before then.

Thanks again guys!

 

[TheNickFox]

Here's a quick little reconstruction I did of the pattern on the top to hopefully make it easier to see, but I'm not sure if it will really help.

-Nick

 

[Mark Davis]

Definitely it looks like an historical box but looks like very beautiful. Its latches make it very nice. I hope this box is really helpful for us.