Ebony & Ivory - PotC compass build-up

[Shylaah]

>>>clip<<<Well, who knows anything about dimensions....I am currently working only with a handful of images and there are a bunch of things I dunno.
>>>clip<<<

This is looking really good!

A few months ago, there was a rash of scratch built compasses over at KTTC. Check out this thread. A lot of discussion on measurements, methods and materials, etc.

I have some good close up screen caps, but this is the only one I could find on a quick search.
POTC3_AWE_3752

After much pouring over screen caps and mathematically figure it all out, I found that the Disney Store Compass and the MR compass are near on exact measurements to the real deal compass.

I built mine out of balsa wood because I lack the equipment to make it like you're doing. My how-I-did-it is here:
Compass Part 1
Compass Part 2
I found the front latch on a little box at Michael's, all you need to do is file off the corners to make it SA. The most brilliant thing to come out of our quests was Mooniteman's idea on how to make the six-part SA hinge!

And one of the most beautiful things to come out of quest was the brass dials that Mutant-Enemy had made, which you already have and lucky you be in that--wish I would have afforded myself one at the time!

Shylaah

 

[Pulseriflefan]

thanks for all the info Shylaah - I know the KTTC and the thread - I tried to register on that board two times without success - seems that you guys don`t like german pirates or I am just a dork and made something wrong :lol

Fantastic job on your balsa compass - excellent work :thumbsup

I am going around 3" for my build-up but still think that the real one could be a little bit smaller - some day I will get the missing details and images ( same thing like waiting for years on the BR-Blaster WC images ).

WooHoo - awesome idea with the hinge - I wish I had that info earlier - my hinge is allready done now - made by cutting a 4-segment hinge into two halves and combining it with another 4-segment hinge.
Mooniteman`s idea is much better and easier to realize :eek


erm, why do you think that I allready have a brass dial ? I will build it myself out of a brass plate :love

What dials did Mutant-Enemy ? PotC1 or PotC2/3 dials ?

 

[Shylaah]

Sometimes it hard to get registered over there. PM at ya.

Thanks! I wish I could a done better on the dial. But, I'm no great prop builder or nothing. I'm just a fiddler with an Xacto knife and some sandpaper

Yeah, that hinge idea is pretty stellar!

The dial!! Oh gosh, guess I had a spell of confussion :confused and got you and your build mixed up with Maelstorm's POTC compass build up thread!!
He has a picture there of the dial I was talking about. Mutant-Enemy had some of them machined for 2/3 version, one for himself and he sold the rest. Sorry for the confusion.

Here are the screen cap reference pictures I used. I did a lot of estimating and cross referencing of the size of the compass from the three hands, Elizabeth, Beckett and Jack, that it's shown in. Do I think I have the dead on perfect measurements? Of course not, but fairly close. And I do believe the MR and Disney one are really close also, with the possible exception that their lids are too thick. I do believe it is quite small and a bit more delicate than most people think.

Screen Caps from DMC
POTC2_DMC_0110
POTC2_DMC_0153
POTC2_DMC_0154
POTC2_DMC_0882
POTC2_DMC_0888
POTC2_DMC_1231
POTC2_DMC_1232
POTC2_DMC_1233
POTC2_DMC_1245

Screen Caps from AWE
POTC3_AWE_0786
POTC3_AWE_0787
POTC3_AWE_1405
POTC3_AWE_3752
POTC3_AWE_3753
POTC3_AWE_3754
POTC3_AWE_3755
POTC3_AWE_3756

The CotBP compass is a little different in style on the inside, but by all I can tell, the same on the outside.
Screen Caps from CotBP
POTC_CotBP_0866
POTC_CotBP_0867
POTC_CotBP_1294
POTC_CotBP_1794

Shylaah

 

[division 6]

The original Stunt compass was listed at 3"W x 1.25"H
Someone on the forum owns or at one time owned it as well as the complete stunt costume.

 

[Pulseriflefan]

The original Stunt compass was listed at 3"W x 1.25"H
Someone on the forum owns or at one time owned it as well as the complete stunt costume.

WoW - cool - thanks a ton for that info !!! There is no detailed shot of the ring attachment by chance ?

I'm just a fiddler with an Xacto knife and some sandpaper

LOL it is better to be a right-handed fiddler as a left-handed rich guy with a ton of HighTech equipment....

So my 3" is cool for the moment

Ahh, I see about the dial - well I am building the CotBP compass which is my favourite version.

Thanks for the great screen-caps - is it an optical illusion or does the ring is able to rotate around at it`s axis (ref. to POTC_CotBP_0867 ) ? Or is it simply not the ring what I see ?



roughly trimmed the inlays

ring inlay milled out of a Elforyn plate - waisting a lot of material but the result is speaking itself :

with the ring I was able to do the little inlays on top of the body - still untrimmed

now it's looking like a very luxurious ashtray :lol

will start at the lid now - I wish my fingers were a bit smaller - these tiny stripes are very hard to handle and are causing pain at the fingertips :unsure

Anyway another replica built with blood and sweat ...

 

[OdiWan72]

Stefan...that is gorgeous!!!!

Is that one of the PROXXON milling setups?
I´m thinking about getting a mill myself (don´t have the space for a lathe, but could replace the top-drill I currently use...Hmmmm. decisions, decision

Markus

 

[Pulseriflefan]

Stefan...that is gorgeous!!!!

Is that one of the PROXXON milling setups?
I´m thinking about getting a mill myself (don´t have the space for a lathe, but could replace the top-drill I currently use...Hmmmm. decisions, decision

Markus

Moin MarCus !

What ? You still have no mill :lol ?

Yes, it is still available - here are the infos :

PROXXON - BFW 40/E

The cross-table is +/- 15cm and big enough for most things we do but you can get another longer table also from other manufactors.

StePHan

 

[PHArchivist]

You are truly a bold man!

I simply converted the Disney toy to do mine... I took the so-called "easy way out" (but it wasn't so easy).

 

[Pulseriflefan]

I simply converted the Disney toy to do mine... I took the so-called "easy way out" (but it wasn't so easy).

That is looking fantastic - damnd good conversion !

Sometimes a conversion is taking the same time as a complete new build-up - I try to build my props out of real parts. I don`t have a very big collection but they`re some sort of unique.

Searching SA looking parts for props is very very time eating - as the brass parts for my compass - for me it`s faster to make them :lol



I need some time-out for my poor fingertips, so I made my ring attachment out of some old brass stuff laying around.

My low-budget homebrew ring attachment :

the ring was made out of a brass rod - heating, bending and soldering it.
For the ring I was looking around in hardware stores first but didn`t find one which is not so fat (most has ca. 4mm material diameter which is too thick looking IMO).

for the ring holder I used a bit of this old brass hook :

of course not SA but quiet nice looking - if I ever get my hands on a clear shot of the real deal I will make another one

 

[barbatus]

It seems like the vacation was very good for your energy and motivation :thumbsup

I don`t have a very big collection

I'd disagree, but that obviously is a point of perspective :rolleyes

 

[juno]

My tired eyes aren't seeing how you went from that hook to the ring holder other than melting it and putting it in a mold.

 

[Pulseriflefan]

ohhh yeah - holiday was very very relaxing and inspiring - now I am burning to finish some of my older projects :love

My tired eyes aren't seeing how you went from that hook to the ring holder other than melting it and putting it in a mold.

LOL sorry, maybe a bit too abstract for a pair of tired eyes :rolleyes

Here is the segment I used from the hook :

 

[Pulseriflefan]

working on the lid - same procedure as on the body ...

looks not longer like an ashtray :lol

 

[PHArchivist]

That is looking fantastic - damnd good conversion !

Thanks - did you notice the chips in the inlay are reversed, thanks to a reference image that was printed incorrectly? Don't do that on yours!

Your inlay looks FANTASTIC!

 

[HeroWorship]

This is coming along beautifully. The end product can't help but be something great.

 

[poisonivyism]

I'm excited to see how this turns out. It's looking really great. I went the route PHArchivist did, too, and it was a PAIN.

How are you going to do the dome at the top?

 

[Pulseriflefan]

LOL nope I didn`t realized that the chips on your compass are reversed - I didn`t spend much attention at these cus I don`t want any chips at my compass :confused

For the dome I will use the biggest half of this here :

The size seems to match my build-up - these are like russian "Babuschka" or "Matroschka" - just as balls instead of dolls.

Ya know some of these wooden dolls which you can stack inside and which are getting smaller and smaller.

 

[Pulseriflefan]

making of a brass scale.

First I made the scale with windows "paint" - saved as bmp with very high resolution. Inverted black to white and mirrored it.

Printing on a sheet of matt 130g/m paper from Tetenal with high contrast in the size I need for my compass.

Note that you can only use laser or Xerox printer - no inkjet possible.

get a brass plate and clean the surface with acetone (or girls nail enamel remover) - don`t touch it after cleaning !

put the printed scale onto the brass plate and press an iron on (highest temperature) for a couple of minutes. The toner is sticking on the plate.

Let it cool down and drop the plate into a bowl of cold water to remove the paper gently of the plate with your fingers until you can see shiny brass

use the kitchen sink and fill it with boiled water - put a glas vessel into the sink with Natriumperlsulfat until the chemestry has ca. 45-50°C.

tape the areas which you don`t wanna etch with Tesafilm or anything else

hold the plate into the vessel and blow in some air with a drinking straw - do NOT suck ! Check the result each minute til you are happy with it.

rinse the plate with cold water and remove the remaining toner with Aceton - et voila : a nice detailed homebrew compass scale :

 

[Jack of All Trades]

Ho......leeeee.......Crap! That's awesome! .....uh.....can you explain exactly what just happened?.....Lol!

 

[punisher]

Wow!!!! How very faahncy :lol