lawrence Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 My former commander retired yesterday and he had commissioned me to make him a helmet case. The enlisted of our group wanted to give him something and stepped in and paid for the case and gave it to him yesterday at his ceremony (he's been an amazing officer, leader, and brother-in-arms for us... one of those special commanders that only comes around once or twice a career) The hat is one he flew with for many (many) years and he wanted it to be on display too. At any rate, here is the case. It is cherry with only one carving on the front (at his request) I did the carving (of course) with my carvewright. The top lifts off to allow access to the basepiece (covered with spray glued velvet) The only thing that I am still unhappy about is the way the top and bottom mitered "frames" connect to the side pieces. Basically, I made two frames and then used dowels to connect the top and bottom to the sides. The glass also has adhesive in it which helps support the piece. I really want to figure out how to do a three-way miter joint similar to this one for future pieces http://www.finewoodw...way-miter-joint I did the glass etching myself too- After cutting the glass, I cut vinyl stencils out on my silhouette machine and then sand blasted on the engravings. The finish is simple shellac followed by wax. He likes cherry as natural as it can be and still be protected (I like the way he thinks) Thanks for comments/suggestions/critiques V/r Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nben Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 Looks great as always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 looks good lawrence you can do sandblasting and can acuratly cut vinyl.....................sigh i both hate and wish i was you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted January 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 lol.. I think I'm honored dk The vinyl is cut on a little consumer-grade cutter called a silhouette cameo... it is marketed to stamper/scrapbookers but I use it a lot for vinyl, stencils, etc and really like mine. They can be bought for about $250. http://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Cameo-Starter-Bundle-Cutter/dp/B007R83VKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358020568&sr=8-1&keywords=silhouette+cameo I've even used it to plot cutlines on cloth/thin leather so that I knew where to cut with a razor knife (it takes knife blades for cutting or pens for plotting) The sandblasting isn't that expensive to get into- my first one that I used for a whiie was this little one from HF- under $30 including sand (if you use a coupon and have a compressor) http://www.harborfreight.com/air-eraser-kit-99636.html I've since moved on to a larger/quicker unit, but it was still very you just cut out adhesive vinyl on the silhouette and then stick it to glass as a stencil and then blast the surface... fun, quick, and easy. I've certainly had a "blast" doing it... (insert roll eyes here) mirrors are fun as are beer mugs and glasses Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman50 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Great looking display case! Superb display of etching talent! www.sawblade.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 hey lawrence can you send me one of those.........its right next to the compass call mug those harbor freight blasters how well did it work do they break on you? bog down ect.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Nice job Lawrence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 hey lawrence can you send me one of those.........its right next to the compass call mug those harbor freight blasters how well did it work do they break on you? bog down ect.... They certainly aren't "trouble free", but neither is my larger sandblaster.... using them requires some shaking, a little kicking, and possibly a swear word... but it gets the job done very cheaply and my engraving stuff paid for itself in 2 jobs. Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 lawrence what do you think would work better etching cream that you rub on and let it do the work or sand blasting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 lawrence what do you think would work better etching cream that you rub on and let it do the work or sand blasting? muddled etch and it wasn't very deep-- in a pinch it works, but I much (much) prefer sandblasting. With either the creme or the air eraser, a product called "rub n buff" (about $3 at hobby lobby) makes the etch stand out and makes it acceptable, but not dishwashable (it's a wax). For glassware, I recommend a regular sandblaster Lawrence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 good to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Beautiful work. Lawrence. Do you have the item number of the HF sandblaster you mentioned? The link isn't working for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 does not work for me eather cindy i looked at earler but they might not be selling it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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