I did a thing! Single 18650 wood squonker

[minimalsaint]

Just with the Italian bottles,the other bottles i have all work fine.I noticed last night,with the bottle out of the mod,if i plug off the tube with my finger while squeezing,there is air escaping between the bottle and cap,so i may try an o-ring in the cap and see if that works.
Now,since i got your thread sidetracked,i'll try and bring it back haha.What did you use to polish the poly on your mod?I have a small buffing wheel for my Dremel,but when i tried it,i had little gouges all through the finish,so i had to sand and start over,now,i can't get a smooth finish at all,i should of left well enough alone haha.

Sounds like you found your bottle issue! Hope it works out, I know the Italian bottles took a little bit of a learning curve for me, as @KentA mentioned they require a little "break in" but I love them now!

For the finish, I suppose it depends on what type of poly you're using, but I personally think anything mechanical will put too much heat into the finish so I do it by hand.
I usually lay down about 10 thin coats, sand it back to remove he blemishes and give it one last thicker coat. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then I used 600, 800, 1000 and then my secret weapon.... a 4-way buffer for manicures lol... it has progressive my finer grit on each side, finishing with 4000 to polish.
Unless you are a poly wizard who can get it on without bubbles or brush marks, there's going to be some work on the final step to remove the blemishes. You'll need to rely on the thickness of the finish to get some of them out but with some elbow grease you'll get it!

 

[minimalsaint]

I told you this stuff would be fun!

Here's some quick shots of Monty, my latest. When I get some time I'll finish up a post with the build pics, but I just finished fitting and adding magnets to the door last night and I'm too geeked not to share...
I give you: Sir Montague

 

[b.m.]

For the finish, I suppose it depends on what type of poly you're using, but I personally think anything mechanical will put too much heat into the finish so I do it by hand.
I usually lay down about 10 thin coats, sand it back to remove he blemishes and give it one last thicker coat. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then I used 600, 800, 1000 and then my secret weapon.... a 4-way buffer for manicures lol... it has progressive my finer grit on each side, finishing with 4000 to polish.
Unless you are a poly wizard who can get it on without bubbles or brush marks, there's going to be some work on the final step to remove the blemishes. You'll need to rely on the thickness of the finish to get some of them out but with some elbow grease you'll get it!

Great explanation,thanks.I agree,the dremel definitely put too much heat to it,even though i had it constantly moving,plus i may not have let it cure long enough,so it may have still been too soft possibly.Still kills me though,i had a relatively smooth finish,then after trying the buffing wheel,now i can't get even a decent finish haha.Guess it's time to get some higher grit sandpaper and a manicure buffer haha.

 

[b.m.]

I told you this stuff would be fun!

Here's some quick shots of Monty, my latest. When I get some time I'll finish up a post with the build pics, but I just finished fitting and adding magnets to the door last night and I'm too geeked not to share...
I give you: Sir Montague

Now that is awesome.I've always thought about trying to do an inlay,but i know i would screw it up haha.

 

[b.m.]

There's a video out there that shows how to set up the FIB's to get them to seal properly. I used mine for almost a year successfully until I swapped out for the BFX bottles...

Cool,thanks for the tip.I never thought i'd need to watch a tutorial on how to use a bottle haha,but if it gets them to work,then it's worth it.

 

[ShamrockPat]

Really great build. I've seen others use that method for battery contacts and the fire button. If that was your 1st, I can't wait to see what you do next.

 

[minimalsaint]

Great explanation,thanks.I agree,the dremel definitely put too much heat to it,even though i had it constantly moving,plus i may not have let it cure long enough,so it may have still been too soft possibly.Still kills me though,i had a relatively smooth finish,then after trying the buffing wheel,now i can't get even a decent finish haha.Guess it's time to get some higher grit sandpaper and a manicure buffer haha.

That last *little bit* has been what's killed more of my projects than anything lol so I can relate!
If you're using a water-based poly you need to give it the appropriate amount of time between coats. It has less solvents and dries a little differently than varnish or lacquer.
Get yourself some 800 and knock it back until it's smooth again and start recoating, it's not a lost cause yet!

 

[minimalsaint]

Really great build. I've seen others use that method for battery contacts and the fire button. If that was your 1st, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Thank you!

 

[minimalsaint]

Now that is awesome.I've always thought about trying to do an inlay,but i know i would screw it up haha.

Thanks! It was nerve-wracking to say the least lol..
It's actually not "inlaid" per-se, it's actually a full carbon back with a window cut so I could get the desired effect from the carbon backing while adding some structure. The build pics will show what I mean!

 

[b.m.]

Thanks! It was nerve-wracking to say the least lol..
It's actually not "inlaid" per-se, it's actually a full carbon back with a window cut so I could get the desired effect from the carbon backing while adding some structure. The build pics will show what I mean!

Ok,that makes sense then,The picture of the carbon fiber in the package looks like folded fabric,so i thought that's what you used,but then looking at the door on the mod,it looks like thick cf,so i figured maybe you got both.

 

[b.m.]

That last *little bit* has been what's killed more of my projects than anything lol so I can relate!
If you're using a water-based poly you need to give it the appropriate amount of time between coats. It has less solvents and dries a little differently than varnish or lacquer.
Get yourself some 800 and knock it back until it's smooth again and start recoating, it's not a lost cause yet!

Haha,i've lost a few projects to the last little bit,more than i care to remember haha.
Yeah,it's a water based poly,it's minwax polycrylic.It says it can be recoated after 2 hours with a sanding between each coat.I'll definitely have to grab some 800,the finest i have right now is 400,and it dulls it down too much even when wet sanding.

 

[minimalsaint]

Ok,that makes sense then,The picture of the carbon fiber in the package looks like folded fabric,so i thought that's what you used,but then looking at the door on the mod,it looks like thick cf,so i figured maybe you got both.

It's a 1mm plate, the door and back were made from 2 pieces epoxied together for a 2mm plate.

 

[minimalsaint]

Haha,i've lost a few projects to the last little bit,more than i care to remember haha.
Yeah,it's a water based poly,it's minwax polycrylic.It says it can be recoated after 2 hours with a sanding between each coat.I'll definitely have to grab some 800,the finest i have right now is 400,and it dulls it down too much even when wet sanding.

That's exactly what I use!
I don't sand between coats and keep it super light to avoid bubbles. Once you have 10 or 12 good thin and dry coats you should be able to take it back quite a bit and still retain the layer of finish.
ive found that hot air speeds up drying, but not by a whole lot. If you don't let your coats dry properly, you'll get a cloudy finish that you'll never be able to buff out.

 

[b.m.]

That's exactly what I use!
I don't sand between coats and keep it super light to avoid bubbles. Once you have 10 or 12 good thin and dry coats you should be able to take it back quite a bit and still retain the layer of finish.
ive found that hot air speeds up drying, but not by a whole lot. If you don't let your coats dry properly, you'll get a cloudy finish that you'll never be able to buff out.

The thickness of the coat may be my problem then,the first few coats i did were pretty thin,and they looked pretty good,then i started going with heavier coats because i'm impatient haha,and looking back,that is when the problems started with the bubbles,which at first i thought were dust nibs,but i also started getting runs that i kept having to sand out.I haven't had any cloudiness luckily.Good to know you didn't sand between the coats,i thought about trying that,but didn't want to end up with it not adhering right,so i kept sanding every coat.I'm going to get some 800 grit paper and a better brush before i do any more with it,i'm thinking i may be able to get thinner and more consistent coats with one of those foam brushes,so i may try that.

 

[TheTinMan]

I told you this stuff would be fun!

Here's some quick shots of Monty, my latest. When I get some time I'll finish up a post with the build pics, but I just finished fitting and adding magnets to the door last night and I'm too geeked not to share...
I give you: Sir Montague

Very nice!

 

[minimalsaint]

The thickness of the coat may be my problem then,the first few coats i did were pretty thin,and they looked pretty good,then i started going with heavier coats because i'm impatient haha,and looking back,that is when the problems started with the bubbles,which at first i thought were dust nibs,but i also started getting runs that i kept having to sand out.I haven't had any cloudiness luckily.Good to know you didn't sand between the coats,i thought about trying that,but didn't want to end up with it not adhering right,so i kept sanding every coat.I'm going to get some 800 grit paper and a better brush before i do any more with it,i'm thinking i may be able to get thinner and more consistent coats with one of those foam brushes,so i may try that.

LOL I know it's tempting to start laying it on once you see how beautiful and thick and glossy it is LOL
Been there.
To be honest, I had best results with a small soft-bristle artists brush. The foam seemed to cause more bubbles as you drag it across the surface.... probably just me though.
It's hard to practice restraint when it starts to look so good, but trust me and keep the coats thin, thin, thin. You will have some brush marks and imperfections in the finish, but that will come out in the end when you sand.
400 is too coarse to get any sort of final finish either wet or dry, it would be OK for knocking down any large blemishes, but after that 600 or even 800 would be the way to start getting the final finish you're looking for.
It's worked for me like this:
600, 800, 1000, and then the buffing block working progressively to the 4000 grit polishing side.
It sounds like a ton of work and it is, but the end results.... so good.

 

[minimalsaint]

Short video showing the enclosure, I coated the inside of the box and the door this evening, both are setting up now and should be cured by morning. Lots of pictures to sort through so I'll catch up with the build post asap!

 

[minimalsaint]

I've decided to try and devote as much time as possible to finishing this fella, so the build post and pics are on hold at the moment.
Quick update on the door though:
It turned out quite nice and I'm happy with the results! I was worried about excess on the edges but they got a nice thin coat and good old surface tension took care of the rest up top! It's about 1.5mm thick so it doesn't add a lot of bulk in the hand, but it's contoured enough to feel comfortable and glassy smooth.

I've also custom-fabbed a sled from a busted up dual keystone, have it setting up in the enclosure now.
Going to try my luck a second time with making a carbon button, I have a "better" plan in mind so we shall see how it pans out.
Aside from the button, I just need to set up the contacts in the box and Monty will be finished! Excited to finish up, post the build and the finished device. Short of a small disaster, everything will work out nicely.
Thanks to all of you who have been following my progress, I appreciate the kind words and support, I'm having a lot of fun and I'm always looking forward to my next big thing lol!

 

[Mandro]

I've been following this thread with interest and look forward to seeing the finished Monty
minimalsaint, your story sounds very similar to my own. My job is more seasonal these days so I have a fair bit of spare time.
I started off using hand tools and pre maid boxes (Hammond) and moved on to making my own enclosures out of aluminium.
Now I have a mini mill and a micro lathe (haven't mastered this yet) and am waiting for delivery of a DIY anodising kit.

 

[minimalsaint]

I've been following this thread with interest and look forward to seeing the finished Monty
minimalsaint, your story sounds very similar to my own. My job is more seasonal these days so I have a fair bit of spare time.
I started off using hand tools and pre maid boxes (Hammond) and moved on to making my own enclosures out of aluminium.
Now I have a mini mill and a micro lathe (haven't mastered this yet) and am waiting for delivery of a DIY anodising kit.

Thanks so much, I'm excited to get it finished so it can move promptly to the shelf with the others lol

I'm jealous of your equipment.... and anodizing?!? I wanna play!
Many moons ago I worked as an aircraft composite tech and we had a HUGE room with plating and anodizing tanks.... it was one of my favorite things to watch being done!
After building out this enclosure I'm moving to making some of my own, I'm finding it's tough to source small runs of custom enclosures and I've had enough of sending emails and phone calls etc.
these boxes were OK, but I have something different in mind.... although I'm not in the market for a mill (as much as I'd love to have one) so I'll have to see where my shop of existing tools takes me.
I've been doing a lot of research into stabilizing wood as well and I should be ready to give it a shot at some point in the next couple of months..... I tend to over-scrutinize things and take way too long though lol.
Either way, I'm having a blast and we shall see what happens next!