Project: MELTDOWN (updated 04-08-05)

Hey everyone!! I am working on my second project MELTDOWN. The scope of this project is I wanted to make a case that looked like some nuclear waste storage device that is broken or malfunctioning. I have a lot of neat ideas for this case and several ideas that I have never seen done before or at least that I know of. I decided to use a microwave as the base case. I got a used one for $8 at goodwill.

Here is the microwave




And the guts!! (All the other microwaves shutter in terror)



I wanted to cut the nuclear symbol out of the top and mount one of the 6" green borg lighting disks behind it. I got it at spencers gifts for $20. I used a fan grill I saw as the base and created the layout in photoshop cause mine was bigger. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Here is the cutout.

 

Looks like a neat idea, it would be cool if you could rig up a circuit to use the keypad from the microwave to control the pc somehow, I don't think it would be that hard.

 

key pad woud work just need some shematics and a program and wola you have a extra keybord.
Look realy nice keep it coming

 

Pics of the work area and goodies.






Ok I wanted to put two of the liquid resivors on the top of my pc and fill them with a radioactive looking goo........ until I looked at the prices for the tanks.... holy crap those things are expensive. So I made my own. I opened my phone book and found a plastics company. I bought some 2" OD pipe for $2 per foot and they have a scraps bin and everything is a $1. When I say scraps I am talking 1' x 2' or more. They are really big pieces. So I got a bunch of the thicker plexi 1/4" I believe. I also got the IBS plastic weld. I got a ton of goodies.

I cut the tubes at about 11 3/4" with a miter box and a hacksaw. I am using the thicker plexi and cut out 3" x 3" squares for the end caps.



After all of the cutting and a lot of sanding and pollishing.

To insure that I got the tube in the center of the end cap I drew a measured square and a X so I would get the center of the square.




I had a really cool idea to run a ccfl through the center of tube to light up the goo. I had to grind down one end cap so there would be a tight fit with end cap. You also have to have two holes for filling when they are small. I had to seal the tube up before filling cause the goo would interfere with the glue.











I think they turned out pretty well. I made my own goo cause I wanted a very specific look and it is black light reactive as well. I got everything at my local grocery store.

 

Nice resevoirs .

 

Ooooo Sexy. Good Job.

 

Wow, that's looking good
What kind of stuff is that green liquid? Where did you get it? It absolutely looks nice with the ccfl's, it fits the theme

 

you say the goo is uv reflective, so maybe if someone does something similar they could use a uv cold cathode inside and that might make all the goo glow evenly rather than having a bright rod in the middle and dissipate out. just an idea, what you have now is awesome, i love it.

 

oooh pwnage reservoirs

 

all i can say really is wow i love those reservoirs

 

Wow, that Resivior idea is brilliant. Finally, something original

 

could you give us the recipe for the 'goo'? please!

 

This looks like it will be good... I've always liked the idea of using a microwave as a case.

 

it hink the idea of putting a uv cathode inside is better than the green one...

those reservoirs looks nice...

 

Ahh so you want grandma's secret goo well I might tell you..... LOL

Well here is your list of stuff:

Corn syrup (located with the reguar syrups but it is clear)
green gator aid (very little is needed)
yellow highlighter (liquid filled are best)
green highlighter (same)
pert plus shampoo and conditioner (standard type) It should be greenish and very sparkly (very little needed)

Get a large container or bowl to mix in. Make sure it is clean of all debre.
The corn syrup is 90% - 95% of the solution. Add the highlighter liquid to the corn syrup. Mix it all together. Now add gator aid to thin it out to the desired thickness. Do a little at a time. (Also the smaller the holes in the top of your resivor the thinner the solution has to be). Once you get it all mixed up you will add the pert plus a little at a time. The pert plus will make the solution a little cloudy and sparkly (very cool effect). This stuff is very sticky...

 

I thought about it but most of the uv cold cathodes are not very good as far as uv goes. I was worried about doing it and it not working as well. I want to see the light in the center of the goo. The uv will just make the goo glow as a whole. It is a very cool effect but not what I wanted for this particular instance.

 

Looks really cool! I'm just worried about the fact that the goo is mostly food products... Could get ugly if left in there too long.

Can't wait to see what else you come up with for this!

 

Heh, awesome. I'm not sure I'd stick a CCFL into water, but cool idea.

A few suggestions to get rid of the CCFL's thin line: Sand down the ccfl tube to frost it, and diffuse the light... and possibly the same for the outside of the res...

 

I like the design of that res

 

Ahhh my cool res. are having problems. Even though the ccfls were resealed they have fluid in them. The substance that is in the tube is not conductive for the most part. Someone wrote about a way to change the ccfls and all that well.... I have a design for a tube that would let me change the color of the ccfl at any time or remove it completely. The ccfl would not get anyfluid on it at any time. It is something I though of at about the same time I made the other tubes but I went with the other idea cause it was closer to what I wanted look wise.