Scratch Build – In Progress Anima Mundi Redux - March 30th, 2009

Considering I've been polishing acrylic for the last...5 hours...give or take, I know what you mean. I really enjoy working with it as a material, since it's easier to machine then metal, and is more versatile than wood. Well, at least for me.

 

I've been here since the beginning, watching and admiring the progress. Just haven't had a ton of time to post.
The fillport is excellent work by itself. I may have to bookmark this thread for "the future"

john

 

Good work! Such a lovely little cube.. And you sure have every reason to be proud of the fillport, such a simple yet clever design.

 

Thanks guys! Once I get the fillport polished up a little bit and lit, I think it will make worlds of difference, but I love how it came out. It was another one of those "why buy it when I can build it moments."

 

Really does look fantastic, especially when lit. I can't wait for the painting to start.

 

Paint will probably wait for next weekend. I've still got some little details to work out before paint, and I need to put together some sort of "paint tent" since I dont want to have to heat my whole shop to get the optimal conditions.

There is more lighting to be done, some holes to clean up, a few things to be glued together, some gaskets to be installed, and a whole pile of other little details.

 

I've decided to replace the bolts with a slightly different style. The top panel happened to be off the case so I used it as a test piece. Dont mind the dirty acrylic. Thoughts?




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Did a little plumbing. I'm very seriously considering converting the block to a 1/2inch fitting, but I haven't decided. There are two adapters in the picture. The circular one is finished, the square one still needs to be cut down, squared off, and polished. I also changed the fill port over to a G1/4 1/2inch fitting.



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Merry Christmas to me! This handy dandy tool might be vital to the exterior finish of Anima Mundi.



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Nice shop and cool new toy (tool)!
I like the new bolts. Very clean.

Edit... I just reread your log and I'm very impressed. I can't wait to see the paint/edge effect and your mysterious exterior plans.
The led light on the bottom is a cool idea, and seems to be working great. Any plans to add some animation to it (a simple loop cycle for example?)

I really like all the tools you have at your disposal. I need a neighbor who doesn't want his old tools anymore!
(especially a drill press!)

Also, don't get discouraged by periodic lack of comments, it seems to come and go. There are a lot of silent watchers out there and I'll take it upon myself to say for the... Most importantly is you're doing it, and doing it well! (as Salt n Pepa would say)

 

Thanks! I've gotten some negative comments on the old bolts, so I figured "what the heck?" and took a tour of my local nut and bolt shop until I found something I liked. I thought about getting them in chrome, but $1.50 a bolt is a little steep.

And my shop is a horrendous mess. We're in the process of putting on an additional bay, so things are discombobulated.

No plans at present. I'm not that good with electronics I'm afraid. If the circuit was designed for me, I'm sure I could put it together, but until then its just going to be an on off sort of deal.

My mysterious exterior plans are constantly changing, so IM looking forward to seeing how it ends up haha.

He's a great old guy. I'm lucky enough that I also have a father and a grandfather that are very tool centric, so it's not like I'm short anything I need. Well, short of a CNC machine, but that's on the list of things to do.

 

Impressive plexi-work. Looking really good, nice and sturdy. The new bolts suits the case better.

 

r u gunna mass produce kus i want to buy! i love the acrylic work nice job

 

That's what I thought, I'm doing the rest of the panels now.

I do offer custom work... Building a second Anima Mundi Redux wouldn't be hard at all, I'm already planning Mk2 and Mk3 haha.

 

Mate, new bolts look much better. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us with those side panels.

 

Couple of observations from me.

Very well done on all accounts.
The beveled brace for the PSU is a real artistic touch.

By the way I have the same PSU but my wires are shorter!

How long does it take to get rid of the fingerprints for each photo shoot?

This is just nice.

john

 

I see emails in my inbox from TBCS and bit-tech and my first thought is "oh, The boy 4rm oz found my updates" haha.

I like how the PSU support turned out, I really do. Working with 1/2 inch acrylic is a pleasure, and having a table saw that cuts perfect 45 degree angles is an added bonus.

I dont usually care too much about fingerprints, but I'll give the case a real quick wipe down before I take pictures. I also usually wear neoprene or latex gloves with handling the bare acrylic.

 

Well it is hard to miss a good mod lol.

 

My finished T line! I am debating putting it through one more sand and polish, but for right now it'll do. You have no idea how long these little *******s take, and I made like eight of them before I got one I was happy with.





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More countersinking shots. I hosed up one hole on the top panel, so I have to do some fancy footwork to save the panel. Might need to be filled and redrilled, but we'll see.






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Played with my rotary table a bit...




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Somebody on another forum asked for a tour of my shop, so...

Immediatly after walking in the side door. That's the welding bench with my metal break on top of it directly in front of you.



That's my corner behind my dad's project (rear end on the snapper went out, he's upgrading it...slightly haha)



My dad's bench, hiding behind the irrigation controller. Through those white doors is the one bay paint booth.



Bay door access to the back yard. Also drill press A and B, the parts washer, and for some reason a router table sitting on top of our old generator.



Cleaned my ever expanding work space up a bit.



Every shop needs skylights made out of old sliding glass doors.



My absolute favorite part of this shop, the heater! Went from ~35 degrees to 65 in about 5 minutes. Makes things very nice in the winter.



Drill press with mill and rotary table attached. Along with the doors to the paint booth.



Behind the tarp is another large bay door and a parking space. We only move the tarp if you need to pull something in, and we're walling that area off in the next week or two anyway. There's also a washer, dryer, and sink back there.



When my dad ran his business out of here, that door led to the showroom and front office. Now it's my moms parking space and houses our beer fridge.

 

Nice! Lots of usefull stuff in there. I've got a drill press but it is quite small and floppy. Would like something bigger and more sturdie.

 

I can't dissapoint you now can I .

Fantastic looking "T" line, better than the DD ones.

You have a very nice workshop, I wish I had all the tools you do lol.