This is the yellow foam form after I turned it on the lather and drilled a hole with a spade bit to create a recess for the button. I started the hole on the drill press, but it went in a little crooked, and I realized that yellow foam is so soft I could just correct the recess by using the spade bit with my hand.
My flashlight after I added several layers of spot putty, sanded with 400 grit, and sprayed primer. The rounded rocker switch was made out of Super Sculpey and is angled at the bottom because I want to make it move.
Sanding concave parts is tricky, I really like those thin flat sanding sponges, but I couldn't find one in 400 grit. This is the section where the bulb goes after I painted it. I taped the inside rim and covered the rest with a plastic bag attached to the tape to save time and avoid damaging the other surfaces with tape.
After I inserted a bulb I put the lens on. I was afraid gorilla glue would expand too much and be visible through the lens so I used acrylic cement that I had. Then I left the blue protective cover over the lens until I was done spray painting. Finally I put a teal metallic coat on, however unlike the first two colors which were basic spray paint, the teal was auto paint which looks great but is much more sensitive to temperature changes. After painting outside in my own backyard, I was concerned about the cold and the humidity, so I brought it into our kitchen because there is plenty of ventilation and nobody was going to be around for a while. That's when the paint started to bubble, and I realized I should have just kept it outside, because it stopped as soon as I brought it out. So I sanded and repainted it and applied a generous amount of Duplicolor gloss laquer. The rocker switch doesn't really move yet, so I inserted it with a piece of wire and elmers glue because I want to take it out later and see if I can get it to move. I really enjoyed working with these materials and am impressed with the kind of finishes that can be acheived with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment