# WIP - Clock Parts and Aluminum



## MIKL (May 27, 2014)

well here is a WIP on how i make a clock parts and Aluminum Tape blank,  it actually takes 2 - 3 nights to get the point of the last photo,  mainly due to waiting for paint to dry

Step 1 - for this blank i have selected a Siera, rough up the Brass tube  with sandpaper and cut a piece of HVAC aluminum tape the length of the  tube

Step2 - You then peel off the backing and wrap the tube, i always try to keep the tape smooth, no wrinkles

Step 3 - i then emboss the tube, the method i use gives it the look of Checker Plate not quite but has a great effect

Step 4 - Painting, i use a metallic model paint which is quite  transparent so the marks show through, now for the first waiting period,  24 hours to make sure the paint has completely dried (worse than  waiting for the kettle to boil)

Step 5 - now i add the armor plates to each end, you can see from the  pickie that the tape i use for these is much thicker than the HVAC tape,  i also punch the rivet holes - one hole at a time. then more painting,  again i use model paint to darken (age) the tape, brush on, wipe off  before it dries and then allow it to dry

Step 6 - now for the time consuming job of bending the watch parts, 1  small drop of CA where i want the piece added and place it gently on the  glue, i usually have upwards of 25 watch pieces on a siera and can take  me 2 hours for this one step

its amazing what you can see in a photo that the old eyes don't pick up,  in the second last photo one of the gears is broken, but a blind man  would be happy to see it:biggrin:

all thats left to do is cast in resin, turn to shape and add the  component set, i might get a chance this weekend to complete the project  but i am not sure, i will add the rest of the pickies once it is  complete

all the best

MIK


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## thewishman (May 27, 2014)

Thanks for showing the steps you use. I bought several of your blanks and sold one to the first person that saw it. I wondered how you got the pierced pieces to look so different - thicker tape makes it look thicker (seems so clear, now).


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## Jim15 (May 27, 2014)

Thanks for sharing your process.


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## Edward Cypher (May 27, 2014)

Excellent explanation could easily be a tutorial.  Thanks for sharing your process.  Very cool.


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## MIKL (May 28, 2014)

thanks for the feedback guys



thewishman said:


> Thanks for showing the steps you use. I bought several of your blanks and sold one to the first person that saw it. I wondered how you got the pierced pieces to look so different - thicker tape makes it look thicker (seems so clear, now).



hiya Chris, i am glad that you had success with the blanks, pretty much everyone has said that they sold straight away, which is great

the main reason i did this was to show the blank pre-cast, the pictures  of the turned pens don't show the real character that the pen has in the  hand

i think from now on i will take a pickie of the blank before casting

all the best

MIK


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## BSea (May 28, 2014)

I understand everything except how you emboss the tube. That looks so much like carbon fiber.  

Great blanks BTW. :good:


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## MIKL (May 29, 2014)

BSea said:


> I understand everything except how you emboss the tube. That looks so much like carbon fiber.
> 
> Great blanks BTW. :good:


Thanks for the comment Bob

the embossing is what makes these blanks truly my design so i am sorry to say i wont be sharing that part, i have shared every other thing that i do and all the bits that i use

some things must remain a mystery

all the best

MIK


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## BSea (May 29, 2014)

MIKL said:


> BSea said:
> 
> 
> > I understand everything except how you emboss the tube. That looks so much like carbon fiber.
> ...


Yes, I already saw the same response in the WoodWorks forum.:frown:

But I understand, and don't blame you.  Still, thanks for sharing everything else. :good: Great Blanks!  . . . . . . . hmmm, I'm repeating myself.


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## vtgaryw (May 29, 2014)

Way cool, I love the blue herringbone pattern.

How do you get the bends in the watch parts so perfect?  I've been working on this, and find that a lot of the parts don't bend easily.

Thanks,

Gary


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## triw51 (May 29, 2014)

Awsome workmanship and your creativity is way outside the box........
Great job and thanks for sharing


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## MIKL (May 30, 2014)

vtgaryw said:


> Way cool, I love the blue herringbone pattern.
> 
> How do you get the bends in the watch parts so perfect?  I've been working on this, and find that a lot of the parts don't bend easily.
> 
> ...



Thanks Gary

i made a tool out of the wire which runs around the top edge of a mattress, it is SO HARD, i made a wooden handle for it and sharpened one end to make the rivet dots on the blank. i also use this tool to bend the gears, just by gentle pressing while moving them across the wire, but some i can't bend yet like you said too hard, i need a friend with a mill to make me the next tool that i need

all the best

MIK


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## neubee (May 30, 2014)

That looks really cool. I like your use of the aluminum tape it adds a lot to the design.


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## vtgaryw (May 30, 2014)

Thanks.   I was considering making a small die set like set up to press them on a small arbor press.  Not sure if in the grand scheme of projects I have on my plate that I'll do enough of these to move it up the priority list.

Gary


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## MIKL (May 30, 2014)

neubee said:


> That looks really cool. I like your use of the aluminum tape it adds a lot to the design.



thanks mate, the pens have sold really well



vtgaryw said:


> Thanks.   I was considering making a small die set like set up to press them on a small arbor press.  Not sure if in the grand scheme of projects I have on my plate that I'll do enough of these to move it up the priority list.
> 
> Gary



i tried making one out of hard wood, but the thicker metal gears just end up embedded into the wood, a half round swage block and some doming tools is what you need, i can't find any here in OZ and due to weight the postage from OS is too expensive

all the best

MIK


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## MIKL (May 30, 2014)

here is a pickie of the end, as you can see the thicker aluminum tape is  not very thick, i just looked it up and its only 0.12mm which includes  the adhesive backing

some of the watch parts are much ticker than the tape, this barrel will  have to have a little bit of shaping to it, not to the bulbous stage  though

i think the black paint gives it the added depth creating an optical illusion

i have also added some pickies of other precast blanks, i am totally  amazed at how much more you can see with the camera, the 26" monitor  also may have something to do with it
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




all the best

MIK


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## skiprat (May 30, 2014)

I have no doubt that the finished product will look cool, but I think they would look just as nice or perhaps even better if you left the watch parts off. 
The ones with the textured coloured foil and the boiler plate ends, are in my opinion, already stunning. 
For me, the watch parts don't add anything, and perhaps even give it some sort of identity crisis. Just my own opinion.:wink:


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## MIKL (May 30, 2014)

skiprat said:


> I have no doubt that the finished product will look cool, but I think they would look just as nice or perhaps even better if you left the watch parts off.
> The ones with the textured coloured foil and the boiler plate ends, are in my opinion, already stunning.
> For me, the watch parts don't add anything, and perhaps even give it some sort of identity crisis. Just my own opinion.:wink:



thanks for the feedback Skip

i pretty much agree with you, however i use a watch parts pen for work only because i love to see people try and feel the rough parts before they realize they are embedded 

i do make them with and without the watch parts, also with and with out the wire, they all sell pretty much as good as each other which is surprising, the 2 pictured above with out the watch parts will stay that way.

mate you should see how many different designs i have sitting in the tub beside me ready to be cast and i still have more ideas flowing, don't you hate it when real work gets in the way of play time:biggrin:

all the best

MIK


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## Dan Hintz (May 30, 2014)

Love the blank... and this has given me a really good idea for a specific look I didn't know how to achieve until now (not what you have, mind you, but the idea was a good tipping point)


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## MIKL (May 31, 2014)

Dan Hintz said:


> Love the blank... and this has given me a really good idea for a specific look I didn't know how to achieve until now (not what you have, mind you, but the idea was a good tipping point)



Thanks Dan, i am glad that this has given you some inspiration, i hope it turns out better than expected

MIK


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## MIKL (May 31, 2014)

well they are all in the mold, resin warmed, catalyzed, poured and on the cure

should be all good by tomorrow

there are a few bubbles visible in the pickies but they are all on the surface, can't see the bottom though

all the best

MIK


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## MIKL (Jun 1, 2014)

well the TIME has arrived, the MOMENT of truth... thats all the clock references i can think of that apply

casting was completed and the blank came out the mold beautifully, i am  always worried about bubbles underneath the blank where they can't be  seen

pictured below is the finished product, hopefully this one lasts as long as rest have

thanks for following this thread and all the comments

any further comments, critiques or questions welcome

all the best

MIK


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## Marko50 (Jun 4, 2014)

I noticed you said you used a hard bed spring wire to bend your watch parts….Just use an arbor press in combination with a dapping block and a set of punch tools…works for me and you can bend your watch parts in about 15-20 minutes:wink:


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## MIKL (Jun 4, 2014)

Marko50 said:


> I noticed you said you used a hard bed spring wire to bend your watch parts….Just use an arbor press in combination with a dapping block and a set of punch tools…works for me and you can bend your watch parts in about 15-20 minutes:wink:



hiya marko

i will get a dapping block eventually, i can't find one in OZ and the cost of postage from what i have seen so far is out of the question, it is nearly cheaper to buy a mill and make my own than to get one posted.

i have a friend who does metal recycling and he is looking out for one, he also gets 20L drums full of watch parts occasionally, i got my name on one of those as well:biggrin:

thanks for the thoughts though mate, i appreciate it

BTW i really like that braided copper look you have going on, its awesome

all the best

MIK


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## Marko50 (Jun 8, 2014)

*I gave it a shot*

Soooo…. I thought I would give this a shot over the weekend and this is what I came up with from following your tutorial. Granted, it doesn't have the same "pizazz" that your blanks do, but for a first try I think it's pretty decent. Thanks for sharing how you did it.  I had to improvise and figure out the steps you left out, but I can at least call it my own rendition of a fabulous blank!


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## MIKL (Jun 8, 2014)

Marko50 said:


> Soooo…. I thought I would give this a shot over the weekend and this is what I came up with from following your tutorial. Granted, it doesn't have the same "pizazz" that your blanks do, but for a first try I think it's pretty decent. Thanks for sharing how you did it.  I had to improvise and figure out the steps you left out, but I can at least call it my own rendition of a fabulous blank!



Hiya Mark, great job on the blank mate, its awesome

i am honored that you think so highly of these

i have been making these type of blanks now for over 6 months and every time i close my eyes another idea hits me, i made 2 new design blanks today, hopefully i will get them cast and turned tomorrow

i am sure that you will add more to these as well, i think it is an avenue that we have only just scratched the surface of

i look forward to seeing many more of your creations, the Harley pens were another side road to this area, great job on those

all the best

MIK


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