More DIY acrylic squonkiness

[phtumshk]

I impulse bought a 14mm hellfire RDA from FT at 4 in the AM.
Having realized the following day that all my squonk mods have 22mm 510s with air cuts I  needed  a mod with a smaller 510 or my new RDA will be looking a bit silly.
Made some scribbles on some paper and set about making imp-mech No4.

Trying to mix it up a bit decided this 1 will have a thumb button on the front and battery tube setup.
 
started with the usual box, ran a brass strip up the front for the button and added a couple of retainers to keep it in place.


 Cut the strip out so I could bend it and slip it in past the retainers.


Test fit a bottle.


Test fit the 22mm 510 and added some bends to the contact before. . . .


Cutting it down to 12mm and recessing it into the top.
Had to be 12mm as I dont have a 14mm drill but at least the RDA will hide the 510.
 



Converted the regular 510 to squonk.


More Bottle test fitting


Found a suitable negative terminal and made a sqaure nut to hold it all in place.
Will be a lot easier to disassemble with this set up as it will be all enclosed when Im finished.


Added a side piece to the brass strip to contact the Pos end of the Battery.


Which will be a threaded brass ring glued into place.


And heres the conection between the 2 brass bits which allows it all to be striped and cleaned.


Made a contrasting neon green button.
The jurys out on this for me might need to make black un.


Stuck a battery in and screwed the cap up


Fire in the hole.

It only frkn works lol.


And heres all the bits striped down.



And thats it for part 1,
Just needs shaping up/sanding an a squonk hole putting in.
But thatll be for another day.

[DaveJ]

Oooo. A build thread. Lovely. Thank you!

"...started with the usual box"
Might I ask what that usual box is please? From the looks I'm guessing a resin or plastic of some sort.



ETA: Doh! Acrylic - as in the thread title!  

[phtumshk]

Jul 17, 2017 2:55:33 GMT DaveJ said:

Oooo. A build thread. Lovely. Thank you!

"...started with the usual box"
Might I ask what that usual box is please? From the looks I'm guessing a resin or plastic of some sort.



ETA: Doh! Acrylic - as in the thread title!  

This was my first attempt

Also did a limelight freehand alike in a similar fashion just added a few extra layers here and there to get the shape.

[laurie9300]

Great thread, watching with interest. Your last thread was a good read too! Your polyweld is interesting too, never came across that before? I have built an acrylic mod, a clear one, I used Weldon 4.

drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DNipO8Q1hFd1pzLU0zVVRnQnM/view?usp=drivesdk

[DaveJ]

Thanks for the link to your earlier project phtumshk - most interesting.


Ideas filed away for future reference.
I reckon I could cut and shape that acrylic with my table saw and router...

[phtumshk]

Jul 17, 2017 10:33:21 GMT laurie9300 said:

Great thread, watching with interest. Your last thread was a good read too! Your polyweld is interesting too, never came across that before? I have built an acrylic mod, a clear one, I used Weldon 4.

drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DNipO8Q1hFd1pzLU0zVVRnQnM/view?usp=drivesdk

Ah! I remember your clear un, meant to ask what youd used glue wise but couldnt find the post again..
Im still plodding along with the monomer and acrylic powder Im 'borrowing off the Mrs' that she sticks false nails on with.

Jul 17, 2017 11:53:08 GMT DaveJ said:

Thanks for the link to your earlier project phtumshk - most interesting.


Ideas filed away for future reference.
I reckon I could cut and shape that acrylic with my table saw and router...

Wouldve thought so, youll probably do a better job than me.
I cut mine out with a blunt hack saw and all the edges are wonky.

[phtumshk]

Only needed a quick sanding with the rough n ready and yep you guessed it, its rough n ready.
Happy with this 1, even the green buttons grown on me.
Cant wait for me hellfire to arrive.










Thanks.

[DaveJ]

It works? Good! That's the prime criteria isn't it?

Looks far better than "rough and ready" too. Good job.

[phtumshk]

Jul 18, 2017 7:19:28 GMT DaveJ said:

It works? Good! That's the prime criteria isn't it?

Looks far better than "rough and ready" too. Good job.

Thanks for the compliments.
Works better than id hoped.
I was a bit worried that the contact between the battery ring and front strip i might get some volt drop but it seems theres enough surface area in contact not to get any.
Vaped it all last night and it never missed a beat.

[fastlad21]

What did you use to get rid of the rough edges after cutting the acrylic? Im planning on attempting my own build shortly.

Thanks, Rob

[phtumshk]

Aug 13, 2017 0:59:19 GMT fastlad21 said:

What did you use to get rid of the rough edges after cutting the acrylic? Im planning on attempting my own build shortly.

Thanks, Rob

I normally just give the edges a quick deburr with a small file before sticking the bits together.
I leave most of the finishing off till its all together.
But if you want to remove the blade marks from the edges before assembly Id suggest a piece of wet n dry/sand paper on a flat surface and move your piece across it whilst on its edge.
Use a block of 2x2 as a guide to keep the edges at 90degs.
Good luck with yo project and dont forget the pics.

[fastlad21]

Thanks for the advice. What grit paper would you recommend something like 400 and 800?
Ill try and remember the pics

[phtumshk]

Aug 13, 2017 7:12:07 GMT fastlad21 said:

Thanks for the advice. What grit paper would you recommend something like 400 and 800?
Ill try and remember the pics

Im probably not the best person to ask about sand paper.
Mine is either rough or really rough, any finer than that and I start getting bored lol.
Id say something in the middle will be a good start point for removing saw marks on edges.

[fastlad21]

Nice one, thanks for the advice. Ill have a play around and see how i get on.

[DaveJ]

Not trying to step on phtumshk toes in his thread ....

With sanding wood (and a number of other things) the general advice is to use the least aggressive grit that'll do the job. I'd suggest this would hold for sanding acrylics/plastics too. It certainly does when sanding or smoothing epoxy resins.

When I am sanding edges on a hardwood board freshly cut by a router I might use 240 or so and perhaps even finer if it was a particularly thin edge. But if that same board had just come off a rough "rip blade" (or band saw or even a hand saw), I might need to go up to 80 grit (and a bunch of muscle) to smooth it.

Of course, it would really depend on how rough that acrylic edge was after being cut. If acrylic is anywhere near similar to wood, then, for simple smoothing of otherwise straight and true edges, I'd prolly try starting at around 400 grit. BUT, as suggested by phtumshk above, I'd be sure to use a sanding block and whatever was to hand (blocks, jigs, edge of my bench, whatever) to aid in holding that sanding block at right angles to the workpiece whilst sanding.

Alternately - I've seen a number of Online Woodworkers say they use *card scrapers* to smooth the edges of plastic pieces they used for jigs and fittings. Scrapers have been very useful to me when smoothing epoxy back fills in timber flaws.

Good luck with it fastlad21 and please .... pics