2x Bartop X-Mas Gifts

[rbaker]

@Speerdo Fantastic results! I agree, Sketchup is great but I have recently moved to

which is also free. Have a look at this thread for your trackball configs and if you get stuck, post a question in the support page. https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Spinners,-Trackballs,-Lightguns,-and-other-Mouse-Devices/

[ppuspfc]

What a wonderful work.

[Speerdo]

@kalliw The resin is tricky. So here's all I can offer as far as tips and tricks that hopefully help you along the way. Keep in mind, I'm far from an expert. :-)

I use spray adhesive to attach the poster to the piece. I made sure to get plenty of coverage around the edges to avoid peel-ups down the road, but they did happen. Masking tape just barely attached solved that issue..even with wet resin. As long as you just barely attach it, it shouldn't show too much. Also, if it does leave a lil notch or mark in the resin...you can just mix a tiny amount of resin and pour over it to cover it up. More resin is great at fixing imperfections.

I didn't really have to level the resin..it does a good job of doing that on it's own as long as you use enough to cover the piece you're working on, and your work surface is level. I did use a heat gun, but it was more for popping air bubbles trapped in the resin.

In hindsight, I'd say the most important things when doing resin are...

1. get your mix as perfectly 50/50. When doing this, I find that it's easier to make micro adjustments with the hardener instead of the resin since the resin is so thick. In other words, pour the resin first, then match the thinner hardener to that volume.
2. I didn't take the instructions seriously when they said mix for 5 minutes. My first test pour showed that was a mistake on my part. Take the time to mix. If you don't, the resin will never cure and it'll be tacky forever.
3. Start in the middle of your piece and avoid the edges until you get good coverage everywhere else. I used a mini foam paint roller and would stay about an inch from the edges until I had the whole thing covered. Only then would I go back and inch my way up to the edge ,trying not to spill too much over the edge. I used a chisel to knock off any thick blobs that had dripped over.
4. You can sand resin and then pour more over the top, so if you have issues with your first pour...have no fear...you can just sand it down. It'll look like crap during the sanding, but once you pour fresh resin over the top it'll get that nice glass look again.

Good luck! Would love to see pics if you do a cab with epoxy.

[Speerdo]

@rbaker Nice! I used Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks and a few others back about 10 years ago in college. I really need to revisit Fusion 360. I've just gotten so used to Sketchup for home improvement projects. In your experience, what benefits does Fusion 360 bring to the table over Sketchup?

[theissdev]

@Speerdo DUDE! These look fantastic! Great Christmas presents!

[rbaker]

@Speerdo The ability to do curves and edit designs instantly then everything else updates itself on the screen.

[Speerdo]

@rbaker Right on. What's the term for that again? Parametric modelling? Sketchup does get a lil annoying when you've got geometry layered onto geometry and then you go and change one little thing and now you've got 17 other pieces you have to adjust manually. I'm gonna download it right now and give it a go.

Thanks for all the kind words all! Will update once the kiddos get the finished products. :-)

[kalliw]

@Speerdo my experience with epoxy is related to work, but 98% of the time its with resin ( polyester). and only 2% epoxy. but i know some of the "problems" with epoxy.
not all is mixed 50/50 ( depends on the type ) BUT its important to always mix it exactly as prescribed ( mixing ratio ) and to mix very very good.. 5 minutes sounds of much , but trust me its not.
further more if the epoxy seems "thick" a little trick is to put the bucket in hot water, this way you "thin" it a little..

regarding the bezel.. be carefull if you use spray adhesive, i did it on my control-bord.
i sprayed it on top of the panel ( made of wood) and put my print on top of that and made sure it was nice and smooth, then put my 5 millimeter plexiplate on top, some of the glue passed through the paper and ended on the plexi-plate, it made the plexi look blurry/sanded and the printn wasnt pretty in those areas.

[Speerdo]

@kalliw Excellent tip on the hot water. I've seen them do that with hide glue in guitar building. I will keep that in mind next epoxy pour.

I hear ya on the adhesive. I actually had that happen when I was testing out the decoupage. A gal at work told me to use the decoupage as the adhesive under the poster, then also as the clear out over the top. It saturated the poster and caused it to ripple. So yeah, good point on not using too much spray adhesive. I also will let it sit there exposed to the air for a few minutes to let it get really tacky and a dry out a bit. Only problem with this is...you pretty much have to get the poster in the perfect position on the first placement as there's no removing it.

One of those posters I originally ordered for the control panel was also some sort of weird nylon fabric mesh. I didn't realize this when I ordered it, and it didn't work out well. It curled very very easily when I came back over the epoxy with the heat gun, and when it did that it exposed unprinted white edges that just looked really really bad.

Here's what that control panel looked like before I tossed it and started over. I loved this graphic more than the other Star Wars one, but alas I couldn't find this print on regular paper at this size.

Here's that 12-foot desk that I also used epoxy to finish. There was no way I was gonna level this with sanding or other techniques. Epoxy was a lifesaver on this project...albeit an expensive one(about $100 worth).

[RedFarmer]

I wanna know if the gifts was a success? :)