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Over the past year I've been dabbling in 3D design, models, signs, etc. and...LOVE IT!
A few months after seeing my friend Dan Sawatzky make a submarine out of a fishbowl I was in the dollar store and saw a round flower bowl and thought...hmmmm, I don't want to do a submarine...but...maybe something else...HEY a Rocket!!!...and off my mind went.
With my mind racing I walked down each isle of the dollar store slowly. I grabbed some some clear marbles...what could they be used for? Then a package of 3 cat toys (clear balls that looked like they could easily be seperate into two) Bubble windows for the ship?!?! Then the best of the best...a package of multi-sized "googly eyes" like you see on dolls or stuffed toys...these would be my rivets!
When I returned home and rummage through my "junk drawer" (we all have one) and found a pointed plastic tube that was the base to a long broken solar light...the fire nozzle for the rocket?!?!? So...other then the HDU (explained later) and paint...everything was purchased at the dollar store.
This is my journey.
BUT! This is my first full Instructable. I've submitted photo instructables before but nothing like this so...forgive me if it's not quite "right".
Also I'm not the best writter so again...forgive me if it's a little disjointed. :)
A few months after seeing my friend Dan Sawatzky make a submarine out of a fishbowl I was in the dollar store and saw a round flower bowl and thought...hmmmm, I don't want to do a submarine...but...maybe something else...HEY a Rocket!!!...and off my mind went.
With my mind racing I walked down each isle of the dollar store slowly. I grabbed some some clear marbles...what could they be used for? Then a package of 3 cat toys (clear balls that looked like they could easily be seperate into two) Bubble windows for the ship?!?! Then the best of the best...a package of multi-sized "googly eyes" like you see on dolls or stuffed toys...these would be my rivets!
When I returned home and rummage through my "junk drawer" (we all have one) and found a pointed plastic tube that was the base to a long broken solar light...the fire nozzle for the rocket?!?!? So...other then the HDU (explained later) and paint...everything was purchased at the dollar store.
This is my journey.
BUT! This is my first full Instructable. I've submitted photo instructables before but nothing like this so...forgive me if it's not quite "right".
Also I'm not the best writter so again...forgive me if it's a little disjointed. :)
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Signing UpStep 1Design and Carving - NOSE CONE and CAP
I knew I wanted to make a fish bowl or flower bowl rocket ship...but how and what would it looks like?
I had the 100 small LED Xmas lights already, I found the flower bowl....now the design.
An amazing designer and friend of mine, Dan Sawazky, had designed a submarine out of a fish bowl and I loved the design of it but wanted mine to be be a little different, not only because it was going to be a rocket but also much brighter, because it was going to be a lamp as well.
I started first with some very rough sketches of the nose cone and legs...BUT...quickly realized I would have to router both sides out of the same piece of material.
I used HDU board (high density urethane), it's easy to carve and lightweight. I used a CNC Router but this material comes in different hardenesses and can be carved by hand.
First I designed and cut one of 3 nose cone pieces and the "cap" they would sit on. I added some holes in the cap for light to shine through.
The clear marbles from the dollar store fit nicely into the round hole in the nose cone pieces.
The clear ball cat toys came appart and I placed half in the center of the cap, then used Gorilla Glue to glue the nose cone pieces to the clear cat toy and the nose cone cap. Once dried I then glued the entire assemled piece to the glass bowl. Then I applied the googly eyes for rivets.
I primed everything and applied the first layer of Modern Masters Metallic Gold paint.
Once dried I then created a wash or glaze of a darker goldy-bronze metallic and applied that and then wiped it off with a rag.
I then applied a little straight bronze to each rivet.
I had the 100 small LED Xmas lights already, I found the flower bowl....now the design.
An amazing designer and friend of mine, Dan Sawazky, had designed a submarine out of a fish bowl and I loved the design of it but wanted mine to be be a little different, not only because it was going to be a rocket but also much brighter, because it was going to be a lamp as well.
I started first with some very rough sketches of the nose cone and legs...BUT...quickly realized I would have to router both sides out of the same piece of material.
I used HDU board (high density urethane), it's easy to carve and lightweight. I used a CNC Router but this material comes in different hardenesses and can be carved by hand.
First I designed and cut one of 3 nose cone pieces and the "cap" they would sit on. I added some holes in the cap for light to shine through.
The clear marbles from the dollar store fit nicely into the round hole in the nose cone pieces.
The clear ball cat toys came appart and I placed half in the center of the cap, then used Gorilla Glue to glue the nose cone pieces to the clear cat toy and the nose cone cap. Once dried I then glued the entire assemled piece to the glass bowl. Then I applied the googly eyes for rivets.
I primed everything and applied the first layer of Modern Masters Metallic Gold paint.
Once dried I then created a wash or glaze of a darker goldy-bronze metallic and applied that and then wiped it off with a rag.
I then applied a little straight bronze to each rivet.
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The lighting is amazing it looks like you have lights under the base as well....is that right?
I see a name on the flag is that the name of the space-dog?
You are correct...there are lights under the base. I used my dremmel to cut a circular groove into the underside of the base and placed a few lights in the groove, then they went through the hole in the base into the firing nozzle and up into the bowl.
This was a gift for my nephew Kai. His name is on the flag and on the bowl as well in and above the windows. Also the space-dog has a patch on his back that says "Team Kai".
It took awhile to finish...that's why some of the photos are a little out of order I think. :( Despite the time it took...it was worth it in the end! :)
I had a vision of the finished project in my head but it changed and morphed along the way. I think you're right the early Lost in Space, Flash Gordon and Steam-punk designs were all bouncing around in my head as I worked. :) LOL
It was one year ago this month I got my hands on my cnc router and software. I'd never worked with a cnc router before so I got my hands on the software and planted myself in front of the computer and played with the software and then did test cut after test cut after test cut...day after day after week after week. LOL
I was determined to learn everything about the machine and software....I'm still learning. I purchased the router from a shop that had purchased it from the fellow that had built it.
It's been a brain expanding and creatively explosive year for me. :)