Work in progress: display cabinet

[firiki]

Now I can tell you the final colour, or should I make you wait?

Make me wait, please. No need to rush things

[pfrsantos]

Now I can tell you the final colour, or should I make you wait?

Make me wait, please. No need to rush things

I know, I know...

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You're waiting for me to put up a "That's what she said" pic, right?...

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Well, sorry to disappoint you...

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I'm more mature than that, you know?...

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I've just one thing to say to you...

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[firiki]

I can't complain, I brought this upon myself

[firiki]

Call me old fashioned but I like those details carved in the wood.

This is you:

(Image removed from quote.)

 

Nope, not a fan of whiskey and bourbon. I like a good Bloody Mary though

[shibafu]

Assembling the carcass.  One of the problems I find with pocket screws is that they have a tendency to pull the work out of position as you tighten them down.  So to deal with that, I've cut a gauge board to the length of the inside of the cabinet, and clamped it on top of the bottom panel.  That gives me something to hold the side panel firmly against as I drive the screws.  It'll also ensure that the sides end up the same distance apart at the top and bottom.

[shibafu]

With the glue set on the carcass, I can test-fit the door.  The fit is not too bad.  Looking from the front, the gap is pretty even all round.  But somehow the carcass has got a bit of a twist in it so my nice flat door does not sit flush   Probably due to uneven tension on the pocket screws.  I'm wishing I'd used a different sort of joint now.  However I'm optimistic that I'll be able to pull the twist out when I fix it to the wall, if I put a screw in each corner.  So hopefully it's fixable.

[pfrsantos]

I can't complain, I brought this upon myself

Dude, really?!

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I mean...

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[firiki]

... So hopefully it's fixable.

I think (and hope) that little problem can be fixed, shibafu. I like how you didn't use L brackets and that there won't be a door handle, by the way

I'm really enjoying this thread. I love working with wood. Minds outta the gutter, folks

When I was a kid I wanted to become a carpenter, making pieces of furniture in particular. My parents convinced me this wouldn't pay off. Sometimes I regret listening to them.

[firiki]

I can't complain, I brought this upon myself

Dude, really?!

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I mean...

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Well, he could have said that as well, couldn't he? Provided he's not one to always want to be right.

Am I missing something?

[shibafu]

A little more progress - I morticed out for the lock on the back of the door.

I also did a bit of experimenting with cutting keyholes on a piece of scrap.  I couldn't really figure out how to fit the keyhole escutcheon though.  The one I have is called a "thread escutcheon" which is like a lining inside the keyhole, but it has smooth tapered sides and just springs out of the hole again when I try to tap it in.  I think I might ditch it and try to find a surface-mounting escutcheon instead.

[Sparky415]

Very neat work and tidy work space there S 

(that’s odd there’s a fused clock connector behind your frame  )

[shibafu]

Very neat work and tidy work space there S 

(that’s odd there’s a fused clock connector behind your frame  )

If it looks tidy that can only be the result of very selective photography   There's all sorts of junk piled up on there.

[shibafu]

Rain all day today so no chance to get outside and do the final couple of routing operations that I need to do on the door.  But despite my expectations it turned out to be a good day for the project... a parcel arrived   Inside are the pieces of acrylic for the shelves and the window in the door.  I ordered them cut to size from https://www.trentplastics.co.uk/ .  It worked out the same price as buying a 6ft by 2ft sheet of acrylic from the local DIY store, but it saved me a lot of cutting, and they've done a far better job of polishing the edges than I could have.

It's only 3mm acrylic and quite flexible, so the shelves will need to be well supported.  I have a plan for that.

[shibafu]

I also had an idea about my escutcheon vexation: I'm going to try making one.  This is just a test piece using some thin brass that I had.  I've got some thicker brass plate on order.  The design is etched using ferric chloride.  It's not perfect but I think the idea is sound.

I'm contemplating whether I should fill in the etched area with some red enamel paint, or leave it as plain brass.  Opinions?

[AimlessWanderer]

I also had an idea about my escutcheon vexation: I'm going to try making one.  This is just a test piece using some thin brass that I had.  I've got some thicker brass plate on order.  The design is etched using ferric chloride.  It's not perfect but I think the idea is sound.

I'm contemplating whether I should fill in the etched area with some red enamel paint, or leave it as plain brass.  Opinions?

I think red enamel would look excellent! 

[nsa-x-file]

Really looking forward to seeing this completed. 

[firiki]

I'm contemplating whether I should fill in the etched area with some red enamel paint, or leave it as plain brass.  Opinions?

You could try with nail polish first to see how you like it*. I think red enamel would look splendid though brass has a yellow aspect and past certain proportions it doesn't match well with red, in my opinion. I assume the escutcheon will be placed in the middle of the door's cover?


*  

[shibafu]

You could try with nail polish first to see how you like it*. I think red enamel would look splendid though brass has a yellow aspect and past certain proportions it doesn't match well with red, in my opinion. I assume the escutcheon will be placed in the middle of the door's cover?

Well red nail polish is not really my style but I did find a small pot of red enamel in the cupboard so I've put some on my test piece.  It seems to be taking a long time to set though, could be the paint is bad as it's very old.  Hopefully it will set well enough to allow me to sand it off the raised areas and get an impression of how it looks.

The position is fixed by the dimensions of the lock, which will put it quite close to the edge of the door (13mm from the edge to the centre of the keyhole).

[shibafu]

This and the next post are yesterday's work.  First the last couple of routing operations on the door.  A chamfer detail around the inside edge on the front, and a rebate to receive the window on the back.

[shibafu]

This piece of 1/2" plywood will form the back panel, and the side shelf supports.  I've routed 1/8" grooves across it that the shelves will slot into.

The plywood has been in the garage for a while and has grown a bit of mould.  Not a problem though. I treated it with some fungicide to kill the mould, and the stain will be covered by paint.

[shibafu]

The panel cut apart to form the side and back pieces.  The second photo shows how they'll fit in the case.

[shibafu]

Here's how the test escutcheon looks with the red enamel.  I also had a try at cutting out the keyhole, with less than 100% success as you can see... it was a useful learning experience though, and I think it should be easier with the thicker brass that I'll use to make the real thing.  Anyway I like the red and I think I'll go with it.

[firiki]

You could try with nail polish first to see how you like it*. I think red enamel would look splendid though brass has a yellow aspect and past certain proportions it doesn't match well with red, in my opinion. I assume the escutcheon will be placed in the middle of the door's cover?

Well red nail polish is not really my style but I did find a small pot of red enamel in the cupboard so I've put some on my test piece.  It seems to be taking a long time to set though, could be the paint is bad as it's very old.  Hopefully it will set well enough to allow me to sand it off the raised areas and get an impression of how it looks.

The position is fixed by the dimensions of the lock, which will put it quite close to the edge of the door (13mm from the edge to the centre of the keyhole).

I mentioned nail polish for two reasons, the first one was to save you money from buying enamel you might not use after all. The other reason (*   ) was a couple of threads about nail polish on Alox SAKs.

Anyway. I see you're going to make just the escutcheon as lock cover. I thought you'd be making it like the test piece, a square with the shield in it, in which case I'd go for plain brass and maybe add some etching for texture/reflection. The shield with enamel on looks tempting but only if it's quite small. 

[shibafu]

A little more progress: the striker plate for the lock installed, and cut out the keyhole.

[Caranthanus]

Nice progress 


 

[shibafu]

Painting the back and inside panels with a light cream colour from my collection of old paint samplers...

[shibafu]

I etched the thick brass sheet for the real lock escutcheon today, so thought I would share some info about the process.

Step 1 is to degrease the brass and then apply a resist to the areas that won't be etched.  The method I'm using is toner transfer.  You print the design on a laser printer, and transfer it to the brass using an iron.  There are a number of variations on this idea.  Using transparency film is one way I tried, but I had better results using glossy inkjet photo paper.  After taping the design onto the brass, I applied the iron (set on max) first to the back of the brass for 20 seconds to preheat it, then turned it over (heat-proof gloves essential!) and ironed the paper onto the brass for about 10-15 seconds.  Then I rubbed the paper down with a blunt instrument to make sure it's properly stuck.  Finally you can soak the paper off in water, slowly rubbing it away in layers until you're left with just the toner stuck to the brass.

If there are any defects in the resist, supposedly you can patch them up with a permanent marker.  I have to say I didn't find that to be completely effective.  If you go too far with the marker then you can scrape it off again with a scalpel.  And a SAK magnifier is handy to check the resist for defects

The second photo shows the setup for etching: protective equipment (gloves and eye protection); ferric chloride etchant; disposable plastic tray; a sponge; a bath of water to dunk the workpiece in when etching is finished; paper towels in case of any mess; bicarbonate of soda to neutralise the etchant before disposal; all on a trash bag to protect the work surface.
In the "sponge method" you use only a small amount of etchant, and gently wipe it over the surface so that the metal is continually exposed to fresh etchant.  This method is faster than simple immersion.  I etched for 10 minutes.  When the desired degree of etching is achieved, rinse the piece in water to stop the reaction. Finally, clean off the resist with acetone.

I must have got a bit lucky when I did the test piece, because my first go on the thick brass was not so good (top of 3rd picture).  Top right was from a transparency print, which didn't transfer enough toner to the brass so the etch isn't very clearly defined.  Top left was from glossy inkjet paper, and it's almost good except one little area where the etchant got under the toner.  The second piece was much more successful - I rubbed it down harder after ironing, and took more time over soaking the paper off.

[BASguy]

Excellent work.  I have about zero carpentry skills, so this kind of craftsmanship always amazes me.


Sent from 9 miles from the face of the sun

[Caranthanus]

Excellent work.

1+


 

[shibafu]

Finished shaping the escutcheon for the keyhole.  I made 2 in case I messed it up at any point. I will probably paint one of them and decide which to use when I've got the finish on the case.

It will be fixed with brass pins, which have to be short so as not to hit the lock body on the inside of the door.  I didn't have any suitable so I cut down some longer ones.   They actually turned out to be brass-plated steel, too tough for SAK pliers to cope with, but a Vic Spirit and a SOG PPP cut through them with ease.