The first case from the new die and tooling. In Nickel, Brass, and Copper!

Has a neat "Steam Age" feel.

This assembly is now all soldered together. The hinges and latch will be formed from the Nickel stock. The bezel is hammered brass. The roller engraved dome is copper.

The base shell will be nickel, and have the Studio Pines Logo embossed.

The dome prevents all areas of the case to be well lit at once. There is quite a lot of detail there. Some will only become evident is subsequent pics. Hope you like it, and get the idea that a pretty neat and tidy collection of these cases (of ongoing theme) would make a great collection or office display.

Gary



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2014 12:50AM by barnespneumatic.

Incorporating the different types of metal really enhances the beauty Gary. That is one fine looking case!

The elves were up late!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2014 02:16PM by Sal.

That's great . The copper looks almost like wood it picture . Also the ring around outside really accents well. I'm supprised to admit but it looks way better than the die itself . I would think that the die would be very detailed and some detail would be lost during stamping or rolling but with the preparations you done it's brought it to life ! So that's all done with one hit of the die ? Also when you use roll mill do you only run through once ? Just wondering.

Hi Kurt,

The eye can't really realize all of the subtle detail carved into the die. Takes a pretty trained eye to notice a few thousandths in depth. The light reflections on freshly cut steel also take a while to recognize. Everything is designed backwards, and a tiny difference in tool bit depth of stroke - turns a Horse into a Unicorn.

When it's rolled, what appeared as one small low spot, will be revealed as a multi layer design. There is a lot in the die that has not been seen yet.

Various printings can also be a bit different. This is a handcrafted art form, as I practice it. Hand cut dies, handmade rolling mill, hand fed technique. There will be small differences. I can also tune a die or there may be a characteristic that needs to be altered for the good of the die or press. That's why I've shown this as the First Edition. Anything altered from here on, cannot be removed from the die.

In process, the metal rides atop the die, as it is fed between the rollers. That is the thumbnail sketch of the process. Yes, one trip thru - you could never align it again, and the metal stretches in length as it is compressed. So any attempt to reprint would result in a serious overlap.

This technique has quite a few "ya get one shot at it" parts to the process. As you go farther - it gets more and more risky. The work you have previously completed is at risk in the next step.

Thanks Kurt,
Glad you see the interest in the post,
Gary

Really neat looking, the three metals gives it a whole different look compared to the nickle ones. The heat from the soldering really adds a nice patina to it, doesn't it? In the previous photos I'd assumed that the brass ring was part of the die setup somehow, and that the blank was just sitting inside the ring. It's pretty cool that it's part of the finished case.

Hi Sean,

Previous pics did indeed show a Nickel Bezel laying over the fine and artwork - just as a frame of reference. Here, it's a hammered brass bezel - soldered on.

The color is a carefully developed Chemical Patina. Permanent.

The silver hinges and edge will be polished bright. The back of the case is hammered Nickel Silver (also called German Silver - it's composition is Nickel, Zinc, and Copper).

Gary

A pic including the back shell. Hammered, oxidized Nickel Silver.

Yes - I'm doing other stuff too ...

Had some maintenance required too.

This will be a quite special prototype case. If you can "see" it in your mind's eye now ... I will commit to completing it for you for $475.

Gary