bioshock belt buckle in bronze

This step is simple.
I need to create a clear reference image in 3d to track.
All I have to do here is increase the contrast and clean up the image of the BioShock logo I found online.
I resize the image first so the logo fills the canvas.
Then I pull up the image> Adjust> the horizontal menu and slide the two tabs to the center of the histogram (
Small picture in the middle. )
This is to increase the contrast so that I can isolate the image area that I will pull out into 3d.
Ctrl shift u will use the wand, bucket, and Brush tools to turn the image into a single color with a little magic, which will provide you with an image ready to track in SolidWorks.
Solidworks is a very complex and very powerful program that can design parts for anything from cars, rockets, hair dryers to buildings.
I can\'t dig into almost enough details to show the whole process of the game and adjustments, but I can give a very clear outline.
If you want to learn this project in more detail, there are a lot of good video tutorials on youtube.
I \'ve been using this program for a while, so I feel it\'s very intuitive, but it\'s really hard for the first timer.
If you \'ve never heard of it, you might consider trying simpler programs like VectorWorks, Blender, or Google Sketchup before looking around for SolidWorks.
That is to say, SolidWorks is what I have and what I know, so this is what I use.
I first import my drawing on the top plane with insert> dxf/dwg.
I then create a new sketch on that drawing and use the sketch tool to track the shape.
From there, it\'s just a few simple cuts and squeezes to create the logo in 3d.
Now all I have to do is narrow it down to the right size and save it as STL (
Universal 3d format delivered to CAM program. )
Shopproto is a good, simple, inexpensive program that can turn 3d geometry into a path that a CNC machine can follow.
You can even get a 30 day demo for free on their website.
A lot of practice and experience is required to make CNC machines fully fit your requirements, but they are well worth the effort.
One of the coolest things about shopproto is that you can have a wizard to handle most of the work.
As long as you don\'t do anything super complicated, you can create any simple part in a few steps.
When you open a new document, the Wizard (pic1)
Will start automatically.
I chose the \"basic 3D milling\" option and then \"Load Part \"(pic2. )
After finding the STL loaded from Solidworks, I rotate it to a position that is flat along the XY plane (pic3).
The next menu I care about is the tool menu.
I cut the wax with a special tool called profile mill.
You can find these on the jewelry supply website and the website of professional processing tools, such as drill bits and drill bits.
The second carving tool I used was called 15 degrees.
After selecting the tool, I click next and then calculate the toolpath \". \" That\'s it.
It will calculate how the CNC machine will run to cut the part using the tool you specified, and then save the NC file it created to the thumb drive and place it on the machine.
Okay, that\'s it. it\'s almost done.
Using Tormach or any CNC machine is a problem of trial, error and experience.
The part I did was very simple, so it was quite easy to install the machine.
I started with the wax from the purple mechanic.
I glued it to the board with some contact cement.
This means that if I accidentally cut the wax, I don\'t have to worry about the outline tool messing up the table.
The machine needs the coordinates on my wax corner to set the path, so I\'m also there to manipulate, call it the origin, and load the file that I just made in Proto.
It took about an hour to cut and then I had to brush off the dust on all the little wax pieces and the finished wax cracks.
From here I made a box around the wax and poured some RTV silicone.
This gives me a mold that can be copied.
I use red wax (a medium-
Super normal and super cheap soft easy cast wax)
Do some repetition.
After cleaning these up, it dropped onto the metal casters.
I think it\'s easier to cast parts in metal than to try to do it yourself.
I taught a lesson about aluminum sand casting, but there was a problem with the details.
It\'s usually better if you want high quality parts (
Cheaper sometimes)
Go find a professional
I used a small metal casting studio called JR casting.
They are in the Bay area so it\'s easy for me to go to their store and talk about how they do it.
Check the wax loss or investment casting plant near you.
You will be surprised at how many people in the world.
I drove the wax to JR and they cast it in metal and I got it back a few weeks later.
The metal was cleaned and polished a little, but quickly became very sharp.
I welded a pin and some rings on the back to attach the whole thing to the belt.
After that, I made the metal look old and used the gun blue to match the BioShock aesthetics.
You will need some kitchen gloves, disposable containers and some sandpaper in the process.
You put your part in the container and let it soak in a little solution.
After the metal is darkened, you can rinse it off and restore some gloss with sandpaper to help show the details.
If you can\'t find gun blue around you, you can use some other solutions.
I just did some polishing and polishing. . .