So, in all my years of doing this crazy job, I’ve never had a sanding belt break. Today, I had two of them fail on me.
Both of them failed in the same place. Right at the seam. I don’t know if it’s because they’re old or because I should have used a coarser grit for this stage of shaping or some other reason I’m not seeing. What I do know is that Those were my last two belts and I’m not sure how I’m going to finish the project. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m broke right now.
The good news is that I got the seraph blade all sanded around the edges and I can at least get it measured and marked up for shaping. It’s really important that all those edges make a nice 90 degree angle with the sides (which we know for sure are flat). That lets me make sure I get the edge of the blade right in the middle and not curving off in one direction or the other.
So what now? Well, I shut my machine off and cleaned up the workshop, swore at the broken belts (as is customary), and went for a shower. Now I’m gonna work at clearing my head and conferring with my wife about what sort of budget we can spare for this project. I can’t afford to sink money into it until it’s done which was my way of doing things before financial disaster hit us.
I’ve got some updates and an offer for you. Let’s get to the progress report on the wakizashi first.
No, I didn’t break it. That’s an extra chunk of Plexiglas in there.
At last! The pattern is all cut out. Edges ain’t pretty yet but that gets fixed next.
I like keeping aside the pile of all the off cuttings to see how much plastic gets removed. Some of these bits are big enough to make a pendant or small decoration. I try not to waste plastic unnecessarily.
Now! My proposal …
I’ve mentioned before that my wife and I are struggling financially. If I were back home in Canada, I could put up my Patreon or PayPal and you could simply contribute a buck or two if you felt like supporting my work here. But in Finland, that’s illegal.
Yep. I have to sell a product or a service. I can’t legally take donations. Sucks eh?
So I have to take more of my very limited time and energy and try to make an additional product to sell in hopes of getting a trickle to take some of the pressure off.
That’s why I’ve decided, for the first time, to offer tutorials on how to do what I do, step by step. It’s difficult. It requires a degree of insanity to stay patient and stick with it. But it produces results that you cannot get by any other means.
This kind of clarity, structural strength, and inner “glow” cannot be produced by 3D printing or moulding and casting.
What do you think? Are you crazy enough to try it yourself? Or perhaps just curious about the techniques? Would you be interested in some tutorials?
Today, I’m going to tell you about my day using pictures.
ScreenshotScreenshot
Yep. It’s been that kind of day. I’ve already repaired this strap system once and I don’t have the time or materials to do it again. I have a replacement part coming to me via Temu. Don’t throw shade on me for that. I am BROKE and I literally can’t afford anything better. No, there is nothing available locally in bumf*** Finland. The next cheapest thing I could find was from Amazon at 40€ plus shipping and it would arrive while I’m visiting my relatives in Canada. So, for now, we’ll have grouchy post-apocalyptic Shrek.
Angel blade all cut out, now it’s time to work on the wakizashi!
Got the modified Clariel seraph blade cut out as much as is practical with the plunge cutter. Now it’s time to tackle the wakizashi.
Slow and steady wins the race. There are several factors that dictate the pace of carving PMMA (Plexiglas).
For me, the first consideration is how much work my body can do each day. Because I’m not well, I have strict limitations on my endurance. I still have to do other things each day like prepare food, shower, clean, take care of my cats, and go grocery shopping. If I use up too much of my energy or raise my pain level too high, I won’t be able to do some or any of those other things.
The second consideration is the nature of the material itself. Unlike wood, PMMA will begin to melt if it gets too hot. This will deform the piece you’re trying to make and, if you ignore the warning signs of overheating, it can actually discolour the plastic.
To cut PMMA, you need to use friction. Whether you’re using a saw, a grinder, or a sander, the problem remains. You will have to go slowly and give the material adequate time to cool down during the cutting process. You must work in stages and keep moving the tool to different parts of the piece.
The third consideration is the tools themselves. I consider my Bosch multitool to be a decent machine but even it overheats after a few hours of work. It needs time to cool down as well. It’s also possible for the teeth of the tool to get gummed up with melted plastic and it will need to be cleaned.
Vibration from the cutting tools can cause numbness, tingling, and even nerve damage if used for a prolonged period of time. This can be partly mitigated by keeping the cutting bits clean and sharp. The one I’m using needs to be replaced but I’m having difficulty sourcing Bosch starlock cutting bits in Finland. Ah, the joys of living in a remote corner of the world.
Are you ready!? Me neither. Anyway, I have a reasonably functional work space and some materials. On the workbench right now is a wakizashi and a modified Clariel order that was cancelled when the pandemic started.
My workshop is now located on the upper floor of my house. It was going to be in the garage but it turns out that the heating in there doesn’t work and the water pipe freezes every winter. Oh well. The entire outer wall of this room is windows so I have adequate ventilation.
I haven’t been idle during my long hiatus. I’ve studied some new techniques and gotten a couple new tools which I hope will make my job easier and speedier. Here’s a picture of the wakizashi in progress. I’ve drilled guide holes through the material with my drill press who I call Emily, after Emily Post. If you know who that is, you’re officially cool.
Anyway, drilling nice 90 degree holes around the perimeter of the pattern I intend to cut out helps me keep my plunge cutter straight and avoid straying off on an angle that I’ll have to fix later.
You can see that the Clariel, a Seraph Blade inspired by Cassandra Clare’s “Shadowhunters” novel series, was already into the first stage of material removal when the project was cancelled. While it’s sad that the customer had to cancel, the upshot is that I can now do whatever I want with this piece. I’ve never had this kind of freedom before. It’s exciting and terrifying.
After struggling for a long time to make this business work, I realized that I needed a business partner. It’s just too much work for one person to do alone.
I and a friend of mine were set to team up and combine our talents to breathe new life into my studio. Unfortunately, when he arrived in Finland and we spent a few days together, it became clear that we were not compatible as business partners.
I had already closed my business, Inkblade Studios, in preparation to start a new business so now I am without a company.
I could start again with all the same problems as before, or I could just … not. I’ve decided not to. I’m very tired now. I hope you’ll understand. Thanks for all your support and encouragement.
Hi everyone! Yes I’m still not dead. I have moved, again, this time into a house. While I’m setting up my new and improved workshop, I would like to introduce you to this video by Kamui Cosplay. She is one of my heroes of the profession and today she’s talking to us about prices.
If you are commissioning a custom blade from me, please expect at least 800-1000 euros. That’s practically giving the item to you because I don’t get to keep anything but a tiny faction of that.
I’m able to do these prices because my wife works a good full-time job and I should probably respect myself properly and ask for more … but it’s heartbreaking when a customer simply stops responding to me when I tell them the price even though I’m offering it as cheaply as I can without actually losing money. 😦
How can we overcome this together my friends? I want to give you the pretty artworks but the materials are so expensive and I really can’t spend every day all day working for free. This is a fun job but it’s still a job you know?
I’m not going to stop doing commissions and I’m working all the time on new methods of crafting to make things more affordable. But the reality of the situation means that I’m going to have to offer you all some standard merchandise that nobody requested from me personally, but which a larger variety of people could use to complete their costume.
I’m talking about more “plain” styles that you could use for either a Seraph Blade or an elf mage in your LARP. Maybe a selection like this, for example. Things like custom runes or different shapes of blade would be more expensive, of course, because I would have to make the prototype for you individually instead of making a bunch of the same item over and over again. This way, more people will be able to have something cool and not have to pay the price of the sculpture work or the making of the mould. (Remember, silicone is ghastly expensive!)
This doesn’t mean that my work is about to get boring. I’m still going to make cool, stylish, unique stuff for you to buy. You can have a greater chance of me creating an item that looks like what you want if you engage with my blog, or <a href="http://<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKamuiCos%2Fvideos%2F1157911764676146%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true">my facebook page, or, yes, my Youtube Channel (which isn’t set up yet because my freaking tripod broke and I still have to unpack my microphone from the moving boxes haha! have patience!).
Why? Well if 20 people say “Hey Ethan you should make the Herondale blades next!” then I have a good idea of what people want. I might get five or ten of those 20 people buy those swords right away and that would allow me to get back the cost of the prototypes I made. That way I don’t get stuck with a bunch of swords nobody wants to buy and you don’t have to pay for the mould and the sculpting work. Everybody wins!
You might think that your voice has no importance but that isn’t true. If I put up a poll asking people which sword model to make next and you’re the only one who responds … guess who gets to pick my next project? You do! So don’t hesitate to tell me your suggestions, even if you’re shy. 🙂
Alright, now I have to go unpack some more boxes. Wish me luck!
Hello everyone! I’ve just shipped out what is probably the most gorgeous Clariel style blade I’ve ever made. It took me a little over a week from start to finish. Remember when it took me 3 – 4 weeks to make sword?!
I’m so pleased with how far I’ve come with my crafting. It’s been a long and frustrating journey with big bites taken out of it for illness and surgery. Life doesn’t always cooperate with what we want to do. We all do the best we can.
I continue studying, experimenting, and swearing at my tools to bring you better and better artwork.
About the piece: This shadowhunter requested only the angelic rune on the handle, a black wrapping, and a frosted finish on the blade.
The snap closure on the wrap is the tiniest I’ve ever used so it’s quite difficult to spot if you don’t know what you’re looking for. I decided to shape the leather flap (which covers the light fixture) in two separate pieces and adhere them together. This resulted in a covering that conforms to the shape of the handle much better than forcing a single piece of leather to go over multiple curves.
If you want your very own Clariel, you can pop over to my Etsy shop and get one made for you. Please note: I go on holiday at the end of this week so your sword will come to you in the new year if you order now. 🙂
That’s all from me for today. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey guys! I’ve been out of commission for 6 weeks with this stupid surgery thing and I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back in the workshop! As soon as the doc cleared me for active duty I hopped on the train, headed directly to the shop, and cast a brand new Clariel.
I like big clamps and I cannot lie …
I was worried about getting back into the swing of things. Would I need some time to get back in the game?
It looks like a creepy but happy fish.
The resin behaved. The vacuum pump behaved (even though I really should probably change that oil …)
Yaaaaassssss
This is probably the fewest bubbles I’ve ever had in a casting and they were all pinhole surface bubbles, easily buffed away with a little sanding. To say that I’m pleased with the results is a huge understatement.
Here it is all trimmed and with its first couple rounds of sanding. I’m starting to leave the handles rough so the adhesive and epoxy putty has a better surface to grip to. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to turn out!
Thanks for stopping by my page. Hopefully updates will be regular again.
Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been quiet. I’ve been struggling with various things. Briefly: illness (I’m better now!), research (you don’t wanna see pics of me reading; BORING), annnd finding out that my new tiny workshop is too hot in the summer for me to do my work properly or be at all comfortable.
I’m hunting for solutions to that last problem there. Looking for a new workshop, or a house to rent that has a garage or some outdoor space I can work in, or an air conditioner at a reasonable price, or a refrigerator to at least keep my silicone and resin at a proper working temperature. It needs to be about 21 to 23 degrees. My workshop is currently 27 degrees so everything is curing way too fast.
I have a wee electric cooler, but it drips water continuously from its cooling fins inside. So much so that it actually grew mold on the wooden backing of my thermometer that I had in it.
Ew.
That’s no good. 1. I’m allergic to mold, and 2. urethane resin is really really sensitive to moisture. It can’t sit in a puddle and then be expected to work.
NEXT! I am currently moulding a brand new witchlight model.
It’s a rock!Or is it?Into the moulding box it goes!
At this point, I have the silicone done and an outer jacket made of the usual burlap and plaster. I’m practising the brush-on method of silicone moulding even though this piece is clearly small enough to get away with a pouring mould. Practise is important to refining technique and I can’t let the opportunity go to waste!
The benefit of the brush-on method is that you can use less silicone which is crazy, crazy expensive. The downside is that you have to make a hard jacket to keep the mould stable because it’s going to be thinner and clamping it can squish the mould. The other downside of brushing on is that there’s a risk you won’t get the silicone into all the little details of the piece you’re working on, especially if there’s undercuts or weird textures.
I will find out today if it worked all right! I’d show it to you now but someone forgot to take a picture of it. I blame Cool Kevin.
Dammit Kevin!
NEEEEXT! I’m conducting experiments on different types of resins and epoxies in an effort to find a cheaper material to make my swords. I’m using a little silicone skull mould for the test.
Let’s see what we ha … ew.He’s having a real bad day.
Okay so this is TFC EP Casting Resin Epoxy from TrollFactory. I have tried casting witchlight parts, roses, and this skull here with it. All of them had at least part of the casting fail to cure. This test actually damaged my mould. It will be disposed of. Maybe some people can get it to work but I find it far too finicky. That, and it comes out a pale pink, making it unsuitable for swords or witchlights.
Well … it LOOKS cool but that’s not what I wanted.
This little fail is made of ZDS epoxy resin. I discovered that I accidentally added the wrong amount of hardener so while it did harden completely, it also went bonkers all over the outside. I tested it again adding the correct amount of hardener this time!
Well! What do you know? It works better when you follow the instructions! The better version still has some bubbles and flaws in it though and this presents a problem. In order to ensure that there won’t be bubbles, I’d have to put it into my pressure pot while it’s curing. But it needs to be kept at 70 degrees while it’s curing or it won’t harden fully. How to keep it warm while under pressure? I don’t know! And that really won’t help with the swords because I don’t have a pressure pot big enough to fit a sword inside it.
The next test is going to be using polyester resin. I really don’t want to, because it smells bad and wearing my respirator all day is stuffy and annoying. But I don’t really see another option at this point. I literally cannot afford to lower my prices any more than what they’re at now unless I turn to a less expensive material.
It’s a difficult situation. I want to make my stuff more affordable to more people so everybody can have the pretty things they want but ultimately, I also have to pay rent on the workshop, buy materials to make the art, advertise my stuff so people can actually find it, and also … y’know, eat food. Otherwise, none of this can happen at all.
Hey This IS My Job 