Finished Engraved Panels and Dice Base: Master LT
over 7 years ago – Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 12:58:44 AM

Bit earlier than promised and with a couple extras...

Here's the Dice Base: Master screen with finished engraving panels and whiteboard inserts. (Removable)

 Finished Engravings

 Whiteboard Inserts

 Dice Base: Master LT

 I've created a pledge level for this specific Dice Base Master: LT (Dice Base: Master LT Jatoba - $300) The Jatoba wood is VERY dense and is about 2x heavier than the Pine panels of larger size. This is a 1/1 using this wood as its VERY hard to work with and is a bit heavy in my opinion for this purpose.. for someone who wants a screen with serious density and authority and expansion options left open to choose or leave, this is your screen. It will work best setup and left in place or stored locally due to its weight. If you want this design I'll be offering this in Pine and American Cherry which is much more manageable for weight, easier to work with and I can offer it at a much better price of $100 for the four panel setup in Pine and $200 for the four panel setup in Cherry.

Both have nice smooth grain and engrave nicely and will show nice contrast when finished.  I'm making two separate reward levels for the Pine and Cherry versions of this LT screen. (I'll also add a "what's included" diagram as well.)

Thanks everyone for your support. 

-  Hal 

The Drunken Master...
over 7 years ago – Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 10:08:45 PM

Bloodwood, Zebrawood and nice deep engravings equal the one of one Dice Base: Drunken Master Screen.

 So why drunken you ask? If you look closely there are several spots where the drill made it all the way through the material, where it should not have. This does not change the functionality of the piece, nor the overall look (unless you stare ONLY at those spots and nothing else... which I think is hard to do given the massive beauty of this 4-panel set. 

Why are there holes?  So here's the deal.. it took me a whole week just to machine these four panels.... 8+ hours a day. Yea... Bloodwood is nothing to toy with... it eats carbide mills at a frightening rate... easily 5x the normal rate... and its touchy... one wrong move and it splinters, and it chips out, and on and on. 

Zebrawood, not so bad but the bloodwood... OMG. So... after a week of machining these panels I'm ready to break them free of their wood sprues.... I've got the machines shut down, all the sharp tools are put away and I'm having a beer feeling pretty good about myself... one last bit of work and I can start sanding and finishing these...

So I began to break the first bloodwood pane free and it comes off nicely... but a the last second a strand sticks and tears a big chunk out of the corner of the panel, only one layer thick... but there it is... I'm no longer so happy.

Ok... deep breath... finish off the beer... second panel.

First break edge tearing...  breathe... breathe... Second break... more edge tearing. 
Now I'm not as calm as I wanted to be and instead of just putting the wood down and going and having a nice little cry, I decide that its time to sand... 10pm at night... its sanding time... I'm going to fix those tear-outs. RIGHT NOW....

So.. I did manage to erase the wood splinters and tears. GONE and all is well... blending is nice... got the surface down to the polished 600grit and things are good again...  

What I didn't account for and the beer didn't help me remember any better the next day was that I'd removed too much material in fixing the tear-outs for there to be much left for the next step... magnets.

You can see the results of my work, on these... and its not what I consider 100%.
Lots of character, yes, good story, yes, visually perfect like they should be? No.

So. with no loss in functionality and the fact that i was indeed drinking when the damage occured I'm naming this one of one set the "Drunken Master" and sellling it with a perfect BloodWood FLUME and FLUME BASE for $600 for the finished set... which I'm 80% done with now. I made this set to show some of the exotic wood and some engraving on the same.  

I'll have some finished pictures when I get the cork, leather and multiple finish layers done... I'm on layer 2 tonight and will be done with layer 4 by Monday...

This set will be amazing when done, and I've patched the drill-through so it almost looks intentional...

I've added the panels each to the main campaign for examples of the engraving and I'm putting them here as well.

I've added a single pledge level for this one item... the $600 Drunken Master level.

Live and learn, and sometimes benefit from someone elses learning. Without my mistakes on this this would be a $1000 set. 

 I'll be working next week on my FLUME project to finish off the hardwood and other FLUMES and begin the finishing process so I'll be quiet here more or less.... 

If you run across art you'd like me to try digitally... send it along: [email protected]

Thanks everyone for your support!

Oh yea... one last thing... I found some .5" Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) at my wood store today... I'm going to make a limited number of the Dice Base: Master Light screens from it ... what am I talking about? See last update.

I'll have those listed in their own pledge level... they won't be super cheap.. but they will look amazing and be very simple and easy to manage.... you'll see... I think for anyone who likes the full-featured design of the Master, the light won't be for you... but perhaps for those looking for something simpler, it may just be the ticket.

 - Hal 

Engravings - and other things coming....
over 7 years ago – Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 09:22:22 AM

Thanks to everyone who's signed on and pledged for this campaign. Thank  You!

Here's what I'm working on and here's what's coming next this week:

1. I'm milling a set of BloodWood and ZebraWood panels that I'm going to finish and show for an exotic set. Nobody has pledge for them, I just want to be sure I show folk what this level can look like, because it's simple amazing.

2. I'll be making towards the end of the week a set of four panels from either Oak or Cherry and perhaps Walnut as well to again show what the Hardwood level can look like. It is both distinctive and with the extra time and care it takes to make, beautiful beyond the common.

3. I mentioned both whiteboards and slates... I've  got the whiteboard material figured out and am looking for a source for the slate... I'll prototype it regardless if I can't get the material in time so you can see how it'll work and you can evaluate the whole design.

4. I've been play-testing this screen for a while now but have just recently been able to get it into one of my oldest friends hands for his weekly game:

He was good enough to take some time and give me his thoughts which included some potential add-ons and process and form improvements. Overall it was a big hit and while he'd have liked it more if it was personalized to him (wood type, engravings ect...) he thought it both added to the game visually and provide him with the tools he needed (and didn't have before) to run his game well.

He also thought the FLUME was excellent and intends to replace both his current dice towers: One from Geek Chic and One from Wyrmwood with the FLUME as it provides the randomization he wants with the compact yet useful footprint he needs behind his screen. (Full transparancy - he's a backer of the FLUME campaign  - In Cherry) 

At any rate I'm already thinking about how I can implement the improvements needed and will be incorporating them into the final delivered design.

5. You've likely seen the new engravings available, please take these as options that you can choose that I've already tested, and by no means all the options you could have... you can pick your own black and white line art to engrave and after testing... it can be yours. (unless you don't like the test results). I'm also working on trying out a couple new engraving mill for different levels of detail.

Last but not least

I've had feedback that's suggested that perhaps there are those DM's that don't want or need storage or transport capability with their screen. Now to me this is just plain crazy, I mean, who turns down extra storage and protection for your cool stuff... but I suppose those who have got that part figured out already and are happy with it... fair enough.
For those who simply want a high-end and versatile DISPLAY ONLY screen. Something say that's fully compatible with my storage style screen but that doesn't take dozens of hours to mill, then dozens to sand and finish due to its overall complexity... (Yea... it really does take that long to make these original screens).

So, with that in mind and my constant vigilance to offer products for everyone, this is what I've come up with: 

Dice Base: DMLT (The LT is for Light)

 The panel is now just .375 thick and features all the same face magnets for back and front paper, map and other attachments. but no inset pockets and a choice of either side or top magnets edge magnets with the option to add on more if desired for an additional fee.

This super-lightweight and minimalist design gives those who just want the bare-basics a clean, compatible (with he original Dice Base: DM screen) option that they can deploy and use in a fast, light and easy to handle package. The ball bearing hinges are still used but the balls stay attached to the edge magnets during storage.

I'll be making a real-world version of the DMLT late this week or early next and have pictures of it in action shortly after. In the mean let me know what you think... this what you're after?

As for pricing it will be less but still reflect the time, quality and workmanship it takes to make these. What is it? (Let me make a physical version and I'll know better).

Thanks everyone!

 - Hal

Funded!
over 7 years ago – Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 09:12:12 PM

I set the funding goal at $1000 so I'd get to make at least a couple of these... because I was so excited I REALLY wanted to have at least that... but it looks like I'm going to be making many more... That's so cool!

Thanks everyone for your support early and definitively!

I think this is my fastest funded campaign yet... under an hour.

 - Hal Zucati