The Energon Pub

I wasn't impressed with unavailability of some of the better stands I've seen, so I built my own. The posts are all interchangeable and the bases have sets of holes at different angles. The smaller ones have a middle hole to be used as a single support point, for a too-heavy limb or an off-balance pose, etc.

Super cool! Nice work.
How do you finish the edges of your acrylic pieces?.

The discs I bought pre-made and just drilled them (slowly) with a drill bit specifically for plastics. The factory edges looked goo so I just left them. For the posts I cut them with a Dremel and a cutting disc, and the cutting disc didn't shatter in-use for once. Then I used a sanding drum to shape/round one end, the drum was about an 80 grit or a little rougher I think. Then I used what was labeled an 80 grit (feels more like 100 grit though) sanding disc on the Dremel to smooth the rounded ends, then same disc on the other end to take off a very tiny amount of material so they'll fit in the holes on the base. The last step on the rounded ends was once-over with a 'stone' disc-I have no idea what 'grit' it is but it was fairly smooth and a nice final step. I'm leaving the round ends sanded like that so there's a little bit of grip.

If I were to 'finish' them to a more polished level I'd probably go to 180 grit dry sand then 320 grit dry then wet sand. If there are no scratches after the 320 wet sand I'd go to a (no-wax) rubbing compound like 3M 05954. If there were scratches or anything showed up after the rubbing compound I'd go up to through 400-1000 grits wet sanding trying to polish any issues out. Then back to the rubbing compound again and then if that's good then use a polishing compound like 3M 05928. Then if you want extra shine you could probably use a car wax or the Pledge floor finish that is mentioned a lot for joint stiffening and chrome protection. I've used 3M rubbing and polishing compound on my car's headlight after wet sanding with high grit sanding pads from a headlight restoration kit and had excellent results.

The final thing I did to the bases (which should be dry by now) is gluing felt to the bottom.

Nice work, where did you order the discs/posts from?

donny1975 wrote:Nice work, where did you order the discs/posts from?

Thanks,

Here's the materials list:

All from McMaster-Carr: www.mcmaster.com


- 8581K33 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 2" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.35 Each

- 8581K34 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 3" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.93 Each

- 8531K12 UV-Resistant Clear Extruded Acrylic Rod, 3/16" Diameter, 6' Length $1.34 Each
Yes you are reading that right, a 6 foot length for $1.34 total, and yes it was a pain to handle.

- 27465A83 Drill Bit for Plastics, 3/16", 3-1/2" Overall Length, 1.5" $4.48
This bit is specifically for drilling in plastic/acrylic without having to make a pilot hole to avoid cracking/chips, I only had two chips on one base, but I was pushing on the drill too hard for those two holes.

- 8334K35 Extra-Firm White F1 Felt Sheet, 1/16" Thick, 12" X 12", Plain Back $8.44
This stuff is pretty dense and was hard to cut to shape after gluing the bases to it-without the felt pulling away on the edge. I'd reccomend a softer felt or cutting this stuff to shape before gluing.


All the Dremel bits I already had, they should be readily available from Home Depot or Lowes or your hardware or craft store of choice.

Thanks for sharing all your trade secrets Kyleor.

A couple more in-use shots, finished with the felt bottom.

Kyleor wrote:

donny1975 wrote:Nice work, where did you order the discs/posts from?

Thanks,

Here's the materials list:

All from McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com


- 8581K33 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 2" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.35 Each

- 8581K34 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 3" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.93 Each

- 8531K12 UV-Resistant Clear Extruded Acrylic Rod, 3/16" Diameter, 6' Length $1.34 Each
Yes you are reading that right, a 6 foot length for $1.34 total, and yes it was a pain to handle.

- 27465A83 Drill Bit for Plastics, 3/16", 3-1/2" Overall Length, 1.5" $4.48
This bit is specifically for drilling in plastic/acrylic without having to make a pilot hole to avoid cracking/chips, I only had two chips on one base, but I was pushing on the drill too hard for those two holes.

- 8334K35 Extra-Firm White F1 Felt Sheet, 1/16" Thick, 12" X 12", Plain Back $8.44
This stuff is pretty dense and was hard to cut to shape after gluing the bases to it-without the felt pulling away on the edge. I'd reccomend a softer felt or cutting this stuff to shape before gluing.


All the Dremel bits I already had, they should be readily available from Home Depot or Lowes or your hardware or craft store of choice.

Thanks for sharing such an extensive parts list! I will have to try my hand at these!

donny1975 wrote:

Kyleor wrote:

donny1975 wrote:Nice work, where did you order the discs/posts from?

Thanks,

Here's the materials list:

All from McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com


- 8581K33 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 2" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.35 Each

- 8581K34 Acrylic Circle, UV-Resistant, 3" Diameter, 1/4" Thick $3.93 Each

- 8531K12 UV-Resistant Clear Extruded Acrylic Rod, 3/16" Diameter, 6' Length $1.34 Each
Yes you are reading that right, a 6 foot length for $1.34 total, and yes it was a pain to handle.

- 27465A83 Drill Bit for Plastics, 3/16", 3-1/2" Overall Length, 1.5" $4.48
This bit is specifically for drilling in plastic/acrylic without having to make a pilot hole to avoid cracking/chips, I only had two chips on one base, but I was pushing on the drill too hard for those two holes.

- 8334K35 Extra-Firm White F1 Felt Sheet, 1/16" Thick, 12" X 12", Plain Back $8.44
This stuff is pretty dense and was hard to cut to shape after gluing the bases to it-without the felt pulling away on the edge. I'd reccomend a softer felt or cutting this stuff to shape before gluing.


All the Dremel bits I already had, they should be readily available from Home Depot or Lowes or your hardware or craft store of choice.

Thanks for sharing such an extensive parts list! I will have to try my hand at these!

I'm not planning on making them to sell, so why not share?

Don't be surprised at the shipping being high if you order the rod, it has to come in it's own shipping tube. I would suggest getting two or more rods to save shipping and give you more to work with for various length support posts.

Ah nobility, what a refreshing concept!

Eh, with all the material I have had shipped for my own project I am prepared for weird shipping costs, but thanks for the heads up good to know.