Limited Run THE BOYS Compound V Vials - with custom painted lid

[Astyanax]

Sweet.
Yep, dealing with the suction cup is a nightmare with resin printing. I might have tried printing these open side down, raised on supports and kept the supports to the interior of the lid where they would be less visible, but there'd still be cleanup on the bottom of the lid and a reasonable chance the print would tear off the supports when it reached that large flat top surface. Angling would mitigate that a bit but result in even more supports on the lower rim of the lid and a high chance of the bottom rim losing its perfectly clean circular profile.
Only other work-around I can thnk of would be to print top/flat side down on the plate as you have and punch a small hole through the side to vent the interior cavity, but you're still filling in a hole instead of the stress line, so it's not really any better.
Not really any easy fix for this and I think you've chosen the best option.

Yes, I absolutely print them open-side down...it was just flipped for the screen cap.



I am desperate to avoid supports on the beveled surfaces themselves, because it seems even the lightest touch of sandpaper on those surfaces and I'm losing the integrity of the lines!

And yeah, thanks for the tips...that's the thought process I went through as well. After multiple painting attempts, it became obvious that the integrity of the bevels is crucial above all!

BTW, I believe in open source communities and not hoarding our stuff. So here's my latest STL if you (or anyone) would like to have a look, or take a shot at printing! I only ask that if you improve it that you share with the rest of us!

 

[Astyanax]

A couple fun updates:

Tonight's episode gave us some much better looks, especially at the "septum lid".



I'm now convinced the smaller hole covering is white, not cream.

And I'm absolutely convinced I have the right vial size.

Also, this season the liquid is thinner, no longer syrupy. And it's nice so see a cap that is less shiny chrome. So now we have some new canonical choices. Yay!

Secondly, I'm printing a screw-on "jig" for the cap:

I'm hoping I can screw the cap onto it, stick the other end in my drill chuck, and sand away! This would make for much more controlled and consistent sanding, instead of doing it by hand. And maybe I can crank out caps quicker!

 

[Astyanax]

After some shaping, the threaded jig worked!



Washed thoroughly and ready for the first primer coat, which I will sand almost all the way back.

 

[CaptainEpic77]

Hi is this still available to hop on to for one?

 

[CaptainEpic77]

Hi is this still available to hop onto?

 

[Astyanax]

Hi is this still available to hop onto?

Yes, indeed! I've added you to the reservation list. Fingers crossed, I'm looking to collect payment and ship them early next week!

Thanks!

 

[Astyanax]

Sanded:



Black gloss undercoat. I'm very happy with this finish so far! The photos can sometimes be brutal about quality, as HDR and 16-megapixels show every micro-flaw. They're looking good in person, so far.



The Alclad II Polished Aluminum will go on tomorrow, followed by the Aqua Gloss about an hour after that.

Also, cut some adhesive vinyl dots for the septum lids, and o-rings ready to go!

 

[Tuckanator]

Hi mate, I will take the last two pls. Ive been following this for a while but wasnt sure about the vial sizes etc so held off for a bit. These are looking great though, and Id hate to miss out. Im also kinda shocked their hasnt been more interest, Its really a must have prop if your a big Boys fan. Anyway im also interested in the smaller Temp V vials if a few of us are enough to do those ones. cheers!

 

[Astyanax]

Great, thanks! You're on the list!

Guess I should have shown dimensions:



And in my hand for scale:



The vials hold 10mL of liquid, and were the biggest available. I had almost gone for the 5mL, but after capturing more screenshots at the time came to see that these things are bigger than we realize!



Bill

 

[Astyanax]

One of the downsides of sharing all the details of my prep steps is that you get to see all the setbacks as well.

Turns out my black gloss painting did not go as well yesterday as I had thought, and I had quite a bit of paint running that I was only able to see once I applied the polished aluminum:



So I'm just about fed up with this Rustoleum 2X, because if I spray it too light, it goes on grainy or orange-peels, and if I spray it too heavy it runs! I've taken this approach many, many times, so I'm not sure what's so different. Humidity is in the high 50% range, temp is 70 degrees.

So I'm heading south to pick up a can of Tamiya TS-14 and will see if I can do a better job with that.

Thanks for your patience!
Bill

 

[Starganderfish]

One of the downsides of sharing all the details of my prep steps is that you get to see all the setbacks as well.

Turns out my black gloss painting did not go as well yesterday as I had thought, and I had quite a bit of paint running that I was only able to see once I applied the polished aluminum:

View attachment 1833112

So I'm just about fed up with this Rustoleum 2X, because if I spray it too light, it goes on grainy or orange-peels, and if I spray it too heavy it runs! I've taken this approach many, many times, so I'm not sure what's so different. Humidity is in the high 50% range, temp is 70 degrees.

So I'm heading south to pick up a can of Tamiya TS-14 and will see if I can do a better job with that.

Thanks for your patience!
Bill

That’s a pain.
The quality of the black gloss is probably the biggest factor in the quality of the Alclad finish. I’ve always used Alclad’s Super Gloss - it sprays really neat, dries quick and is insanely glossy. Makes the Alclad Metallic finishes really pop. It’s seems expensive at first but you get a pretty big bottle for the price so the values decent.
Fine graphite powder rubbed over the gloss black also gives a really nice high shine finish but it’s super dark - more a polished gunmetal.
For a while I was using the Molotow Chrome pens. Decanted and sprayed through an airbrush the finish is amazing and it doesn’t matter what base coat you use. But the finish is also really fragile and even a light touch with a finger, months later can destroy the shine.

 

[Astyanax]

Yeah, I've experimented with a few of those things. But About Alclad...you mean "Aqua Gloss", right? I don't know of a product called Super Gloss. But the way you describe it, sounds like you're talking about Alclad Aqua Gloss. And yes, I buy the bigger bottle and swear by the stuff!

 

[CaptainEpic77]

Yes, indeed! I've added you to the reservation list. Fingers crossed, I'm looking to collect payment and ship them early next week!

Thanks!

Sweet thank you and is it possible to get two? And I also second I would love a temp v if possible down the road

 

[Astyanax]

Sweet thank you and is it possible to get two? And I also second I would love a temp v if possible down the road

At this time the run is full, I'm afraid. So it'll just be one for now. But if we can get 2-3 more people interested, a second run might be possible. Keep watching this thread; I'm going nowhere, and we're only halfway through the season!

As for the Temp V, you're the third person to ask, so I think it's worth looking into. Let's nail the blue stuff first, then we'll see...

Thank you!
Bill

 

[Astyanax]

Hey all:

Well, I'm only marginally happy with the final lids, but I feel this was about as far as my skill was able to take them:



At least we see them in the show at varying degrees of shininess in different scenes, so I can call these final. There are some scuffs, random lines, and other imperfections, but every lid seems to have a "good side". I'm making sure that every vial also comes with an unfinished lid and extra vinyl dots so that you can do your own if you prefer!

Hope that's acceptable to everyone. Tomorrow I will reach out to you with payment information and next steps. Thanks again for your patience!

Bill

 

[Starganderfish]

Yeah, I've experimented with a few of those things. But About Alclad...you mean "Aqua Gloss", right? I don't know of a product called Super Gloss. But the way you describe it, sounds like you're talking about Alclad Aqua Gloss. And yes, I buy the bigger bottle and swear by the stuff!

Oh sorry, I meant the Alclad Gloss Black Primer: Alclad 306. I think I just call it Super Gloss in my head!! Comes in white and grey as well but the Gloss Black is the best black undercoat for their metallics.
But I think you've done a bang-up job on these already so I wouldn't worry too much.

Hey all:

Well, I'm only marginally happy with the final lids, but I feel this was about as far as my skill was able to take them:

View attachment 1833438 View attachment 1833439 View attachment 1833440

At least we see them in the show at varying degrees of shininess in different scenes, so I can call these final. There are some scuffs, random lines, and other imperfections, but every lid seems to have a "good side". I'm making sure that every vial also comes with an unfinished lid and extra vinyl dots so that you can do your own if you prefer!

Hope that's acceptable to everyone. Tomorrow I will reach out to you with payment information and next steps. Thanks again for your patience!

Bill

They look great! Getting a clean finish with the Alclad metallics is tough! You've done great, and if you're still willing to throw an unpainted lid in wth the vials, folks can have a go and see for themselves just how tough it is!!

 

[Astyanax]

Oh sorry, I meant the Alclad Gloss Black Primer: Alclad 306. I think I just call it Super Gloss in my head!! Comes in white and grey as well but the Gloss Black is the best black undercoat for their metallics.
But I think you've done a bang-up job on these already so I wouldn't worry too much.

They look great! Getting a clean finish with the Alclad metallics is tough! You've done great, and if you're still willing to throw an unpainted lid in wth the vials, folks can have a go and see for themselves just how tough it is!!

Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence, absolutely! Yeah, we'll go with what we have. I will pre-sand an extra lid per-vial for folks to take a shot as well. Thanks to the jig on the drill, sanding now takes me about 2 minutes per lid!

Also, gonna pick up some Alclad 306 stat, because I'm always trying to do decent metallics.

Thank you!

 

[Astyanax]

All right folks, kits are ready! This is what you'll get:

• 1 x 10 mL V-Vial with closure
• 2 x 3d-printed custom lids (1 finished, 1 unfinished)
• 1 x o-ring (R-12, AS568 #115, 11/16" ID, 7/8" OD)
• 8 x pre-cut vinyl dots

I'm ready to collect payment, so please watch your PM inboxes. Shipping for paid kits will start tomorrow.

Thank you!
Bill

 

[CaptainEpic77]

All right folks, kits are ready! This is what you'll get:

View attachment 1833646

• 1 x 10 mL V-Vial with closure
• 2 x 3d-printed custom lids (1 finished, 1 unfinished)
• 1 x o-ring (R-12, AS568 #115, 11/16" ID, 7/8" OD)
• 8 x pre-cut vinyl dots

I'm ready to collect payment, so please watch your PM inboxes. Shipping for paid kits will start tomorrow.

Thank you!
Bill

Ok I’ll keep my eyes open for your message to give you my info

 

[Astyanax]

Ok I’ll keep my eyes open for your message to give you my info

CaptainEpic77 , I have DM'd you. Are you receiving? Thanks!