Calvin and Hobbs tie clip- progress pics

It’s been a little hot here: 

My studio is off the back of our house, so my usual time to work is during the kiddo’s afternoon nap, or after his 7:30 pm bedtime. Since my studio is without air conditioning, those afternooon hours have been pretty off limits- I spend about 20 minutes out there today before turning back inside. So, it’s been a slow couple of days, but I’ve still been getting in a step or two each day, and it’s cooling down starting tomorrow! 

The biggest recent step has been filing and sanding down every edge of each individual piece. It’s a bit tedious, and there’s not much to photograph! I use a combination of needle files (too left) and sand paper (220-600 grit) to achieve edges that are clean, and have no marks left from sawing them out. I also shape some of the small pieces to give them volume. Hobb’s arm, for example, is shaped with files for a more 3D effect.

A few areas need to be etched, like Hobb’s white fur and Calvin’s hair. The acid leaves a really nice texture on the metal that will be perfect for those areas. I’ll also etch the lower section of the wagon for a bit more depth there. 

Instead of using press and peel paper for this, I opted to cut away my original template everywhere I wanted protected from the acid and paint the metal with nail polish. Next I’ll remove the remaining paper, exposing the areas I do want etched. The nail polish works great a resist to the acid, and I get to skip some of the trickier aspects of adhering press and peel paper ( burnt fingers, areas of poor transfer, washing teeny pieces without dropping them down the drain..). 

These pieces will get etched tonight after bed-time, and I’ll move on to finishing all the surfaces in preparation for soldering!