I got a small Bluetooth speaker for my b-day. It came in a clear hard plastic box. I think it has possibilities for a build.
1.) I would need to drill and saw on it to fit parts, and use screws. I speculate that cracking and breakage might be a risk. How can I do the work on it and minimize the risk of crack and breaks to the plastic "body"?
2.) It's about 5 1/2 inches tall, 4 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep. I think. (It's at home and I'm at work.) A uke? A two or three-string git? A "strum stick"-type thing?
3.) I'm thinking something with nylon strings might work best. Or...are there any other possibilities?
Thanks!
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These drills http://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/to/drill_1drillbits/plexidrill.php aren't cheap and with a little work you can grind your own, but they help drilling plastic without breakage. The other thing that helps is always back up the area you are drilling with a block of hard wood to keep the drill from digging in as it breaks out the back side. Take your time and work slowly and it shouldn't be a problem. I drilled holes in lots of expensive plastic windshields and such in my old life as an aircraft mechanic before I retired, go slow and don't use a lot of pressure and it works fine. Too high speed on the drills will melt the plastic and cause problems, but backing up the material with the wood block is the best help I can offer. Same thing goes for using a saw or file. Support the area you are working on and go slow with light pressure and you shouldn't have any problems.
Sounds like a cool build. Small boxes can have great sound. Post some pictures as you build it.
Thanks Duck! That really helps!
Now I just need to figure out just what I want to build! :)
i used a plastic kleen-X box cover for my "keeper of the crystal skulls " diddly bow . due to its high " crackability " , to make the hole for the pole neck, i heated up a hole cutter on the stove . and then grabbed it with vice grips and basically pushed and twisted it through easy as pie . Don't be slow about it tho, or it will wanna weld to the plastic .. keep it moving get it in and get out .
You could always just use a small drill to get the hole started and hog it out with a dremel or round file Mr Pick. all it takes is patience and a steady hand. :)>
yup , i recon . ;-)
Dang, AP! That Crystal Skull diddley bow is flippin' WILD! I took a closer look: It looks like there are three homemade single-coil pickups on there, with three different buttons. Gosh, I don't have the patience or dexterity to make my own pickups!
Where did you find the clear acrylic dowel/rod/neck? That ramps up the cool factor BIG!
And...I'd love to hear a sound file or watch a vid of you playing that.
I'm having trouble deciding if I want to make a uke or a diddley bow out of the acrylic speaker box. We'll see.
you give me too much credit on this one andy . it is a pretty old build . and although i have done multi pickup/ switches guits in the past . this one is more " decor" keeping in theme with the cryatals . the "pickups" are just quartz points with speaker wire wrapped around them to resemble crude pickups . the buttons are off a phone to enhance the belieavability of the fake pickups ;-) the "volume button" is a smelted quartz diamond . the bridge base is real jade , the real pickup is a bar piezo tucked between the bar and body .
i couldnt find a sturdy acrylic neck / bar . so i looked on ebay and found that one , its actually off a high end towel rack ;-)
this guit sounded ok . but never did get a good recoreding worth reposting . hope that helps ;-)
Well, then, I give you credit for playfulness and creativity! Still a very cool build.
I was wondering if a towel rack bar or something similar is what you used.
Peace!
Since you're using screws, I recommend using plastic or nylon flat washers to minimize breakage-If you can find a glue that works i'd recommend gluing those washers to the hole as well.
While i'm on the subject of glue-if you find one that glues/welds plastic to plastic that would open the door to using bracing to critical areas as if you were working with wood...
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