Mechanisms
A slider was easily made, just a groove and spring to shut. The small door opener was not too difficult either as it is a simple sprung pull rod.
However, the door catch was not so straightforward. In theory it is just a translation of the up-down pressure to in-out to hold the door. However, with the limited room and problem of it sticking, it was not quick to get right.
The shutter proved rather awkward. A simple scheme, but it was far too willing to jam particularly if you pushed it at one side. The square shaped bars bunch up and interlock slightly, randomly and create deep dissatisfaction. The cure was found by opening the curve runner somewhat.
The shutter mechanism needs to both keep the shutter up and close it. Here one learns the imperative of getting the brass pieces set to tight tolerances. Even a fraction of a millimetre off and it doesn't work. Initially I had the shutter winding over a roller with the aim of tensioning the roller to provide the up and down force. I settled for a less elegant wing device instead.
The main heavy silver door needs to be stay open. The point of action would be outside the box. Using the same principle as the other door meant extra work was needed.
Gears seemed the obvious solution. In a factory a gear can be churned out in seconds. On a milling machine it is a harder task. There is most likely software already available that will spew out g-code to direct the mill, but I chose to write my own as the maths would be fun, or so I thought. It didn't take that long once I worked out a scheme and it was gratifying to see the gear emerge after the mill had done its work.
I attempted to mill a logo on a platinum piece using a very fine bit (0.2mm). It worked in principle but each time the mill snapped it was hard to set it back off again from the same place. The assay office kindly laser engraved it instead for a reasonable token sum. Pragmatic decisions win us over. The issue of who really made an artwork question reared its head. Great works which sell for large sums of money are quite often actually made by students and helpers. People will impart large fortunes for something because the name attributed to it is big. Art galleries have vast vaults with thousands of fine paintings that don't see the light of day. This is neither a grand piece nor has it been made to sell so will be stored too until the day it is melted down to make something else.
A sapphire held in a white gold setting and a diamond/red stone rudimentarily set on the lever provide a little distraction.
After some buffing and polishing the item was ready to photograph. Taking a picture of a mirrored surface was unexpectedly troublesome. A front on picture means you can see the camera and the person taking the picture. Even poking the camera through a sheet of white paper doesn't eradicate the problem.
A craftsman could have made something like this with a better finish and in half the time, but an average result is enough at times. For each part in the finished element at least 3 others were made and scrapped. One could copy and reproduce this fairly quickly. However, it is not the making but the devising that shines.
