Stone Sleeved Aleph

Howdy all.

This is my first mod, if I can call it that.
I've been in awe over the talent and creativity of some of the folks around here, and was inspired to take a crack at making something a little different. This is an Aleph 2, 1x123, TWOK NG500 ala' McGizmo, purchased last week on the B/S/T from TimB.

The stone is Tangerine Alabaster. It's very translucent in thinner sections. I need to re-do the body, as I didn't get the anodizing out of the 2 recessed bands either side of the knurling. I got a little lazy after 2 hours of sanding the anodizing off by hand. They show through as black stripes. Next time I'll start with plain aluminum. Sorry for the crappy pictures.


Mark

Edited to try and fix wide page.

Hmmm... Pictures don't seem to be showing up at all. Any suggestions?

ETA: "Saved by the Kongfuchicken!"
Mark

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

edit: added the returns; sorry 'bout that. I think the long links in the first post made the pages wide tho...
Real nice stuff BTW!

very nice looking light

Very cool! It would be best if the long links or images could be fixed so the page is not so wide and this thread, by rights, should be placed in the home made and modified forum but aside from these *technicalities* That stone light is really cool!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Now that is different! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Really nice work, that had to take alot of time.
Speaking of time, you sanded the HA off? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Try using some LYE, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif much easier, maybe not as healthy, but, eh. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Are the stone pieces press fit onto the aleph?

Wow!

Now that is something special. Really creative Mark. Very well done.

Wilkey

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/goodjob.gif

Talk about something unique /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Will

[Paris Hilton] That's Hot.. [/Paris Hilton]

[ QUOTE ]
jtice said:
Now that is different! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


Are the stone pieces press fit onto the aleph?

[/ QUOTE ]Thanks for the compliments.
Sorry about the page width issue. This is the first time I ever tried posting a picture on a forum. I couldn't get the pictures to show up. kongfuchicken got them up, but the page went wide. If someone could suggest a way for me to fix this, please PM me.

jtice,
I drilled the body sleeve with a 3/4" drill, bezel with 7/8", filed to fit. Epoxy used to bond the stone to all the parts. Fixing the body will take a few hours, but those black lines bug me.
I've got a couple other ideas I want to try.

Thanks to all again for the encouragement. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mark

I put a return between the image tags to put them
vertically.

Greg

(removed photos since the earlier ones are now vertical)

Wow! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

Holy ****, That has got to be the nicest looking light I have seen. I am a little slow. How do go about working stone like that. Is it a solid piece then turned a lathe somehow?
Very nice.

Thanks!

No lathe. Drill hole, file it to fit body part, epoxy it in, grind, file and sand to 600 grit.
It's really that simple. Just a lot of work.
I'll try and post the picture of it lit up.
Hopefully I won't screw up this page too!
The translucent effect is pretty cool.

ETA: OK, I suck royally at posting pictures!
At least the page didn't go wide /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
I followed the directions in the FAQ
No joy. Let's try a link to the site:
web page


Thanks again

Mark

Totally cool. Yes you can remove anodizing by using a base/alkaline solution. I love how it looks lit up... The stone is grindable to shape then?

Wow Mark !!!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
This is outstanding! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Congrats on that piece of novelty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
bernie

Nice work. At least in the pic I see, the black lines sort of make it look "more natural stone like". I personally would leave it as is.

IsaacHayes,
you can work it on a belt grinder a bit when it's thicker. I use carbide files most of the time. Lathe is out due to the seams that run through the stone. Vibration from power tools can break the stone pretty quick when it's thinner. You have to try and judge where the seams are going to run, work around them in initial layout before drilling. It's labor intensive, but I start with about a 1 1/2" thick piece of stone to work down to the 1" surrounding say the body. Better chance of drilling it without cracking it. The stone is stronger than it sounds by that description, it's just a matter of working within it's limitations.

HarryN,
The only reason I posted the pics is long experience that what may bug me will not necessarily bother someone else.
I haven't decided if I'm going to leave it alone, or remove all the stone so I can try something else. I can't really afford a bunch of lights/bodies to try ideas on, so may use this body as test mule. I know it seems odd to consider destroying this sleeve job, but I can always make another.

I've got some white alabaster I really want to try.

I learned a lot about the process and could probably do better next time. I'm working on sleeving a Surefire E2e SG in Eucalyptis burl at the moment, so the Aleph has a temporary reprieve. Wood may be a bit more functional. The stone sleeved Aleph would be a shelf or desk queen for sure.

I still need to get an Aleph to carry! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
This was my first Aleph, only carried it a few days before subjecting it to this experiment.

Thanks again for the kind words.
Mark

Very nice! Don't tell me you're going to destroy this beauty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Awesome.

More pictures, please. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'd like to see the stone pieces before you put the aleph in there to get an idea of how it fits together. Are there three seperate sections?

Also, any thermal considerations? Stone doesn't seem like it would be very conductive, but I doubt it causes any problems in this configuration. I don't think I'd run a five-watter like this, though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif