Maybe you can have both, a smooth surface and a lid matching carved image. With CNC and a little epoxy resin It's easy ... and fun!!
I'm expiramenting with silicone molds. Want to be able to make signature inlays. My first attempt seemed to work okay. @jtspartan what do you think?
A little better close-up. Needs more fill and possibly a top coat. Perhaps casting in a pressure pot or heat gun. Edit: I keep messing with it looking for perfection. I think it would be awesome with some pigmented fill in the signature. I've done what I can do with the materials I have on hand.
Honestly, it came out easier than I expected. I used LocTite epoxy with some grey mica powder for this first test because I wanted it to set in 20 minutes. As you can see it has a few voids, but it turned out pretty good considering. To make the mold, I first printed a form. I could have used the cardboard from a roll of toilet paper and some hot glue, but I have the 3D printer so I'm going to use it. I used this silicone from Amazon. It has a very long work time and cures for 12 hours. So, bubbles are less of an issue. The silicone comes out of the form easily. I basically just cut a slot down one side. And peel the silicone off. As long as the silicone has cured for 12 hours, it's ready to use. I sized the original engraving to .975" in diameter so it would easily fit inside a 1" hole drilled with a simple 1" spade bit. I left the piece big enough to cast a larger blank that can be parted off on the lathe. I'm wondering if I should have left the whole thing bigger so it can be trimmed to fit later. In the piece pictured previously, I used the heavily pigmented paint I use to fill my aluminum engravings. When filling aluminum engravings I remove the excess with acetone. That process doesn't work well with resin. It would be better to use a thick filler and sand it to a smooth finish. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface with this. There's so much more that can be done here. Please share any ideas.
Another none shaving Item from my shop. As long as no one minds I like posting other stuff I turn here. This is another TIG torch back cap. And while I was looking at some of my UV light reactive rock collection I discovered this is also UV reactive. Bonus.
Here is a handle I made for @twhite recently. It can be used with SEs with the adapter screw I included or DEs without the adapter screw. Here is the razor head he sent me a picture of with the handle. It's the TOMX a tribute to the FAMEX and is one of his creations.
Hmmm. I see Lincoln TIG mate when I search that but I don't see Weldmate. I was also asking about the torch size but wasn't specific enough. A lot of torches go by 9 style or 20 style torch to specify what size the consumables are.
I've been wanting to try to make a handle for a Schick E or G. I just couldn't bring myself to destroying a good original handle. Thanks to a friend on another shaving forums who sent me this razor head. (It was already missing a handle.) I used a drill press, band saw, table router and lots of hand sanding to make this acrylic/resin handle from a pen blank I picked up at my local Woodcraft.