So, from the beginning of time, I've wanted a
Legion of Superheroes flight ring. Well, okay, not that long, but since my teen years, maybe earlier. When Shapeways first started, I stated regularly looking for such a ring. I found designs I liked and bought a few in a variety of materials. I had one made of stainless steel which I had laboriously hand-sanded to a sweet satin finish. Then I lost it in Las Vegas. (Not lost as in losing a bet. Just misplaced it.)
Eventually, I realized that I needed to make my own. When polished brass became available, I knew it was time to start.
Alas, my artistic skill are next to non-existent. Luckily, there's OpenSCAD! After a lengthy learning period, I managed to make a nice looking Legion logo, based on my favorite renderings from the comics. I printed that out in steel and yellow plastic, as a proof of concept. The results were promising:
With a good-looking logo ready, I needed to make the ring body. I printed out three different designs, taking advantage of the "Print It Anyway" option to test a variety of ways of dealing with some sharp edges. This also let me verify the sizing. I ended up choosing the one on the right:
Meanwhile, I needed a way to add some sort of black inlay around the logo. Some Googling found me EFColor, an enamel powder that melts at a mere 300F. I had to order it from the UK. Once it arrived, I tried some red inlay on the steel test logo. My clumsy method was to sprinkle it all over the logo, then brush it off the face with a business card. Two applications of the powder do the trick, leaving a glossy smooth surface.:
Having chosen a ring body from my yellow plastic tests, I ordered it in polished brass. With trembling hands, I opened the package, delighted with the quality of the result:
Finally, I filled in around the logo with black powder. Some stray flecks remained on the face of the logo, but these were easily removed with a brass scraper:
I am unreasonably giddy every time I look at it. If only it could actually make me fly!