Author Topic: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)  (Read 11566 times)

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« on: Sun, 31 December 2017, 19:58:43 »
hellow, first i’m sorry if my english bad (not my first language). i’ve been in this community for about a year, mostly i’m a lurker looking at beautifull custom keebs and keycaps. than i found out about artisan keycaps and it really touch my artsy side (i used to be a graphic designer) :) so i keep looking especialy in this subforum learning, reading from all the post made by artisan makers.
one day someone on facebook group point me on to the ;~$ynth. so i bought one :)
185576-0
for someone who never ever tried sculpting before this tool really help me alot.
got me some clay and afew essential and start sculpting. i like steampunk stuff, so i decide to sciulp a steampunky robot. here’s what i got
185578-1
and i did another design
185580-2
bought me some resin and afew essentials and started casting.
because i dont have a preasure pot yet, bubble are frequent and annoying
185582-3
fortunately i bought the wrong mold release it keep sticking to the synth
185584-4
bought ease release 200, work perfectly
185586-5
185588-6
185590-7
185592-8
v 1.5
185594-9
color experiment
185596-10
si posted on reddit and a few people comment that the design look similar to krapshop bear, so i change my design
185598-11
first casting try outs
185600-12
185602-13
185604-14
did a few color experiment
185606-15185608-16
all i need now is pressure pot, right now i just have to deal with bubbles until i can afford one.

please follow https://www.instagram.com/n.kaps/
« Last Edit: Thu, 26 July 2018, 11:33:15 by gr4v3m4n »

Offline Vulcan

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 01 January 2018, 02:01:08 »
From the last picture i see that you really  improve from time to time, Keep up the good work bro

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 01 January 2018, 05:34:25 »
From the last picture i see that you really  improve from time to time, Keep up the good work bro

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thanks bro, im waiting for your project too :)


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Offline gr4v3m4n

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nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 22 January 2018, 22:22:10 »
so....i did more casting




some butt shot, still crappy


i did more sculpting

this was my first ever scupt alongside the robot

doing some footwork
https://instagram.com/p/BdrSoW6Aztd/

i document all with my phone sorry for the bad pics.

finally finished evolving

RATHTAR




thanks to someone for the idea :)


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« Last Edit: Tue, 06 February 2018, 22:06:12 by gr4v3m4n »

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 19 March 2018, 21:28:32 »
more on the rathar




tried to do some keyset colorway
matching color from a screen is somewhat difficult.


i did a new sculpt also, i want to pay homage to one of my favorite design.
use some ghetto tools just fun, and it actually works pretty well :)





ohh..also i finally got a pressurepot


tried some casting and yes it is the way...:)
compare to my non pressure cast


i just love how squeaky clean it is


next i should try more color experiment. i’m so curious about how to cast those mix color, somehow i cant the pattern right.
thanks for reading :)




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Offline p_blaze

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 19 March 2018, 21:37:17 »
That rahtar is dank, I want one
If you can clean up the bit underneath the mouth and under the eyes it shoild look a lot better. The newer rahtar iterations I see look a bit less refined and clean than the original sculpt IMO, maybe you should reduce the amount of tentacles to make them 'pop' more

Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 20 March 2018, 03:24:05 »
Unsure whether it's RATHTAR or Rathar but that's a good looking sculpt, hopefully it's not much taller than SA caps.  No idea what the homage is to (whether pop culture or gamer I wouldn't so don't assume it's bad :-[) but again assuming it's not crazy tall it's good.  Perfect for looking away from the typist on a wireless board...

The bears(?) with muzzles look great too!
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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 20 March 2018, 07:34:44 »
That rahtar is dank, I want one
If you can clean up the bit underneath the mouth and under the eyes it shoild look a lot better. The newer rahtar iterations I see look a bit less refined and clean than the original sculpt IMO, maybe you should reduce the amount of tentacles to make them 'pop' more
thanks, i was molding it without pressure pot maybe that why it look so messy.

actually thats a great idea, i should try reducing the legs :) thank you.


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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 20 March 2018, 07:37:56 »
Unsure whether it's RATHTAR or Rathar but that's a good looking sculpt, hopefully it's not much taller than SA caps.  No idea what the homage is to (whether pop culture or gamer I wouldn't so don't assume it's bad :-[) but again assuming it's not crazy tall it's good.  Perfect for looking away from the typist on a wireless board...

The bears(?) with muzzles look great too!
its RATHTAR, but i like rathar better so.. :)
its a homage to oakley medusa, i love the design its just so crazy :)
its SA height actually



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Offline crystalhand

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 20 March 2018, 08:12:51 »
The caps are certainly looking good.  There is a significant improvement from the first few you posted to the most recent.  Keep up the great work!

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 20 March 2018, 08:36:54 »
The caps are certainly looking good.  There is a significant improvement from the first few you posted to the most recent.  Keep up the great work!
thank you so much

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 30 March 2018, 21:40:19 »


change the rathar tentacles again and i’m introducing KeyRuma :)




also i have been having problems with the resin not curing, at first i thought its cause by pressure potting. after some discussion turn out its my meassuring. i meassure the volume by eye so sometimes its inaccurate result in very unbalance mix, if you got any sugestion how to properly meassure the volume would be very appreciated.





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Offline p_blaze

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 30 March 2018, 22:52:06 »
Show Image


change the rathar tentacles again and i’m introducing KeyRuma :)

Show Image

Show Image


also i have been having problems with the resin not curing, at first i thought its cause by pressure potting. after some discussion turn out its my meassuring. i meassure the volume by eye so sometimes its inaccurate result in very unbalance mix, if you got any sugestion how to properly meassure the volume would be very appreciated.





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IMO, that rathar has definitely seen an improvement here, great job!
I'd probably use some chemists equipment like graduated cylinders

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 01 May 2018, 03:12:08 »
been experimenting with keyruma






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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #14 on: Tue, 01 May 2018, 04:28:22 »
Good work on the multi shot, coming along nicely!  I like the dark Opaly one too...

As to measuring syringes are good and accurate for small volumes, though I imagine cleaning out resin might be a bit of a challenge.  Or maybe it will dilute and squirt out easily...
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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #15 on: Tue, 01 May 2018, 05:53:37 »
Good work on the multi shot, coming along nicely!  I like the dark Opaly one too...

As to measuring syringes are good and accurate for small volumes, though I imagine cleaning out resin might be a bit of a challenge.  Or maybe it will dilute and squirt out easily...
thanks very much..
i did the one on the pictures using toothpick.
i bought some syringes and tried it like you said its great for small volumes and small places, i use it to color the face very accurately.


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Offline gr4v3m4n

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nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 24 June 2018, 23:41:25 »
hello, been doing lots of keyruma and trying color combination..






also thinking of doing blanks




let me know what you guys think..

ohh one other thing, sugestion on liquified color pigment, i’ve been using IPA but it seems that although it said 99% it contains enough water to stop my resin from curing, is there any other way to liquified pigments?..

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« Last Edit: Mon, 25 June 2018, 00:09:22 by gr4v3m4n »

Offline BobCarltheThird

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 25 June 2018, 22:14:32 »
That blank on the bottom looks absolutely fantastic! I love how blanks like that look. :thumb:
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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps
« Reply #18 on: Thu, 26 July 2018, 11:32:34 »
200645-0
finally i've open a store my first sale is live
price is adjusted considering this is my experiment on casting techniques
i hope i can make more best quality caps in the future with this sale as a stepping stone
thank you for supporting
here is the links
https://nkaps.bigcartel.com/
follow me in instagram for updates
https://www.instagram.com/n.kaps/

Offline Vulcan

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #19 on: Thu, 26 July 2018, 22:59:33 »
Good luck on the sale!

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Offline redleaf

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #20 on: Thu, 26 July 2018, 23:39:58 »
They look very nice

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 27 July 2018, 09:23:24 »
They look very nice

Good luck on the sale!

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thank you very much

Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #22 on: Mon, 13 August 2018, 08:40:27 »
Been doing new design

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #23 on: Sat, 08 September 2018, 19:00:49 »
New progress...redo the eyes..
Needs a name though, need to think something..

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #24 on: Sun, 16 September 2018, 23:29:40 »
I'm doing a presale giveaway for these 3 owls, head over to my [URL][https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn0EZOGnmjB//URL]instagram and comment on anything that can help me improve. I'll announce the winners tommorow on instagram, thank you

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Offline fishinaspacesuit

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #25 on: Mon, 17 September 2018, 03:14:34 »
This is amazing! I just chanced upon this thread and boy it was a joy watching your journey!

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 17 September 2018, 19:39:07 »
This is amazing! I just chanced upon this thread and boy it was a joy watching your journey!

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Thank you..its been an absolute joy for me too. Its great to do something that i love..

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #27 on: Sun, 30 September 2018, 03:50:21 »
Vulcanic, oceanic, bubblegum-ish, jade-ish, fusion, and cyber colorway

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #28 on: Fri, 19 October 2018, 03:36:27 »
Aaaannd the journey continues
A monster called SUBBY
And the Keyng Tut.

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Offline gr4v3m4n

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #29 on: Fri, 26 October 2018, 00:27:53 »
Six colors of ancient egypt

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Offline 9999hp

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Re: nkaps - my journey to artisan keycaps (DEBUT SALE IS LIVE)
« Reply #30 on: Fri, 26 October 2018, 10:22:55 »
Looking great; it's cool to see how much progress you've made