geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: blackriver on Tue, 20 September 2016, 16:42:25
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So like the title says, I essentially want to design/make a 60% case out of marble. I have a design in mind and have been making up some sketches as well as CAD mock ups. I really like the veiny look of marble and would love to make a case with an integrated wrist rest out of it. Keeping pricing aside, is there a company that I can send my design to that will mill out a hunk of marble the way I want or is that not really possible? Furthermore is there a material that will give me a near perfect cosmetic look to marble (That comes in large chunks or blocks)? This would be a good alternative if milling out marble isn't possible. I know there are CNC mills that can totally handle it, but I'm not too sure companys will just make you parts out of marble upon request. Anyways, any insight is appreciated as always, try not to crush my dreams too much :)). -Nick
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maybe talk to some company that makes washrooms to size?
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Yeah that's definitely not a bad idea, I did talk to a few company's that make counter tops but none of them can do 3D machining of marble or granite. Ill contact some other companies this week and get some more insight.
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I shudder to think what it would cost, but...
"We own and operate Europe’s largest CNC Shaping Mill capable of precisely cutting 3D CAD designs or scanned objects into virtually any shape from any stone. "
http://www.lapicida.com/
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Yeah that's definitely not a bad idea, I did talk to a few company's that make counter tops but none of them can do 3D machining of marble or granite. Ill contact some other companies this week and get some more insight.
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I greatly appreciate the help Tactile, I don't know what to expect on pricing so for now im not going to cringe too much...
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the major issue I see with using marble (or stone in general) is that it easily cracks when its cut too thin. But you never know till you try! I say go for it.
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Stone, in general, is not quite milled the way metals, plastics, or woods are. This is because cutting stone doesn't produce shavings, it produces dust and potentially random chunks of stone. With this in mind, if I were to try milling marble, I'd probably look at diamond tipped grinder bits and would start at extremely slow feeds with the goal of rubbing the stone away instead of cutting it. I'd also want to run water on the cutting surface, as the amount of friction is likely to generate a lot of heat. That being said, depending on the complexity of your case, you will likely run into problems with thin parts of your design, so shallow cuts are going to be your friend.
Anyway, with a bit of research this is almost certainly something you could do on your own.
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Example :
(https://www.cnc-step.de/images/stories/Anwendungen/Marmor_Fraesen/marmor_3D_relief_frsen_cnc_marble_milling_2.jpg)
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the major issue I see with using marble (or stone in general) is that it easily cracks when its cut too thin. But you never know till you try! I say go for it.
Yeah, that could be a problem. If I keep everything moderately thick I may be able to avoid conflicts.
Stone, in general, is not quite milled the way metals, plastics, or woods are. This is because cutting stone doesn't produce shavings, it produces dust and potentially random chunks of stone. With this in mind, if I were to try milling marble, I'd probably look at diamond tipped grinder bits and would start at extremely slow feeds with the goal of rubbing the stone away instead of cutting it. I'd also want to run water on the cutting surface, as the amount of friction is likely to generate a lot of heat. That being said, depending on the complexity of your case, you will likely run into problems with thin parts of your design, so shallow cuts are going to be your friend.
Anyway, with a bit of research this is almost certainly something you could do on your own.
From what I've seen online, for deeper cuts and shaving water jets are almost always used. This being said Doing it on my own could pose as a challenge but you never know. Its definitely worth looking into, thank you.
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How would you join parts of the case together? I don't think you can thread stone.
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How would you join parts of the case together? I don't think you can thread stone.
Threading stone is either impossible, or too challenging for this project. So my idea is brass standoffs similar to those that mount a motherboard in a pc case. This way you just drill a hold and mount the standoff with some strong glue or apoxy.
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Good shout, didn't even think of that.
I think 60% should be doable, providing you're fine either having something with lots of imperfections or paying the cost of a small car. I'd love to see this happen, but it does look terribly difficult.
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While it's not marble, I've cut slate tiles with a dremel for a project I'm working on, it also carves pretty easily with a dremel. Depending on what your designs were you might be able to put something together with slate. It's also possible to drill through slate, though without a masonry bit it dulls the hell out of your bits lol. You might be able to get larger slate pieces and do it by hand if you take your time. Or use several smaller pieces and fasten them together. A water jet would be the ticket I think if you want a machined solution. My example:
(http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y526/noobas4urus/Fresh_meat_noobas4urus_216_zpsldvd3rxb.jpg)
(http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y526/noobas4urus/Fresh_meat_noobas4urus_218_zpsaemriqhv.jpg)
That being said, it is possible to get some granite-like paint effects if you have someone that knows what they're doing:
(http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u626/markfry21/Green%20Manalishi/IMG_0203_zpsa80fd4a0.jpg)
Link to that project, Hanoverfist's "The Green Manalishi": http://themodzoo.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1444-the-green-manalishi/&page=1 (http://themodzoo.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1444-the-green-manalishi/&page=1)
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Good shout, didn't even think of that.
I think 60% should be doable, providing you're fine either having something with lots of imperfections or paying the cost of a small car. I'd love to see this happen, but it does look terribly difficult.
If I can make it happen I most certainly will. Already gathering a list of places to call tomorrow (fingers crossed).
While it's not marble, I've cut slate tiles with a dremel for a project I'm working on, it also carves pretty easily with a dremel. Depending on what your designs were you might be able to put something together with slate. It's also possible to drill through slate, though without a masonry bit it dulls the hell out of your bits lol. You might be able to get larger slate pieces and do it by hand if you take your time. Or use several smaller pieces and fasten them together. A water jet would be the ticket I think if you want a machined solution. My example:
Good thought, that could be really cool if done properly. But at the moment I'm really looking for one solid piece which would be tough with slate. Its worth noting if this solid hunk of marble idea flops.
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Has been done. Pictures of a keyboard made of (I think it was) black granite was posted here or on Deskthority some years ago.
Impossible to search for, thanks to SGI and Matt3o... ;)
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Has been done. Pictures of a keyboard made of (I think it was) black granite was posted here or on Deskthority some years ago.
Impossible to search for, thanks to SGI and Matt3o... ;)
Interesting, I'll have to see if I can find it.
Edit: Found a picture in about 2 minutes. Is this the one? Makes me want to do this even more.....
Edit 2: I'm blind this was actually a hydro dipped case, still cool though.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag355/NSCcreators/lavxozkzcvtzvhhdlcae_zpsiofmx3zk.jpg) (http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/NSCcreators/media/lavxozkzcvtzvhhdlcae_zpsiofmx3zk.jpg.html)
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So good news for anyone who may be interested in this project, I found someone who can do this. They have made bases for audio equipment like record players and things of that sort out of marble and granite from what I understand. So I'm going to go to the next step which is choosing the keyboard I want to use (most likely a pok3r) as well as making the CAD files for a price estimate :eek:.
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So good news for anyone who may be interested in this project, I found someone who can do this. They have made bases for audio equipment like record players and things of that sort out of marble and granite from what I understand. So I'm going to go to the next step which is choosing the keyboard I want to use (most likely a pok3r) as well as making the CAD files for a price estimate :eek:.
I'm not a Reddit'er so I can't check but this might help
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/3jibyt/cad_file_for_poker_2_case/
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I'm not a Reddit'er so I can't check but this might help
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/3jibyt/cad_file_for_poker_2_case/
Thank you this will help especially with the hole alignment for the standoffs
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Edit: Found a picture in about 2 minutes. Is this the one?
It was more of a huge thick slab...
There are also lots of examples of vinyl-wrapped cases.
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It was more of a huge thick slab...
There are also lots of examples of vinyl-wrapped cases.
Hmm yeah I haven't seen that one. I'm sure there are, vinyl wrapping or dipping would definitely be easier....
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One drop and the keyboard case is toast :( I can see why you would want to do this though, the hydro dipped cases look freakin' awesome
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One drop and the keyboard case is toast :( I can see why you would want to do this though, the hydro dipped cases look freakin' awesome
Yeah its sweet which is good becuase depending on how much it gets priced at I may be scrapping the marble idea and just dipping a custom acrylic case or something. If I dropped it I think the whole keyboard would be toast, I'm envisioning my PCB snapping under the force of 2 solid marble slabs... oh boy
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I think marble is a great idea.
How about a formed case which you then stick the marble to with a high strength epoxy?
I can't find a link handy, but I've seen a Pok3r case made of porcelain before and it looked really good once stained and glazed.
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You could probably gat a cultured marble case molded cheaper than a milled marble case.
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this seem simple to me depending on what your are wanting...
do you want a simple bottom plate and keyplate or do you want a custom case for the keyboard?
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You could probably gat a cultured marble case molded cheaper than a milled marble case.
I had no idea that could even be done, i've never heard of it.
You could probably gat a cultured marble case molded cheaper than a milled marble case.
So my case design is custom, when I make a better model Ill post up some pics, but its similar to the royal glam wood case that has the integrated wrist rest.
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Unless you want it to be a one piece solid marble case you don't really need to cnc marble you could just have a marble face piece with a cutout for the keys on top of something else to angle it and support the pcb and plate.
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Update on the company I messaged regarding a custom milling service. So initially I talked with a guy on the phone and he told me "It won't be cheap, but its not going to give you a heart attack" so I was thinking alright its going to be pricey but may still be an option. Well I was wrong. The maching cost is $1500, plus $500 for finishing, and a material cost of $200. So yeah I can't justify spending $2200 on a case lol. But since you guys have brought up some other good options, im going to look into those now.
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Plus side is if you decide that you want to change up your hydro dipped case you can redo it to make it look like someone dropped it into lava. Freakin' lava! Or stickers or something idk. It's your case do what you want. Obviously
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Update on the company I messaged regarding a custom milling service. So initially I talked with a guy on the phone and he told me "It won't be cheap, but its not going to give you a heart attack" so I was thinking alright its going to be pricey but may still be an option. Well I was wrong. The maching cost is $1500, plus $500 for finishing, and a material cost of $200. So yeah I can't justify spending $2200 on a case lol. But since you guys have brought up some other good options, im going to look into those now.
Seems a little high. You could probably find someone to do it for an even 2 thousand. ;D
Seriously though, just charging $200 for the materials is a tip-off that they didn't want to do it. Most stone fabricators would have materials that size in their scrap bin.
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Seems a little high. You could probably find someone to do it for an even 2 thousand. ;D
Seriously though, just charging $200 for the materials is a tip-off that they didn't want to do it. Most stone fabricators would have materials that size in their scrap bin.
I mean how can you go wrong for an even $2k :)). No but in all seriousness the price imo is definitley higher than it should be. Probably in part because they don't want to do it like you said.
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Seems a little high. You could probably find someone to do it for an even 2 thousand. ;D
Seriously though, just charging $200 for the materials is a tip-off that they didn't want to do it. Most stone fabricators would have materials that size in their scrap bin.
I mean how can you go wrong for an even $2k :)). No but in all seriousness the price imo is definitley higher than it should be. Probably in part because they don't want to do it like you said.
Maybe it's because that particular shop is not accustomed to the fine detailed work that comes with making a customized keyboard case out of marble.
If someone told me to wager why I thought the company quoted this project at $2000+ I would probably say something like, oh they wanted to leave themselves some wiggle room in case they made an error and had to labor through the process for a second, third, or maybe fourth time.
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If they weren't set up for small work they may also have to allow for buying small cutters and more hand finishing. Also, the smaller the project, the more particular a client may be about fine details.
Marble is one of the softer stones with excellent working properties and very easy to cut and finish. Why do you think so many ancient sculptures were made with it? Its low density makes it somewhat vulnerable to wear and staining.
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Maybe it's because that particular shop is not accustomed to the fine detailed work that comes with making a customized keyboard case out of marble.
If someone told me to wager why I thought the company quoted this project at $2000+ I would probably say something like, oh they wanted to leave themselves some wiggle room in case they made an error and had to labor through the process for a second, third, or maybe fourth time.
Agreed, that is a very good point.
If they weren't set up for small work they may also have to allow for buying small cutters and more hand finishing. Also, the smaller the project, the more particular a client may be about fine details.
Marble is one of the softer stones with excellent working properties and very easy to cut and finish. Why do you think so many ancient sculptures were made with it? Its low density makes it somewhat vulnerable to wear and staining.
True true. Either way ill explore the hydro dipped acrylic idea next, seems more cost effective and less prone to breaking :D.
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Has been done. Pictures of a keyboard made of (I think it was) black granite was posted here or on Deskthority some years ago.
Impossible to search for, thanks to SGI and Matt3o... ;)
I got lucky
https://deskthority.net/photos-f62/cherry-g81-with-aritifical-stone-case-t6475.html
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So like the title says, I essentially want to design/make a 60% case out of marble. I have a design in mind and have been making up some sketches as well as CAD mock ups. I really like the veiny look of marble and would love to make a case with an integrated wrist rest out of it. Keeping pricing aside, is there a company that I can send my design to that will mill out a hunk of marble the way I want or is that not really possible? Furthermore is there a material that will give me a near perfect cosmetic look to marble (That comes in large chunks or blocks)? This would be a good alternative if milling out marble isn't possible. I know there are CNC mills that can totally handle it, but I'm not too sure companys will just make you parts out of marble upon request. Anyways, any insight is appreciated as always, try not to crush my dreams too much :)). -Nick
Hi nick,
I found a website for you:
http://www.gsmarble.com
Hope this helps.
Regards
-Joshua
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it's a really ambitious project, i just hope your wallet is prepared for failure since i think the chance is pretty high
interested to watch the outcome!
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I got lucky
https://deskthority.net/photos-f62/cherry-g81-with-aritifical-stone-case-t6475.html
That's really nice. I'm curious as to what you mean by "I got lucky" lol.
Hi nick,
I found a website for you:
http://www.gsmarble.com
Hope this helps.
Regards
-Joshua
I appreciate it, ill look into them when I get the chance.
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Oh, as in I was lucky to find the thread on DT.
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So like the title says, I essentially want to design/make a 60% case out of marble. I have a design in mind and have been making up some sketches as well as CAD mock ups. I really like the veiny look of marble and would love to make a case with an integrated wrist rest out of it. Keeping pricing aside, is there a company that I can send my design to that will mill out a hunk of marble the way I want or is that not really possible? Furthermore is there a material that will give me a near perfect cosmetic look to marble (That comes in large chunks or blocks)? This would be a good alternative if milling out marble isn't possible. I know there are CNC mills that can totally handle it, but I'm not too sure companys will just make you parts out of marble upon request. Anyways, any insight is appreciated as always, try not to crush my dreams too much :)). -Nick
Hi nick,
I found a website for you:
http://www.gsmarble.com
Hope this helps.
Regards
-Joshua
lol, any shop in Broward County should be equipped for the kind of detail required in making a keyboard case. They probably make tons of cell phone cases and accenting for yachts or whatever. Hell, you might even get some kind of chipless finish as an added bonus :thumb: