Potential TECH: Resin Gear Shift Knobs

[luketrash]

I was talking with a friend who told me about making gear shift knobs when he was in highschool. Forgive me if this has been posted over and over and over...

They went out and found light bulbs and took a bench grinder to the base by the threads and removed the bottom/filament. Then they filled it halfway with clear epoxy resin.

Then they added some nostalgia piece like their Grandpa's war medal or a Monopoly Shoe, whatever...

Then they filled to the top with resin and let it dry.

Bust open the glass, sand and buff, then tap the bottom..

I was thinking this would be a good weekend project, possibly in my case with the column shift, I'd get smaller light bulbs like those old fashioned Xmas lights and try this...

Have any of you done this before?

[Kevin Lee]

That sounds pretty damn cool. Now go do it and make it ACCTUAL tech.

Ideas for things to drop in the resin:

Gravel
broken glass
Toenail clippings
Your foreskin
Cigarette butts
A tooth
A roach
Nails
A wad of chewed gum
Firecrackers
Kidney stones

[kustombuilder]

VERY cool idea. now where would one go to buy this clear resin????

[gears-n-grease]

lowes has clear resin in some stores

[Big A]

Good hobby supply stores carry clear resin in small kits for beginners and morons like me. If you've got a science or natural history museum with a gift shop in it they'll have the stuff too for casting bugs.

I seem to recall the stuff gets bloody hot when it's curing/drying (so keep your foreskin out of the stuff, Grim), and you pour it in layers to avoid bubbles.

Anyone know more?

[luketrash]

Hobby stores sell it so women can make paper weights with their arts and crafts and stuff like that.

I've never worked with it, but I'm guessing it smells real bad, and probably sticks to everything. I am out of town this weekend, but I want to try it next week. I plan on using the same stuff to make a clear bar top for our basement bar and seal old car pics underneath it.. (have seen it done on TV before)

The problem with the typical 8ball shifter or commercial ones is that they are too huge for column shift. I figure this way I can pick out a cool light bulb and make a smaller one.

as for ideas on something to put in, I think I'm gonna drop a bullet in there of some sort. .45 ACP might fit good...

[dvlscoupe]

Clear resin could be found at most hobby shops as well as arts and crap stores like Michaels! I personally like to find a tree that's leaking copious amounts of sap and put a mosquito (that just sucked my blood) in there. Then in a billion years some one will find my shift nob, drill a hole to the mosquito and suck my DNA out of it with a needle...I'm tired of typing and I'm sure you all see were I'm going with it. If not use your imagination.

Some other items to use would also be:
a monkey's hand
a rabbit's foot
an elephants left nut
some lunch meat
or just an old severed finger (it would be a good saftey reminder)

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]

as for ideas on something to put in, I think I'm gonna drop a bullet in there of some sort. .45 ACP might fit good...

[/ QUOTE ]


if it's a live round make sure you don't hit it with the drill when you are drilling and tapping it for threads. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[4t64rd]

I think it goes without saying, if you use the lightbulb technique, wear heavy gloves when you cut the bottom off.

Castin' craft is the brand we carried at the craft store I used to work at. they also have transparent and non-transparent dyes that go in them to give you that marble look. Works just like fiberglass resin, temperature is important.

Some other ideas to mix in,

Metalflake or glitter
baby teeth
teeth you have lost defending your sister's/mother's/girlfriend's honor
big black widow spider (plastic or dead)

[Donzie]

I think this is a cool idea and it's sounds like most anyone could do it. And, it sounds affordble. I'm been looking for a new (column) shift knob and this just may be the answer.
What to put in it?....how about a glass eye?

[oldchevyseller]

this guy is doing just that , got some cool ideas on there,
http://www.koolknobs.com/history.html

[blueskies]

I've done this before with glass christmas tree ornament balls. You can get them in a number of sizes, and shapes for that matter. You have to be carefull with breaking the glass off, the sharp edges will cut into the resin. If you do it carefully enough, the smooth as glass finish will remain on the finished piece. If you put something in the resin, make sure it doesn't settle to the bottom. We tried to suspend bits of things in the resin, but in invariably sank to the bottom, and where ever it touched, it came through the finished surface when cured.

Pete

[eberhama]

Just a tidbit if you really get into casting...

I have friends who cast their own pieces for model-making purposes. They build small vaccumm chambers and that will pull the air out of liquid resin. It makes for bubble free castings and the pour can be done in one shot.

[Smokin Joe]

Back in the 70's I used to make custom Buck 110 knives with that stuff. Replaced the wood in the handles with the custom ones. Even gave one to old man Buck. Used to buy custom knife blanks and poured handle slabs for them too. Wish I still had one to show you. Mostly used hat pins and fishing flies in them as they fit the handle layout. Backed some of them with abalone. You'll have fun doing it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My Norm Skull is going in the coupe when I get it done.
Check out the norm skulls on Rumpsville.com. There are a bunch on there.