Golden Snitch wings (Harry Potter)

[ATL Kenobi]

Although the XTC coated snitch might be salvageable, I opted to smooth out and finish the other 3D printed body I'd bought using multiple coats of sandable automotive primer and successively finer sand paper. Once it was smooth enough (read - when I got tired of sanding), I applied a very thin coat of Charbonnel gold sizing (gold leaf glue), waited 2 hours and applied 23-3/4 karat Monastery Leaves gold leaf. I then attached the "wing eyes" as before.


I don't have a picture, but I attached the one wing I made back in the first post of this thread. Unfortunately, the weight of the pewter causes it to sag in a most unattractive way. I plan now to try etching some brass wings per The DarkPope's instructions. I did some practice etching on a .032" brass backing plate for a Hagrid belt buckle using contact "paper" instead of photo-resist. It worked OK.


ATL

 

[TheDarkPope]

Ok, LOTS of things to talk about today.

I'll end up getting K&S Engineering material because I can buy it from most local hobby stores or hardware stores

I use K&S for 99.9% of sheet metal etching. Depending on how thin the bend, and what device you're using to bend it, K&S works really well. Available at your local friendly Ace Hardware stores as well as hobby shops.

I did some practice etching on a .032" brass backing plate for a Hagrid belt buckle using contact "paper" instead of photo-resist. It worked OK.

If you're doing a simple design, there's no need for photoresist. As you found out, contact paper works, so does strong Scotch tape, or packing tape - if you're able to cut the designs into it. There's a device - who's name eludes me right now - that can cut stickers that retails for $200 ish - if you know a friend that has one - stickers work as resist as well. They just have to be able to not pull up from the metal during the etch. It also helps if they can be removed after the etch

On to the bane of my existance for the last month or 2. I'll start by saying that I have finally completed my Wing Bender (tm) (patent pending)(no stealing). I couldn't be happier. After several different attempts, I finally just routed a channel into a piece of aluminum and pressure fit the wing into it. Now the secret's out. I won't bore anyone with the different attempts I made, It's picture time...

A few things you likely have noticed about the pictures. The first is that they are the old and incorrect design - that will be fixed in upcoming wings. I etched a few of this type and kept them around to test out the different benders I had made. The second is that they're a bit tarnished, that's because I was only going to be using them as experiments, so I didn't do any additional coats on it to prevent said tarnish. The ribs have no squeeze marks. The pressure fit did exactly as I had hoped, and they really do look great.

Now for some other things. I will be changing the interest thread - if it's still around. I've decided not to offer tin or stainless versions of the wing. Long story short - it's too difficult to etch the stainless, and after several attempts, tin has eluded me completely on how to etch it properly.

 

[ecl]

Love it! Me wants

 

[CaptainEO]

Wow, they look great! Amazing work!!

 

[Kabeiroi]

Beautiful! So glad that there's some movement in this topic once again

 

[lynx0099]

Thank you so much for this awesome project. Absolutely amazing. I am very much interested in it :$

 

[ATL Kenobi]

TDP - That looks GREAT!

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the HP Celebration 2015 at Universal Orlando, and guess what they had on display?




Thinking that since the original prop was made by a silversmith, I asked the attendant if the wings were made of sterling silver. She said she was told that they're made out of aluminum! She also said they were cut out by hand. (I believe etching is much easier)

...and this gentlemen walked in while I was looking at the prop display case.


I know I may look a little ridiculous, but that's me...on the left...with a vulture on my head...in Florida.

It's all fun

ATL

 

[Lunaman]

I know I may look a little ridiculous, but that's me...on the left...with a vulture on my head...in Florida.
View attachment 435129
It's all fun

ATL

I am so proud of you for dressing as Boggart-Snape. This made my morning.

 

[ecl]

I agree, awesome costume!

 

[TheDarkPope]

That's awesome that you wore your costume!

If you were given correct info - then I could see why aluminum was used. It doesn't tarnish ever - as all brass does. I don't buy that the originals were hand cut - a photoetching house can make wings by the Snitchload before the first wing was cut. Speaking of Snitches - do you have any more pictures?

This just came in the mail today. 35mm, round, and begging for some clay to make a body.

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Would you consider polishing up a sheet of 0.010 to 0.016 aluminum and then etching a set out of that?

These are the images I have. I thought I had one that showed more of the bottom, but can't find it at the moment.

Most of the details are raised rounded ridges, but the one coming off the bottom of the "eyes" are valleys.
ATL

 

[Scotophor]

Most of the details are raised rounded ridges, but the one coming off the bottom of the "eyes" are valleys.

Not only are they valleys, they appear in the last photo to be colored in with silver too.

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Not only are they valleys, they appear in the last photo to be colored in with silver too.

I saw that too. I was thinking it might be solder?? I didn't include the picture below because it didn't show any new detail, but it looks to me like the "eye" for some reason had to be re-soldered back on. Sort of a "I can fix this".

Also, I forgot to mention, the prop just looks bigger than the 35mm "printed" version I got from Shapeways. Perhaps 38mm or 1.5". They wouldn't let me measure it :unsure, at that time, and it was in a glass case with no good points of reference, but it just looked bigger. My wife thought so too.

ATL

 

[shadeone]

so maybe Noble's "oversized" sculpture version is more accurate than previously thought?

 

[Scotophor]

If someone could get a photo with rulers on both sides of the case, as close as possible (above the snitch in the background, and just below it in the foreground), step back a few feet and use maximum zoom to reduce the distortion, we might be able to triangulate and get a reasonably close size estimate.

 

[WingdSoldier]

Very nicely done! :thumbsup

 

[TheDarkPope]

Would you consider polishing up a sheet of 0.010 to 0.016 aluminum and then etching a set out of that?

Sure. I really have to get back on track with fixing my artwork now that I made the wing bender. I just kept putting it off because I didn't know if I was going to be able to make a bending device to get the job completed.

Also, I forgot to mention, the prop just looks bigger than the 35mm "printed" version I got from Shapeways. Perhaps 38mm or 1.5".

I saw the Shapeways description, and that's where I got the 35mm idea. I was looking into different size balls to make it from - Ping Pong, Foosball, Beer Pong and everything I was finding was 38 or 40mm. I bought the ball bearing out of the assumption that 35mm was correct. Logic would dictate that whoever made the Snitch would make it from readily available sized things - aka Ping Pong ball, and not from an oddly numbered thing like 33.78mm that was specially machined so no one would ever get the correct size. Maybe there are Google-able pictures from other people that went to the same exhibit and there was something of standard size that could be measured behind it as Scotophor suggested to use some trigonometry for sizes.

 

[joostin]

Sure. I really have to get back on track with fixing my artwork now that I made the wing bender. I just kept putting it off because I didn't know if I was going to be able to make a bending device to get the job completed.



I saw the Shapeways description, and that's where I got the 35mm idea. I was looking into different size balls to make it from - Ping Pong, Foosball, Beer Pong and everything I was finding was 38 or 40mm. I bought the ball bearing out of the assumption that 35mm was correct. Logic would dictate that whoever made the Snitch would make it from readily available sized things - aka Ping Pong ball, and not from an oddly numbered thing like 33.78mm that was specially machined so no one would ever get the correct size. Maybe there are Google-able pictures from other people that went to the same exhibit and there was something of standard size that could be measured behind it as Scotophor suggested to use some trigonometry for sizes.

I mentioned size to the modeller of the Shapeways Snitch (I feel like saying Martin, but I can't remember his name for certain) – that I thought it was a bit too small to be "screen accurate" – Holding it in my hand, I feel it just doesn't have that bulk that the Deathly Hallows snitch possessed such as when he kisses it and all of that stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few different sizes along the way though.
It is comparable in size to the Hallmark snitch that was released a couple of years ago, but it's definitely smaller than I think the screen used prop was, and from observations here, it looks like the snitch that is on tour is closer to that size.

I feel as though a ping pong ball is closer to screen accurate size. I've no solid measurements though. Just feels from my ping pong ball based snitches.
From what I've come across and some memory, 35mm would be closer to book-accurate sizing. That's about the size of a walnut, isn't it?

Either way, I think it's still a nice size to work with and I'm amazed at the wing work going on here. I might just have to order a set one day!

 

[Monkey540]

Through my research and testing for my snitch, I found that 38-40mm is a comfortable size to work with, but as soon as I print my first snitch, then I'll know for sure.

 

[lmellies]

I went to the Warner Brothers Studios in the UK this week and compared the original snitch on display with my Shapeways version and a ping pong ball. The original snitch is much closer to the ping pong ball in size, i.e., larger than the Shapeways. Since the snitch is in the middle of the case, you can't really put a tape measurer against it to get a completely accurate measurement.