Royal Mercury Patio Typing & DIY iPad Mini Holder Box

The blue patio table umbrella gives the Merc an unnatural hue, but it's really a bland beige.



The Astrobrights Kraft paper cover sheet, atop one of my favorite clipboards.




The inner box positioned for ideal laptop viewing.


The slots cut in the side of the inner box for headphone jack and power button access.


Slots cut into the interior for headphones and charging cable storage.


The copper sound-bouncer plate in position, ideal for watching (and listening to) more typewriter videos of course! Also note the black craft foam inside the outer box to prevent the inner box from sliding around while positioned at the ideal viewing angle.

The Duck-brand "boiler plate" patterned silver tape really sticks well, but the 3M/Scotch-brand sparkly dark gray tape not so much. Go with the Duck brand, if you have notions of decorating your tablet's original container box.

The clipboard shot above reminds me that I need to make a review video about my clipboard collection. Because you can't have too many clip boards. And with a piece of hardware store masonite board and a large binder clip, you can make custom-sized clipboards too!

I've Been Busy!

The photo Kevin used to print his Canon Selphie postcard




The 3-slot developing tank, for 2-1/4" sized square paper prints or negatives, intended for a miniature-sized Afghan box camera project


In my sketch journal is also an idea for individual slot tanks, with individual lids, also laser cut from acrylic sheets


One of the NM Film Photographers, captured onto Harman Direct Positive paper. This cell phone snap was taken of the print while still wet


The hand-drawn logo for my new stamp

Stamp-Making Day!

Here's the original pencil sketch, done haphazardly with a 0.7mm mechanical pencil onto Amazon's cheapest copy paper:


Here's a test stamping onto the cheap Amazon paper, which went very well. The trick is to ensure the stamp is fully inked before pressing it to paper; and then to slightly rock the stamp toward all four edges, ensuring the ink is transfered evenly. I made this artwork specifically for the purposes of being used as a stamp, so the line weights and shapes were chosen to ensure the detail holds up once stamped at a smaller scale.


The previous week at Ethan's I'd designed this "Joe VC" logo to be used for wax envelop sealing; which Ethan had resin printed. Over the intervening week he created this signet ring, also resin printed. Now all I need to do is figure out the secret handshake!


The next step in this printmaking adventure is I recently acquired a miniature intaglio press, for making small (2-3" square) prints from etched metal plates. I've yet to get the correct kind of intaglio oil-based ink (I used some linoleum block printing ink for my first tests, and the results were marginal), and also the right kind of paper, which has to be dampened just the right amount, in order to receive the ink from the intaglio etched plate.

Typing via Smith-Corona Silent-Super.