The Fixed Panel for the 4-Step Box
The heat from last week has eased a little over the past two days. Perhaps it is because it has been raining at night for the past few days 🌧️ Today, I spent the whole day working on Mame puzzle boxes. The 14-step puzzle boxes I started first were finished today after the final coating.
Next, I will open the mechanisms and check their movement again. Of course, the mechanisms of these Mame puzzle boxes are also stuck together by the finish, so I need to separate the stuck parts and open them. Mame puzzle boxes are probably the easiest boxes to damage at this stage. In particular, the side panels can easily crack because the finish sticks them to the top panel. Opening the mechanism once after the undercoat helps reduce this problem a lot, but I do not do that. Instead, I have found several other ways to open them without damaging the boxes. Once the finishing is complete, the chance of the panels warping becomes much lower. After this, I will open these boxes when I have some time.
Next, I continued working on the 4-step puzzle boxes. The photo shows me attaching the top and bottom panels. The way the bottom panel is attached on the 4-step puzzle box is slightly different from other Mame puzzle boxes. On other Mame puzzle boxes, the panel is attached to the Aruki, so the glue is applied to the center of the panel. However, on this 4-step puzzle box, the bottom panel is fixed, so I apply glue to the side panels and the axis panel. In other words, the panel is firmly glued and fixed directly to the main body. However, because this is a Mame puzzle box, the areas for gluing are very narrow and small. I cannot use too much glue. If I use too much, the extra glue may squeeze into the grooves for the side Aruki, which are the rails where the panels move, and this can stop the mechanism from moving properly. The panel must be firmly fixed, while using just the right amount of glue. Attaching the bottom panel of this 4-step puzzle box is one of the jobs I do not really enjoy 😅 After the top and bottom panels are attached, I do a little machining to cut off the parts of the long side panels that stick out. Then, I attach the Yosegi panels onto the Aruki on the sides.
Next, I will open the mechanisms and check their movement again. Of course, the mechanisms of these Mame puzzle boxes are also stuck together by the finish, so I need to separate the stuck parts and open them. Mame puzzle boxes are probably the easiest boxes to damage at this stage. In particular, the side panels can easily crack because the finish sticks them to the top panel. Opening the mechanism once after the undercoat helps reduce this problem a lot, but I do not do that. Instead, I have found several other ways to open them without damaging the boxes. Once the finishing is complete, the chance of the panels warping becomes much lower. After this, I will open these boxes when I have some time.
Next, I continued working on the 4-step puzzle boxes. The photo shows me attaching the top and bottom panels. The way the bottom panel is attached on the 4-step puzzle box is slightly different from other Mame puzzle boxes. On other Mame puzzle boxes, the panel is attached to the Aruki, so the glue is applied to the center of the panel. However, on this 4-step puzzle box, the bottom panel is fixed, so I apply glue to the side panels and the axis panel. In other words, the panel is firmly glued and fixed directly to the main body. However, because this is a Mame puzzle box, the areas for gluing are very narrow and small. I cannot use too much glue. If I use too much, the extra glue may squeeze into the grooves for the side Aruki, which are the rails where the panels move, and this can stop the mechanism from moving properly. The panel must be firmly fixed, while using just the right amount of glue. Attaching the bottom panel of this 4-step puzzle box is one of the jobs I do not really enjoy 😅 After the top and bottom panels are attached, I do a little machining to cut off the parts of the long side panels that stick out. Then, I attach the Yosegi panels onto the Aruki on the sides.