I’m sure you have though about it already, but if you had a way to modify the refractive index of the resin, you could make the fishing lines disappear completely.
> Bartosz, if you are reading this, contact me and I'll send you the final casting. This project would never have happened without your blog post.
I am impressed by the quality of your work on this side project and I love that final attention.
> I don't have the tools or knowledge required to sand this down to a perfect mirror finish
I did a resin cast that had a similar "lip" at the edge (I turned a LGA CPU socket into a coaster), and I was able to sand it down fairly easily using regular sandpaper of progressively higher grit, producing a more or less perfect cuboid. The flatness was achieved by taping the sandpaper to a flat surface, and moving the part.
It's been a while, I can't remember if I used some kind of polishing compound at the end or whether the sandpaper alone was enough for a good finish.
This is awesome! Reminds me of an artist that would encapsulate items like cameras into resin and then slice them with a water jet cutter creating a different version of an 'exploded view'. Can't find the link.
Part of me wants to believe this is sacrilege: these are incredible machines, and the magic is in not just seeing _how_ they work, but that they continue to work reliably for decades, and when they don't it's magic seeing them fixed somewhere like https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival. But also... this is incredibly cool! As kids, my brother used to do these little resin sculptures, putting in sand shells and little plans to it'd look like the bottom of the sea. I tried repeatedly to get into the same hobby but I was always too impatient so my designs would end up with fingerprints all over them before they'd properly set.
Is there no transparent substance that is gel-like for a period of time before it cures solid so that the pieces can simply be suspended in it and nudged to their final positions manually? Like a gel suspension 3D printer but where the gel hardens instead of being washed away at the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swB5-GzX3nQ
I don't know how viscous SLA 3D printer resin is, but if it could be made viscous enough then it seems like maybe you could just suspend the parts in it, tweaking their positions as much as you want until they're just right, then blast the whole thing with enough UV to cure all of it.
These look incredible. I'm guessing there are museums that would love display these.
Also https://ciechanow.ski/ is an absolute inspiration.
The suspension (supports) should not be visible if it has the same index of refraction.
I love this. Would absolutely buy one if it were for sale. Thanks for posting.
This is incredible… congratulations on creating such an amazing piece.
What’s a decent vintage watch that is simple to buy these days on eBay? I don’t care for the brand but I would love to have a vintage watch with a Swiss movement.
Adam Savage took on a similar style of project trying to make an exploded cellphone cast in resin - with the added challenge of making the screen work. It was evidently a sponsored project and some of the work was rushed a bit - the outcome feels more like a prototype rather than the display quality piece he was going for - but the same kind of problem solving and techniques were involved.
Still, if you’re interested in more of the same sort of thing, worth a look:
This is such a cool idea! You could potentially sell this or contact some watchmakers!
While it might not have the same cachet, an easier way to get this done would be to use a laser printing inside an glass or acrylic block --- just model all the parts:
This company works from photos:
but there should be companies doing 3D --- I distinctly remember a company doing a 3D map of the nearby star systems (which the _Universe_ role-player in me desperately wanted) --- perhaps:
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/diy/3d-model-neare...
could be modeled in Lego bricks?
l'm curious if Bartosz will actually contact him for that final casting, i know i would definitely love to own one. And mainly because I love mechanical watches, especially what's inside, but I don't like to wear or really use them, this is a great solution for this "problem".
The Bartosz Ciechanowski's blog post referenced here is arguably the best thing you can currently find on the Internet
Anyone know how these animations are created and displayed? Very well done.
> The hands are set to an invalid time. 10:10 is the way to go.
What made the time invalid? The synchronization of the seconds didn't match the position of the minute hand midway between the minute markers?
Ha when I saw this I love mechanical watches so I clicked on the link enthusiastically but skeptical that it could live up to Ciechanowski's blog post
Nice to see that it was a tribute post in a way
It was a nice surprise
Index matching UV cure optical adhesives could in principle be used in an SLA printer to make scaffolding structures for the exploded system that should completely disappear. Provided you can get an adhesive that matches the index of your resin of course.
It seems like it should be possible to make exploded models that way with more investment in upfront cad and less assembly labor. Perhaps very useful if you want to make many of them.
I don't get why pouring resin, let it dry, place an item, repour, let it dry, place an item, repeat doesn't work. Why do we see the layers?
I like this, and respect the craft which went into making it. I still think an immersive 3D model you can interact with may be more functional to illustrate mechanisms.
The room of clockwork/ratchet mechanisms in "Musee des arts et metiers" in Paris is fantastic.
You might also find the open source mechanical Swiss watch movement interesting: https://openmovement.org/
> I don't have the tools or knowledge required to sand this down to a perfect mirror finish, but that's okay.
That was my only note: it would look incredible if squared off and polished to perfection.
I've done some projects like that, although not with as many parts! I think the main disappointment that awaits the author is that within two years or so, the epoxy will turn yellow. These resins are unfortunately not UV-stable, even if kept in a reasonably well-lit area indoors (bookshelf, etc).
There are resins you can use for projects like that if you want them to last, but they're less fun to work with.
If I saw that in a shop I'd be super tempted to buy it.
can you do a Ferrari v12 engine next please?
Makes me wish, you could explode the watch- and still have it working.. like viewing a working, exploded model..
next step do one that can somehow still work as a clock, maybe by projecting the hands down into the watch face from above with lasers, or just have a super thin working watch hidden in the face, or hardcore mode somehow connect all those parts with real functional shafts ^^
Wow. As a mechanical engineer, these things totally fascinate me!! DO MORE!!
Hope i can implement ths soon
Wouldn't it make more sense to add the parts and epoxy layer-by-layer? So you don't need the sticks to hold everything together.
(Of course that means creating a new vacuum for every layer, probably).
TK Jewelers is a scam. The jewelry's fake. Watch exploded on date. Bent wrist, thing fucking exploded.
Just incredible
Amazing
That is so cool, I really want one lol.
I wear mechanical watches and have a small (and growing) collection. It’s irrational, but I like them anyway :) I’d appreciate an art piece like this.
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Would love to see a gaussian splat of this
I was pleased to see that the author used the PT5000, one of my favorite calibers. As pointed out in the article it's a Chinese clone of the ubiquitous ETA 2824-2; this movement is used in a lot of affordable watches that are sold on AliExpress. You can get a Submariner homage with a sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel, lume, and full water resistance powered by this movement for $100 that keeps time just as well as a Swiss watch (i.e. within COSC standards). Before I sold it mine was running at +5spd... the Chinese watchmaking industry is truly something to behold.