What I am going to show you is new to most, very old hat for me. It doesn't matter the device you use in our forum....there is the potential to possibly modify it...(there are many new devices here which I have not sat down & had the opportunity of looking at
Those I have I believe can be physically modified.This particular topic here for the moment pertains to the n900 /neo900.
People with different devices should not walk away thinking this post cannot pertain to them & their devices.
Success is inevitable for the n900/ neo900 part whether it gets produced...or I finish it it for myself.
The model works & affordable casts in plastics or resins can be done.
After this I intend to turn my attention to other device models.

...it's about options for the n900 and neo900 ..options for a whack of things ...


How About...

So I'm just throwin' this out there...
How about:
1- not just alu as a material option?
2- high density plastics or resin too? ( less likely to:
a- conduct a shock (reducing liabilities)
b- get very hot..
c- metals are strong but have little "give" on
impact..possibly jarring internals.(If there is a choice
I'd rather have a cheap & easily replaceable part
that would crumple on serious collision, absorbing
impact than a bulletproof pristine body with god
knows what mangled damage inside.)
3- better cell reception than a metal body?
4- a fraction of material/ production costs a consequence of the
preceding...
5- blindfolded? (no one else's data or specs, proprietary or open
but my own..I mean)
6- making it just thick enough for..say :
a- 2 battery thicknesses...for say a mugen-esque battery?
b-...the ability to squeak in say.. something the size of
standard usb ports?
c- more gear.
d- if the n900 or neo900 owner was
able to modify the microsd cardslot there would be the
potential for a port there ...so you could pop cards in or out
on the fly without removing the back?
e- Hell there is an Android smartphone out now with a taser
built in...hmm...can we compete and fit something like that
in?...doesn't have to be a taser..per se ..a zip-gun?....naw
too violent....sleeping-gas pellet gun?..something
weirder..POTATO GUN!..THAT is what I want.
7- no glare back?
8- no camera probs at all? So far anyway
hopefully the model once finished won't be “off” at all..
and disturb the cameras view properly through the
shutter. Hmm...gotta foresee as much as possible to
avoid that kinda thing..
9- doing it ...by hand?

Let's make it interesting...allll the preceding & how about in less than 2 days...44 hours actually..(I didn't work the ENTIRE 44 hours BTW) finishing to the rough (4 days ago.) Another 2 weeks (seems long...& it is....it is the truly meticulous work from this point...) & its ready for the final step.

What I do.

I paint, illustrate, make harps, violins, all kinds of hybrids..play as well..acoustic and electrified... & carve...I have worked just about every material there is shy of the radioactive.
I have used cnc equipment, laser cutters, etc....all the cool toys.
I have cast metals, bisq, etc.
I don't do casting anymore...nor do I bother with alll the fancy equipment any longer. Pulled me away from my work.
I like to make things ...not produce.

The prime material & it's benefits.

The 1st art...the 1st tools used by humanity still dug up in fabulous condition from places like stonehenge & the like...
5-10-15- 20 000 yr old tools...very resilient. It can take incredible physic pressures as well as blunt & sharp force impacts eyebrow-raisingly fabulously.
That same 1st material used for direct casting of silver & gold...since it could withstand the heat, retain it's edge without cracking or melting...
It can be cut & shaped to the point it is so thin as to see the fingerprints of your hands through it.
I intend the very moment I can to provide a demo for your viewing pleasure.

I enjoy in my spare time doing period piece work from around 5000 B.C. up to about the 9th century.
I have done and do restoration of items & weapons as old as the 12th century. I've worked on 19th century cane swords.....18th century to the current dated damascus steel (beyond count) ...17th century court swords, flanged maces...list goes on in weaponry alone I have embellished and restored.
At the moment I am working on a (verified of course ) 16th century Scottish cleaver...thing is beautiful.
I digress..


Antler by the way is not bone...it is just tightly growing hair or nails..nothing more.
It just happens to grow so perfectly ...that the grain of it is better than any wood. More resilient and flexible than stone and metal..holds an intricately detailed fine edge...is in essence a fabulous carving material. I have made literally countless pieces...for all kinds of purposes. I have directly cast silver and gold with it even...& retained the original carving with only a slight surface scorching easily removed.

Essentially if a soul can think of a thing with physic properties & dimension it most likely can be made out of antler.
The quintessentially perfect medium for making things, pieces and parts as well...as it just so happens......

Now I must admit I have been doing such work (in antler alone) for more than 35 years....so I have a slight advantage than most.

Depending on environmental stresses on the animal which dictate what I consider to be poor to excellent grades of antler...deer is fine for small pieces..the density tends to be fine for good work. Elk I favour not just for density but the proportionate size of the work that can be done. As well elk tends to a perfect white clean appearance. Moose tends to have a more mottled dirty look & an open grain in compare to either deer or elk ...but is still better than any wood or manmade for it's strengths...I favour moose only to do VERY large work. Consequently what is here below...is a small piece... in moose antler.

My work here fits perfectly.
The whole thing fits together..perfectly. A nice tight fit.
Everything functions properly.
The original photos are timestamped if anyone wishes to doubt me. I was very meticulous in that.... amoungst other aspects.
Yes it is not a back cover...
I saw that as pointless material waste and a waste from many other standpoints. But that is my thinking...
Pragmatically I thought why get rid of the back at all?

If I did a whole back cover I wouldn't stop there...I'd do a complete body replacement.
I have the material.

But I happen to like the body it's got... I do however see the attraction of a thicker middle....for some to have a bigger battery or possibly extra ports... & more gear inside.

The Options...

So this is what I am proposing...it's roughed....finished except for making it smooth for mold making.....( all the spit and polish done in 2 weeks )everyone should discuss whether or not they would like it in plastic or resin...keep the colours simple 1 or possibly 2.. ...ie...black or white. We can tally numbers and IF it seems viable by the number of possible orders...we are a go for mold making and production... (should be anyway...after it has left my hands...saying of course a calamity doesn't happen to Tom Hanks with my package on the Fedex plane...."Wilsonnn!!!"... )...

However If By the 11th of July 2014...one month later...

A- not enough people are interested in it that is cool..really...
B- If a consensus cannot be reached 'tween us fellows ...that's sad, but that's ok....
C- there is argument...& it gets ugly (don't like that...I like everybody happy, laughin' & joking ) ....

= I'll simply call an end to it all..

I'd like mine you see & (honestly.. realistically ..I'm not going to wait forever sooooo that being the case)..I will then enamel the model..& ...well..I got mine... until it needs a fresh coat of enamel...repairs ...or it finally breaks from wear & tear..& then I'll just carve another

If however ...enough people are interested.... hurray! It will get finished & will be ready for mold making. After that ...all that will be needed are the tiny side catches which could be added in the process.


The Next Step

Technically speaking ...moose is my last choice compared with elk or deer for mold making. It is the sheer size alone which makes moose the candidate. I do not expect this particular part to withstand multiple makings of molds even with my foresight in reinforcing it with antler lamination. A certainty is it will withstand multiple cooler mold making processes. 1-2-3 possibly 4. It could handle 1 possibly 2...but no more... very hot mold processes...(for say...metals and the like.) My recommendation is to do the 1st cooler mold...inspect the original & mold upon completion...if it can take it...do a 2nd...stop there...and prepare for 1 hot mold making process...& do not expect it to survive ...if it does...do the hot again.
The more molds the better esp. for different materials.
Worst case scenario it gives us only the 1st mold & gives up, or only 1 mold came out well. Doesn't matter. We still win. From that 1 mold up to 100 copies certainly can be made. 1st gen. The best of those SHOULD be taken and molds made from those immediately AT ALL COSTS.
Then from those molds assembly line production very affordably can commence.
The models purpose is to be the sacrificial goat for the molds. It surviving intact the processes multiple times is neither likely nor expected. If it does...make more molds (backup. store them for future necessity) until it can't take the strain.

Production and material costs should be negligible with casting...

It also doesn't matter the method of copy or reproduction...the necessity of cleaning and polishing the finished product always remains...more finicky & costly depending upon the type of finished material

Understand: this isn't a prototype. Or a one-off.

Understand please I like to make the cool stuff...not produce it. So I won't be doing any casting sorry.

And yes the model is BUTT ugly...to look at...that is the mottled dirty colour of moose for ya...combined with the necessity of the antler laminations. It isn't pretty...but it is smooth surfaced..THAT is relevant since mass produced copies will look and feel like the coloured enamel or plastic or metal that they should.

I was originally going to show what I've quietly been working on...the n900 case I mentioned....but it is far from completion yet...I'm in the process of adorning it with time consuming artistic embellishment in topically relevant detail carving...and when finished was going to unveil it..but I also see the practical needs here of our community and so set aside the case...and moved some of my professional work time for my business clients and patrons around to accommodate the making of this...”sandwich” part.... thus far it has only been 44 hours from start to roughed finish...fine smoothing and prep for the mold work will take 2 weeks at best...must be meticulous..so it is not a huge loss of my time...yet


I have promised nothing ...asked for nothing.
Just delivered the rough model...which shall...crossing fingers all goes well....be finished and ready for mold and cast work in a month

If people want this..then we can talk dollars and cents after I've shouted “alriteythen! Done! Perfect! We are a go!”
I'm not interested in making a mint from this contraption I've made. A humble and modest percentage of the profits would suffice (I do need after all more Work-Beer ...that IS essential...summers here.....keeps my fingers nimble and quick...

I'm not ...and my work isn't cheap...but for this place and all you guys...I'm affordable.
..Until now I have refrained from doing cross-over work from what I professionally do and personally do …..
in creating this and letting it loose here on TMO...and how I comport my business normally is not the same as what I am offering here...let alone here and now...). Making something that is practical and affordable for everyone that can be taken off or put on easily...is something I'm interested in.
Open source?...as open as the skill in my hands which carved it.
Free?...as the deer and the elk and the moose that yearly shed their antlers.

Is it a Better idea than others? Sorry not interested in competing....also the question is too obtuse... that is really a matter of personal desires, wants and perspective.
I think the real issue is about purpose, functionality ...do you lose or gain it, aesthetic, cost, and time to produce.
Can you afford the alu back?
or are your finances super-tight? and you can hopefully, possibly only afford a small amount ?
Is it important to have an alu back?
or full body with the bigger stand ?
or are you happy with what back and kickstand you have now?...
is that an issue for you the individual?
That is what I think it's all about ...nothing more ...personal wishes and preferences.
One or the other? Who said it has to be an either or?
If you have the money...Why not get the alu and the plastic/ resin “sandwich” part? ..
I know I wouldn't mind having both …

Here are the pics.
(Please note the incut on the inside end ..
It isn't a mistake or flaw. It is deliberate. It is easily filled in for a finnicky catch slot...but at the time I wasn't about to ruin my only n900 (backcover catch) in the process of playing around with the making of this.)
























Update: Due to an overwhelming lack of interest in production and my desire to use what I created... ...
the N.C.S. part here...
has been enameled....
making it uniformly the same colour and look of the n900 black body...
perfect for daily use...
but making it now unsuitable for reproduction casting.

This particular mass-production project is terminated.