HotY2010: Semi-finals poll part 2!!

Banner courtesy of Chezumss

This is the semi-final for my Host of the year competition for 2010!!

The top 2 from this poll, and the top 2 from the other semi-final poll will be voted off against one another in the final to determine a winner, who will get a bunch of prizes.

I needed an arbitrary way to group them, so i did it with modified torch hosts being in one poll and others being in the other. This is the non-torch hosts section.

Here is the original thread: http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/host-year-2010-a-59521.html
Here is the other thread: http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/hoty2010-semi-finals-poll-part-1-a-59853.html

This will end on Sunday the 23rd when I will assemble the final vote thread which will end on the 31st, but i'm leaving the poll running indefinitely so that in 10 years time some noob will vote and then ask "So when does this competition end? and how do i enter?" :crackup:

Participants, you're limitted to one picture, one video and\or one thread link. If you'd like to change your video, thread or link or you'd like to add something i missed then tell me.

Feel free to discuss the hosts in this thread... that's what this competition's all about! And good luck to all those entering!!

The prizes are:
Jayrob's PriceAngels review unit
A basic Jayrob Pocket Mini Build Kit
A banner with your host on it
A printable rosette to stick on the host or put in your trophy cabinet to show to the grandchildren
And most importantly - The joy of having built the Host of the year for 2010, and all related bragging and\or advertising rights.

When there's a thread link posted, i reccomend clicking it. It gives some more insight into the features the host possesses

The competitors:
AnselmoFanZero's Iron Man Glove:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/sale-iron-man-laser-glove-host-57606.html



FireMyLaser Zombie Apocalypse laser:


LazyBeam's Stainless Steel Pen-style:



hydguy's Black Friday build:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f65/my-black-friday-build-now-fan-cooled-new-pics-58340.html


StridAst's Sterling Silver:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/stridast-silver-10440-host-52850.html



1.9W Ehgemus 2X26500 Custom Host W/3XGroove 2 Drivers
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/1-9w-ehgemus-2x26500-custom-host-w-3xgroove-2-drivers-58497.html



anselm's Tinkerbox:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-my-1st-build-1-5w-labby-60-a-59450.html

I voted for StridAst's build.

Now that the poll is up, I don't like any of them.
Hrmph. :undecided:

anselm said:

btw, I voted for hydguys blackfriday.

Click to expand...

Right. Forgot about that one. Voted

Thank for doing this, compiling all these fine lazorz.

Jai said:

The winner of this poll, and the winner in the other semi-final poll will be voted off against one another in the final to determine a winner,

Click to expand...

How about advancing the top two of each poll, having four contestants in the finals?
Thus reducing butthurt for two additional people and keeping things a bit more interesting in the final?

btw, I voted for hydguys blackfriday.

@Ash: Remember to vote on your favourite torch-style too! You're allowed a vote on each.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/hoty2010-semi-finals-poll-part-1-a-59853.html

@anselm: Thanks, compiling them all was my main aim, the prizes and "competition" aspect were almost an afterthought. But it's turned out great! And, yeah, that's a good idea about using the top 2. I'm implimenting that.

If there is to be another poll for these....and I agree with it, there are many different types of DIY lasers from STAR WARS co2...to labby builds to......

the one I would vote for....always very good design...always wished he would post more about how he makes his designs....

AnselmoFanZero's Iron Man Glove

My vote
StridAst's Sterling Silver

Even if I am not a woman and not into accessories, this thing looks damn good. Do you need more than a lathe to make such a housing??? I am impressed.

532: For me my stuff isnt that special...its actually pretty easy: I can do whatever I want to achieve the desired look you know. So I dont make a lot of pics during fabrication anymore. But I promise I will ;-) if you insist.

AnselmoFanZero said:

My vote
StridAst's Sterling Silver

Even if I am not a woman and not into accessories, this thing looks damn good. Do you need more than a lathe to make such a housing??? I am impressed.

532: For me my stuff isnt that special...its actually pretty easy: I can do whatever I want to achieve the desired look you know. So I dont make a lot of pics during fabrication anymore. But I promise I will ;-) if you insist.

Click to expand...

Sorry I don't understand much about fabrication in that way, but am very interested. I would love to be able to produce like you do:wave:
I have looked at your pics and tried to figure out what materials and how you were making them, but haven't seen it yet.
That would be great if you showed some of your fabrication, what materials you are using and how your doing it.(this is of course is up to you...I don't want to ask you to give up your business secrets)

Either way I stand by my vote for your design.
:thanks:

Right now I am more into coilguns, but I have a new pulse-laser-gun on my bench. Almost done. Will make some more pics...before paintjob...before assembling.

First thing before you can do anything: The idea.

The laser-glove for example was just a rainy-weekend-project. Draw something and go for it. Thats how I do it.

I have plenty of ideas!...its fabrication materials that are somewhat cheap and easy to do without expensive set-ups that I haven't figured out yet. Are you molding plastic...are you just bending metal...everything you make almost looks manufactured when it's finished(I.E. its hard to see any loose ends, sloppy joints, soldered points, welded points, screw points....where do you get your "parts"...do you have a lathe that you work with....CNC...or is this just parts you found in the trash and painted up nice..)

I have seen your coilguns post and pics and love those too...done just some reading on the subject...and like what I see so far...looks fun!:beer:

Its damn funny to shoot at cans maybe I AM too old for this, but wth. Even shooting styrofoam from several feet distance is fun.

I dont have a lathe...or a CNC, not even a standard mill. The materials I use are easy to get. Its metal-sheet. Pure and simple. No special parts or materials. The rings for example are made by a friend who has a lathe...but all the housings and pistol grips, even the ring-grip for the Halo Gauss Gun are made by me. I have a band-saw now, but it works without one as well...just slower.
The body of the CG for example fits real tight, and so all I need is a screw to fix it. You dont see the screw stickin out becaus I drilled a lil bed for it with a drill bit, which is as wide as the screws head. Pretty simple. If the sheet is not thick enough for this method, I solder a piece of sheet onto it....from the inner side...know what I mean? Nothing spectacular...when you have started, the ideas how to do this and that will come. Sooner or later...

If you have ideas, how about that: Mail me one of them you would like to see in real life most, and I will tell you how to start.

Just helping him out, he already voted so this is not for his vote ;-)

AnselmoFanZero said:

My vote
StridAst's Sterling Silver

Even if I am not a woman and not into accessories, this thing looks damn good. Do you need more than a lathe to make such a housing??? I am impressed.

Click to expand...

Rather then fabricate completely, I cast the hosts. Any lathe work had to be done prior to making a mold. It has completely different challenges from lathing. Among them is the issue of things aren't quite as perfectly round, and there is a reduction in size about 3% so you have to plan for those things. However, silver is much softer then copper, and doesn't lathe very well, and pricey enough that the waste from lathing it would rapidly get cost prohibitive. The texture on the sides has to be cut by hand though, which takes a bit of time. But thanks for your vote

I'm actually more impressed with your iron man glove. Making the switch based on how you hold your fingers is quite impressive, and the blue leds for added look is just amazing

My vote is for the Anselmofanzero's Iron Man Glove

Thanks fed!

StridAst: Thanks...lets hope the ideas keep coming. The glove....I was thinking about decreasing size of my laserguns, and the most unnecessary part is the handle...I am a huge fan of the Iron Man films, so it was pretty clear what I was going to do ^^

You wrote: The textures are handmade....I would solder some wire onto it....bending and soldering would be the easiest way. How did you do it?

A series of burrs. a 3mm round burr, a 2.6mm inverted cone burr, a 1.2mm krause burr for the channels. For lost wax casting you get a plastic or wax piece that you invest in a silicone heavy plaster type in a steel flask. you then burn out the plastic and or wax and centrifuge the silver into the cavity where the plastic or wax used to be.

I start the texture before casting, so the burr work goes fast, but it needs to be finished after to get it just right. I felt the texture was both for grip (polished silver can be slick at times, and nobody wants to drop a laser that is turned on) As well as for appearance.

Even so it takes some time. As for soldering wire, I prefer to use wax wire for the parts like the prongs that hold the stones. It's much quicker to attach a bit of heat is all it takes., and once its cast there's no weak point of a solder joint to ever break. Casting equipment takes a little more equipment then is standard, but it's easier to make many things since you can work with plastics and wax prior to the casting.

I could even cast things up that other people had made, though for plastics the cleaner the plastic the better, clear plastics tend to burn out the best, esp PS (think clear CD case plastic) though I have size limitations, The centrifuge I use at my work is balanced for a certain range of flask size.

Very cool.
I have put some brass-pieces on the coilgun for the looks, but yours are way more filigran. I will keep that in mind...maybe in the near future one of my gun-hosts needs some texture on the grip