Looking back, I’ve been a little consumed with 2D shit. How in hell is it mid-September already? Like the end-of-calendar slide starts earlier every year. In about two minutes its going to be MLK Day and I’ll be standing here wondering WTF just happened. I need to get the Zig back on track before the slalom gets up to speed.


I finally finished sealing the acrylic lid; lots of exterior PVA and Amarillo ink. It’s still reading as individual LEDS, but I haven’t sculpted the lava yet. Eighth to a quarter inch of translucent polymer clay should diffuse things nicely.

I probably shouldn’t have left the lid to dry on black butcher paper, but whatcha gonna do. I didn’t bother removing all the scraps as they should blend nicely with the cooler lava patches.

The color doesn’t translate so well on camera when it’s lit; I’m going to have to throttle back the exposure on the final shots.



There is still an overwhelming amount of shit remaining to be done, but I can only solder one lead at a time. With the lower tech set and an open power lead for the next set, its time to seal up the base.

After further consideration, I decided on a hybrid box facing. I don’t want it to be a pain in the ass to move, but I still want to be able to access the lighting strip without having to fight adhesive.

In the end I landed on a horseshoe with a magnetic access panel. The horseshoe section of facing is duct taped to the box support on the bottom, so it moves as a piece, but the front panel can be removed to lift the lid, and the tape can be removed for more complete disassembly.

Once it was together, the top caps were perfect but the panel wall ended up being about a quarter inch too thick and had to be hand trimmed and retextured.


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Date 17 September 2022
Date 17 September 2022
Date 17 September 2022
Date 17 September 2022
Date 17 September 2022

I sealed it last night, so should be ready for paint today. Though first I should make the standoffs for the base. I should have enough scraps for the box top, just need to decide on a mounting height and build an interior block without screwing myself on wiring access.

Once that’s done… I need to get the lava roiling. I can’t finalize the canal design until I’m sure of the diffusion level of the clay and paint.

OK, so two projects – the base and the top. Less overwhelming already. I should be able to have the box cooked this weekend (pun firmly intended). I should think about a crackle effect on the cooler patches, form a nice crust.

I think the last thing to consider on the base are the lava outflows. The Zig is supposed to be the lava source for all of the canals, but I don’t want it to end up as cumbersome as Castle SmashIt. I also don’t want to compromise structural integrity, which quartering it would certainly do.

Maybe 4 standalone offshoots built into canal bases. I could probably get to some dungeon tiles this weekend as well. The weather is perfect for the airbrush…