Hi guys,
I finally made it and gave my Shruti-1 a case. It is made from stained and lacquered pine wood.
The frontpanel is white acrylic from Ponoko. It is based on the original design by smrl, adapted for my needs. Hope you like it.
TD
If you want to use the design, download the .svg file here:
(please note that I forgot the drill holes for line in and level… 
)
Beautiful! Especially the lights shining through the acrylic…
Yeah, looks great! Could you get some macro shots of the LEDs perhaps? I’ve been very curious to see how that would work with the acrylic. Also wondering what you used to darken the engraving.
NICE
cool.whats your funky looking box beside the shruti?
I envy you! This is a really good looking one!
hi guys, thanks for the nice comments. The effect of the light through the acrylic is in fact more subtle than it appears on the photos, I like it too! BTW, I wanted Bamboo, but the German hub of Ponoko doesn’t have it, so I went with acrylic…
The box next to the Shruti is a ML303, a DIY 303…
The engraving:
1st try: I used a black felt marker and pushed it along the lines. Then I used a cotton cloth dipped in ethanol and gently cleaned the board. Because the engraving is rough, the color tends to stick there. Since the tip of my felt marker was too hard to get down to the bottom of the small engravings the result was mediocre and I tried something else-
2nd try: I put a blob of black silkscreen color directly on the panel and spread it with a ruler. Then I just rubbed the board with a clean cloth. That did it…
TD
Here’s some closeup photos:
Pretty
@TD - can you give more details about what type of ink this is: “I put a blob of black silkscreen color directly on the panel and spread it with a ruler.” - I’m not familiar with silk screening so need help with this. Very nice job BTW!
Hi dnigrin,
it’s a water based ink for textiles. It has a very jelly-like consistency:
The can says:
Versatex
Screen Printing Inks
For fabric and paper
color: 328 black
Sorry I don’t know more about it, but if you can’t find the stuff I think a permanent felt-tip marker with a soft and broad tip would work as well…
TD
Awesome, thanks for the info TD! I’m sure with that info i can find it, or at least similar at a local art supply shop. My current plan is to use Ponoko to make clear acrylic 2.0 mm panels for use with a Pactec PT-8 enclosure. Because Ponoko only supplies clear acrylic (in the US anyway) at that 2.0 mm thickness, I’m interested in finding ways to make the engraving more readable, and I think this ink might be the way to go!
@TD: can I your picture to the collage with various Shruti-1 enclosures on the mutable-instruments website?
@TD - Can you say what vector depth you used for both the text as well as the logo? I know the other guys used heavy for their wood designs, but wondering if light or medium would be better for acrylic?