#square antiprism box lid

[zhalfirin-binds]

Square antiprism box

Another box another lid

This time I did not put it in a press and just weighed it down thoroughly!

I went with less build up on the lid. Just the lid, the insert part in a different colour, the handle and piece of paper for decoration.

I often struggle with aligning these decorations nicely. This time I thought of marking them up properly and more importantly, on the sides that I can see when gluing everything down!

The square frame was easy enough. I just drew a cross to get the middle of all the corners marked. I marked the middle of each side on the inside of the lid too and applied glue sparsely to the square frame before gluing it down and doing the tiny turn ins. I took care that at least the tips of the frame would be covered by he inside part of the lid.

While the upper part of the lid dried. I prepared the cut out on the lower part. I had the upper lid slit before covering it, set the handle (this time I went for leather right away) and marked the position on the lower part. Then I carved out roughly the shape of the leather pieces that would go in between the two boards.

For assembly I pulled the leather through the upper lid, made sure it fit the cut out. glued it down first on the upper lid and then I glued up and positioned the inset part of the lid in the box. I used a piece of corrugated board cut to height so the inset part would stick just a little out (no pictures of that sadly) put the upper lid on top and waited for a short moment so the glue would start to stick. Once I could remove the lid without getting the inset part too much out of alignment I put weights on top of the lid part to press the sides down and make the edges of inset part adhere to the upper part without a gap.

To be honest? I start to see why the person I saw making these boxes the first time at, makes such oversized lids. It's just easier to get the inset part right (or at least if its a tiny bit off, that doesn't really stand out).

[zhalfirin]

square antiprism box

materials used

box 1,5 grey board paper self made book cloth lokta paper

lid 1 grey board 1,5 grey board 2,4 grey board self made book cloth lokta paper leather

square base: 10cm x 10cm

see WIP pics here

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, 11: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

A “broken” compass, which is only accurate while underground.

A 3 inch coil of string that purrs when praised like a good pet

A alchemist’s rugged leather vest with a multitude of pockets, loops and hooks for holding various items.

A belt pouch holding a small collection of stylized coasters from different taverns

A black iron spur from a devil’s scourge.

A black lace veil which feels oddly cold to the touch. If worn, the bearer immediately becomes aware that it was placed on a corpse during a funeral and stolen soon afterwards. The owner of the veil will be subject to recurring nightmares involving grave robbing and being slaughtered by the disturbed corpses of the dead they’ve looted.

A black leather domino mask once worn by the Queen of Thieves,

A bloody cloth handkerchief in which three teeth are wrapped up in. Each has a small gold filling. The teeth are badly cracked and scoured, it looks like someone used pliers to extract them.

A box containing an eyeball made of petrified wood that changes color at random every hour

A bracelet consisting of six small feathers tied together with twine.

---Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

---Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A “broken” compass, which is only accurate while underground.

A 3 inch coil of string that purrs when praised like a good pet

A alchemist’s rugged leather vest with a multitude of pockets, loops and hooks for holding various items.

A belt pouch holding a small collection of stylized coasters from different taverns

A black iron spur from a devil’s scourge.

A black lace veil which feels oddly cold to the touch. If worn, the bearer immediately becomes aware that it was placed on a corpse during a funeral and stolen soon afterwards. The owner of the veil will be subject to recurring nightmares involving grave robbing and being slaughtered by the disturbed corpses of the dead they’ve looted.

A black leather domino mask once worn by the Queen of Thieves,

A bloody cloth handkerchief in which three teeth are wrapped up in. Each has a small gold filling. The teeth are badly cracked and scoured, it looks like someone used pliers to extract them.

A box containing an eyeball made of petrified wood that changes color at random every hour

A bracelet consisting of six small feathers tied together with twine.

A brass framed bifocal monocle on a silken cord.

A brass spyglass that always shows the environment suffering a terrible storm

A broken sword-hilt made of black metal. On it is written “Whoever recovers my blade…”

A bronze coin that bears the profile of the infamous thief, the “Duke of Blackmail”. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize the coin as black-market currency that’s accepted by some criminals in return for illicit good and services.

A bundle of six small, durable, black silk pouches that can be sealed with a drawstring.

A cheap hoop earring that can be bent into a professional-grade lockpick, with ease in a few seconds.

A child’s spinning top that never falls over, instead when it stops spinning it remains fully upright.

A cigar box containing a complete suit of plate, a shield, a lance, a flail, and a sword, all scaled for someone 3.75 inches tall.

A clay tablet etched with runes that smells like excrement when cold

A cloth handkerchief that speak a single, random word every hour

A cloth pouch containing a short metal rod that is insubstantial to all matter except the special metal glove that goes with it.

A cloth pouch holding several whetstones, along with six incredibly blunt daggers

A bronze coin that bears the profile of the infamous thief, the “Prince of Spies”. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize the coin as black-market currency that’s accepted by some criminals in return for illicit good and services.

A copper wristband that buzzes when in complete darkness

A copper wristband that’s slightly magnetic. Elderly creatures who wear it are sometimes relived from joint and arthritis pain, however it may be a placebo effect.

A creased, crumpled and sweat-stained black hood. It is lacking in mouth and eye holes. Worryingly, it has a thick draw string enabling it to be tightly secured around the bearer’s head and tied off.

A crystal antiprism about four inches across that is mildly repelled away from living flesh

A dainty ladies wrist-length glove, scaled to the size of a storm giant. Usable as a sack.

A deck of dirty playing cards with lewd images not suitable for children.

A decorative dagger carved from deep red wood and wrapped in an orange cloth

A derelict holy symbol of a forgotten god

A dried sponge that smells like mint

A driftwood sculpture of a fish that grants visions of the sea when licked

A driftwood sculpture of a fish that scares small land animals

A fashionable top hat made of fine moleskin.

A figurine of a large ant carved from onyx

A finger lengthed stone dog figurine that is always warm to the touch

A finger sized tail made of green glass that occasionally moves.

A fist sized bronze cube that, when tapped on thrice, disappears for one minute and then reappears in the same spot

A fist sized chunk of meteor rock.

A fist sized glass orb that drips perfumed water intermittently

A fist sized metal sphere that plays quiet, unpleasant, disturbing music when looked at by only one person

A five-inch square of Randomly Colored cloth that is uncannily pleasant to touch

A framed sheet of glass that appears to show a crystal-clear picture of the current surrounding area from a high vantage, but it is always completely wrong.

A genuine looking, but harmless (Blunted) stage dagger with a retracting blade and blood-compartment.

A gilded robin’s egg.

A glass jar containing a two-headed cat fetus

A glass jar containing a two-headed dog fetus

A griffin’s beak strung on a leather cord.

A hand sized figurine of a soldier, complete with detachable metal armor.

A hand sized sea foam colored scale from a sea serpent. It feels hard and rough to the touch and weighs as much as iron but floats like cork.

A hand sized wooden coffin filled with grave earth

A handful of carefully folded pages ripped out of an accounting journal of a local merchant.

A heavy wooden boomerang that could serve as a decent weapon or hunting tool in the hands of a skilled wielder.

A holy symbol of a long forgotten god, carved from bone

A holy symbol of a minor God of a Random Evil Domain hangs from a particularly long chain that allows it to be worn at navel height. Some of the chain’s links are particularly worn.

A horrendously ugly shirt which cleans and folds itself when removed.

A human skull and the ball joint end of a femur which have been altered into a mortar and pestle.

A large and realistic fake mustache.

A large belt pouch containing a small book wrapped in cloth. The book has a battered, mildewed cover and faded writing. Close examination reveals it is a prayer book of the minor god of a Random Evil Domain.

A large scroll tube containing a rolled up canvas painting of a sinister looking brooding royal

A large sponge that only soaks up blood

A leather belt pouch containing three empty potion vials. One is marked “invisibility” while the other two smell slightly of cinnamon.

A leather bookmark made from the skin of an infamous assassin.

A leather pouch containing seven small candles that are deceptively difficult to blow out

A leather pouch with the initials “J.F.” burnt into the lid which contains three six-sided bone dice with crudely inked pips. One of the dice is loaded and always comes up on the number one. The dice sit snug in the pouch, obviously custom made for this specific container.

A leather scroll tube containing a map to a labyrinth, marked with a path that doesn’t reach the center

A heavy, rust-covered iron rod that whispers unintelligible words only the wielder can hear

A lovingly preserved keepsake made of three locks of hair, from three different people, braided together

A magically preserved leaf from an oak treent.

A magically preserved wildflower, completely encased in a glass prism. The flower is a prime specimen of nature’s beauty and is forever frozen in full bloom. Staring deeply into the prism will grant the creature fleeting, rapidly shifting visions of heaven bursting forth from the flower. The viewer cannot control the visions and can choose to look away at any time.

A necklace of white clay prayer beads stained with blood.

A pair of clear drinking glasses that change color depending on the contents

A pair of intricate two-inch metal and glass disks that can be set to orbit around wrists like a hovering bracelet.

A pair of leather and glass goggles whose lenses are tinted Random Color.

A pair of leather and glass goggles whose lenses glow a faint Random Bright Color. The bearer is not negatively affected by the glow and can see normally

A pair of pallid leather gloves crafted with ivory fingernails.

A pair of red fur balls that will envelop whatever touches them until pulled free, providing a soft and warm slipper or mitten.

A pair of silken gloves with six fingers each

A pair of small steel ball bearings that circle each other when placed on a flat surface.

A pair of tiny metal rods that, when brought within one inch of each other, vibrate exactly fifteen minutes before the sun rises on any given day.

A pair of well-used manacles stained with old, dried blood.

A pair of wire and glass spectacles that makes everything appear upside-down. Curiously, wearing the spectacles upside down does nothing to solve this phenomenon  

A pair of wire and glass spectacles that prevents the user from perspiring when worn under starlight

A pair of wire and glass spectacles that project strange images on the lenses so the wearer sees things that are not there

A pair of wire and glass spectacles whose lenses are tinted Random Color.

A pair of wire and glass spectacles whose lenses glow a faint Random Bright Color. The bearer is not negatively affected by the glow and can see normally.

A plain scroll tube containing several pieces of parchment that were used to make observations of the stars. These comprise several complicated diagrams of various constellations and cryptic notes regarding “the wanderer.”

A plate of glass that, when used to view the night sky through it, reveals ten times as many stars

A polished copper wristband that smells strongly of sugar

A porcelain doll’s head that always seems to be looking at the nearest creature to it

A preserved flower that changes to become the same color as the last meal of the creature wearing it

A Randomly Colored triangular flag emblazoned with strange markings which, when waved, plays an unfamiliar tune.

A rod that makes clicking sounds when wet

A rusted chainmail pouch which appears to have some sort of magical darkness inside it. All attempts to peer through the links fail unless a magical light source is shone into the pouch. Only then will the eyeball encased in resin within be visible. The eyeball belongs to a necromancer in a far off land. If removed from the pouch, the necromancer can see through the eye again.

A scroll tube containing several scraps of paper that name the PCs and provide rough descriptions of their appearance and abilities. Perceptive PC’s will realize that the notes (given the different handwriting styles) seem to have been written by at least three different people.

A sealed clear glass bubble containing an orange and green frog being kept alive by magic. It moves around, sleep and seems to be aware of its surroundings but never needs to eat or drink and does not age.

A sealed letter ordering the execution of one of the PC’s and stamped with various official seals.

A sealed vessel topped by a baboon’s head, all crafted of glazed porcelain. The canopic jar contains a wrapped and preserved pair of humanoid lungs.

A sealed vessel topped by a falcon’s head, all crafted of glazed porcelain. The canopic jar contains a wrapped and preserved humanoid intestines.

[zhalfirin-binds]

wip square antiprism box

A last one on how to assemble the lid (for a change I did not forget to take pictures... mostly).

This time I wanted the lid to fit as seamless as possible to the box.

These boxes have a bit variety in how they come together though. At least they do when I make them and I never get them to be really all symmetrical. So I marked one corner and made my adjustments from there to make the lid fit to the box. Same was for the other other pieces. All pieces I had to assemble got marked too before making any adjustments in order to make them fit together in the end.

Next, after cutting a slit into the center of the lid was to prepare the recessed area for the handle. I went for leather again for ease of use (and cleanability... ).

All parts covered and ready to assemble I had to redraw some of my markings because they got cut away or covered up. A thing I was not happy with in the previous boxes was how I positioned the outer and the inset part of the lid and then had to move them in order to get both parts pressed together. Each time they shifted a little bit and didn't fit as neatly as I had wanted them to.

So this time I tried a different way. I cut some thick scrap paper a little less wide (only 1mm less!) as the box was high. Then I rolled it up in a wide roll and used that to support the inset part while gluing the outer lid on top. This is sturdy enough to put some weight on top until the glue starts to stick. I went for 2 smaller ones for initial pressure. That also allowed for a bit of room to not squish the lug. Once it had dried a bit I took the lid carefully off and added another weight, just for good measure and let dry completely.

[zhalfirin-binds]

WIP - square antiprism box

Part II messing up and saving The lid

This one needed saving, badly.

(I forgot to take pictures of all the steps, but I'll share what I have and try my best to fill in the gaps)

All went too well. After cutting and checking the pieces I covered them in cloth and paper, cut the slits and cleaned the excess material off.

I ended up leaving the third square on top out, but there's another one under the visible construction in the pic below, that goes into the box to fasten the lid.

I did a dry fit of the lid band I made from the same cloth I used to cover the box to mark how much room I'd need to sink in the cloth. It's 3 layers of cloth so the band is sturdy and quite thick. Just sandwiching it between the 2 boards would end me up with either a weird bump in the lid or one side of the edges not being glued tot he rest of the lid properly. Since the board is thick it doesn't need to be too neat and I just took out enough material to sink in the cloth ends.

Then I gathered it all and had the fabulous idea of giving it a quick press... Turned out there was too much glue/ too much space for the glue to press through/ too much pressure and I got glue seepage from hell.

The paper was more forgiving about the glue than I could have hoped (yay, for this lokta paper), the cloth was not forgiving at all though.

I tried to clean the glue off, but I didn't really have any success. At all. Eventually I decided to cover it up with a small scrap piece of leather.

[zhalfirin-binds]

Square antiprism box

Part I

(many thanks @queercus-books for finding out what that shape is called XD)

Over a year ago I saw this particular kind of box on the bookbinders fair in Leiden (NL). After having been recently reminded of them, I decided to give it a go and try to reverse engineer them from the pictures I found here (check out her other boxes, they are gorgeous!).

After staring at the original boxes for a bit, it was obvious they were not covered on the inside after gathering them. The pattern was visible in one consecutive pattern. It told me that a) the board was laminate with the patterned paper while still flat and b) the box was made from one piece, not single pieces glued together. For that the corners and edges needed to be scratched, but not cut through.

What stumped me in the beginning was what angle to pick for the walls. Naturally the base of each triangle had to be as long as the sides of the squares it connected to, but a too pointy angle at the tip resulted in long boxes that looked rather twisted than having that bulbous look I was looking for.

The solution (after some more staring and a few more paper models) was 'right angles'! Any square piece of board can be made into this box by marking out the center square and have the walls point away in right angles.

Next I cut away the parts that won't be needed (to make sure I don't cut one of the side walls off, I crossed them out). The net of polyhedrons for this box could look different than this and still give me this shape, but with the way the paper pattern is was not visibly interrupted I'm confident this is the net the Dutch bookbinder has used. (It also wastes the least material)

Now it was scratching the other lines just enough so they would bend nicely, but not get too weak to hold the structure and test assemble. Shallow cuts and test bending every now and then helps to get there (also a metal ruler to keep carving the same line)

Cutting the board half way through ended me up with those gaps though. I''m not sure how much they would show if I dressed them just like that, but I decided to not take the risk and reinforced them with a white paper just in case.

The white paper is really just a white strip of paper long enough to go all around the box and a bit wider than one of the triangles is high so I could have an overlap and reinforcement to the bottom too. Part of why I did this was also to see if covering the body would work as I thought it would. With the angled planes the strip of paper bends up and and down, but in the end it's still one straight strip of paper.

I let it dry a bit before adding another layer, this time with the patterned paper and turn in's on top and bottom. In hindsight I could have cut the turn ins to the inside at an wider angle to avoid them reaching onto the better visible part, but then. this is the first time I made this box so I take that as a lesson learned.

Now all it needs is a base and a lid and I'm done.