How to Make a Cube with inner Decor

Have you ever seen one of those cool looking cubes with patterns inside of them? If you want to make one, then this is the article for you!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cube of acrylic
• Ruler
• Wood
• Drill Press (or Drill)
• Pencil
• Tape
• Paint
• Pipe Cleaners
• Vise
• Melting Box (small oven meant for melting acrylic)
• Heat Proof Gloves
• Tongs
• Sand Papers: 60, 80, 120, 240
• Acrylic Buffer

1. First, You need to sand the Cube from roughest to softest on each side.

2. Next, Buff your cube using the electric buffer and buff the cube on each side until it is smooth and scratchless. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO SCRATCHES.

3. Once you are sure that there are no scratches, place the cube inside the oven at about 400 degrees for about 16 minutes.

4. After 16 minutes have passed, THIS NEXT PART IS IMPORTANT! Before removing the cube, Make sure that you havetwo pieces of soft wood between the two "clampers" in the vise.

5. Take out your cube, place it inside your vise, and just keep squishing it between the two pieces of wood as much as you can before the Acrylic cools and sets.

6. Once you have a squished cube that is cooled, cover one side (flat square side) with tape (can be any kind).

7. With a pencil and ruler, mark where you want to drill your holes.

8. Drill your holes with the drill press, making sure to go all the way through the cube. Remove any shaving inside of the holes!

9. Once again, melt your cube the same way you did before, but this time, only for 12 minutes.

10. When you open the box, you should find that the cube is back to it's original shape!

11. Inside the cube, you should see that the drilled holes have been distorted to curve toward the center. THIS IS THE LOOK THAT YOU WANT.

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    The Final step is to take out your paint and pipe cleaner, and yep- you guessed it, paint the inside of the "tubes" with your pipe cleaner. It's O.K. if you accidentally marked some on the side. Just remove it with some rubbing alcohol.

13. 
     
    Finished Product

    You should now have something that resembles this! Have fun with your new cube!!! :D

Tips & Warnings

• When drilling, make sure that the holes are not on the edge or else that will be messed up when you melt you cube for the second time.
• It IS O.K. to resand and re-buff your cube after it has been finished, but only do this if you are EXTREMELY unsatisfied with any scratches you may find.
• CRANK YOUR CUBE IN THE VISE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!
• Remember that when taking the cube out of the oven, It will be nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so please, PLEASE, wear some sort of gloves designed for this! Don't wear oven mittens because they will SURELY BURN!!!
• When buffing, only press each side for a few seconds, or else it will burn and you will have to re-sand the burned portion.
• If you are under 16, or have no experience in this sort of work, please have an experienced adult help you.