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The "I just made..." thread.

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I'm finally getting to the finish line of my cabinet project. This will go in my future game room, and house my 27" CRT along with all my game consoles (basically everything from Atari 2600 to X-Box, or 11 consoles in total plus an Extron AV switcher).

This is my first time making a cabinet. Everything went together well and I only had to make small adjustments from my original plans. If I could go back and do it again, I would have made all of the dadoes in the middle hidden just like on the sides. But after I glue it up and before I apply the second coat, I'm going to add some filler to hide all exposed gaps.

I'm going to glue this up in four pieces so I can disassemble/move it (highlighted below). The taller end pieces screw into the long middle pieces with screws (1" I think), into 1/4" threaded inserts. It's all solid, and stable as a rock with the backing on (also attached via threaded inserts into various pieces).

I am so sick of sanding. The primer sanded relatively well but it's not perfectly smooth; I made the visible areas as smooth as I could though.

Here's a dry fit pic pre-primer. My plan is to apply the first coat of paint to all pieces individually, assemble/glue, then apply a second coat.

I'll be using BM Command in a satin finish, Blue Nova color. I've never worked with this before, so I'll do some tests (I'm painting the bottom/non-visible areas first) by just rolling then rolling and tipping off with a brush to see what gives me the best finish. I certainly won't be able to brush the compartments once it's all assembled. I recently used Advance to paint some risers, and I had a hell of time getting a good finish. Rolling/tipping off seemed to work the best.

I'm also going to make drawers for the bottom left/right compartments, but that'll come later. Planning for three drawers in each side, ~3"/4"/5" height from top to bottom.


PXL_20250921_180039144.jpg


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PXL_20201205_161544576.jpg
 
Using only the finest Home Depot sourced lumber I just made a rack to store my firewood. It's 8x6 so holds about half a cord. Nothing fancy but will get the job done. Now that I have this done I can start bringing more wood inside.


IMG_20251113_180457.jpg
 
I've looked at pretty much every pic you've posted, and it appears to me that you're a fantastic starter but not a great finisher.
I'd likely be the same but I have a wife.
 
I'm finally getting to the finish line of my cabinet project. This will go in my future game room, and house my 27" CRT along with all my game consoles (basically everything from Atari 2600 to X-Box, or 11 consoles in total plus an Extron AV switcher).

This is my first time making a cabinet. Everything went together well and I only had to make small adjustments from my original plans. If I could go back and do it again, I would have made all of the dadoes in the middle hidden just like on the sides. But after I glue it up and before I apply the second coat, I'm going to add some filler to hide all exposed gaps.

I'm going to glue this up in four pieces so I can disassemble/move it (highlighted below). The taller end pieces screw into the long middle pieces with screws (1" I think), into 1/4" threaded inserts. It's all solid, and stable as a rock with the backing on (also attached via threaded inserts into various pieces).

I am so sick of sanding. The primer sanded relatively well but it's not perfectly smooth; I made the visible areas as smooth as I could though.

Here's a dry fit pic pre-primer. My plan is to apply the first coat of paint to all pieces individually, assemble/glue, then apply a second coat.

I'll be using BM Command in a satin finish, Blue Nova color. I've never worked with this before, so I'll do some tests (I'm painting the bottom/non-visible areas first) by just rolling then rolling and tipping off with a brush to see what gives me the best finish. I certainly won't be able to brush the compartments once it's all assembled. I recently used Advance to paint some risers, and I had a hell of time getting a good finish. Rolling/tipping off seemed to work the best.

I'm also going to make drawers for the bottom left/right compartments, but that'll come later. Planning for three drawers in each side, ~3"/4"/5" height from top to bottom.


View attachment 133475


View attachment 133477


View attachment 133476
That is really some impressive work. Simple, functional and perfect.

This is a matter of preference, but personally, I'd have eliminated most of the horizontal shelves. I'm thinking just the middle ones in the groups of three.

Then you drill some evenly space holes for whatever they call those stubby shelf supports. Would probably want to also do the center shelve of the bottom box. It gives more flexibility. That's going to weaken the structural integrity though. Which is probably why you didn't do that. You'd have to compensate with some additional bracing.
 
I've looked at pretty much every pic you've posted, and it appears to me that you're a fantastic starter but not a great finisher.
I'd likely be the same but I have a wife.

I'm bad for that, too many projects going on at once, I get something done to a point that it's at a stage I want then move on to next project with plans to eventually get back to it later... which often doesn't happen.

Funny thing is, I drywalled and painted my whole crawlspace in one go, probably the least important "room". But that's where I store lot of stuff and I really did not want to have to move that stuff more than once so did everything in one go.
 
Sometimes good enough is good enough. When you live by yourself it doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to work.
 
Need some relay controllers that mount in a DIN cabinet for some automation stuff, decided to make my own. Well more like I outsourced it, but I designed the PCBs and designed them to fit the DIN enclosures then soldered the components. I am going to need a better workstation setup for soldering though, my current crappy ass workbench is just not productive and way too cramped.

They make different versions of the DIN enclosure, so I designed it so it's modular, can go from 3 relays all the way up to 12 depending on the enclosure I use. This will just be controlled by anything that has GPIO pins such as a Raspberry PI. Long term I want to make ethernet versions that just present a basic telnet interface. They will also have i2c and other pins exposed for other sensors like temperature etc. For now I will just do that from the RPI directly.

If I decide to mass produce these I will opt to get the PCB assembly place to also do the soldering though if it's not too expensive. It's one thing to solder a few boards together but I wouldn't want to sit there and do 100's. Of course a better workbench setup would help a lot. When I do the ethernet version I'll probably do mostly SMD as well and go STM32 for the MCU. I might just do a generic ethernet board that exposes all the GPIO as well then that board would get tied in to various projects such as this one.

IMG_20251117_134521.jpg

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Copper complex with the amino acid l-arginine. Gemini claims it's called bis(L-argininato-κ²N,O)copper(II). Tremendous pain to dry, and it's still not completely dry. Good enough though.

copper arginato - small.jpg
 
Do you snort it or smoke it?
Like my old manager used to say, you can do anything you want on your last day. I asked an LLM since I don't know that there's much research on this particular compound.

-
If someone were to swallow a gram or two of this blue powder, the health effects would be immediate and violent.
  • The "Emetic" Response (Immediate): Copper is a potent emetic (vomit-inducing agent). The human stomach is extremely sensitive to copper ions. Ingesting this would likely cause violent vomiting within minutes. The vomit would likely be blue or green.
  • Gastrointestinal Destruction: If the copper stays down (or passes into the intestines), it causes severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and chemical burns to the lining of the GI tract.
  • The Absorption Danger: This is where the "arginate" part makes it worse. Simple copper salts (like copper sulfate) are often poorly absorbed. However, amino acid chelates (like copper arginate) are designed to pass through the intestinal wall efficiently. This means a higher percentage of the toxic copper enters the bloodstream, leading to systemic copper poisoning.
    • Hemolysis: The copper ions can burst red blood cells, causing anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin).
    • Organ Failure: The kidneys and liver act as filters. Overloaded with copper, they essentially shut down (hepatic necrosis and renal failure).
If someone were to smoke the powder, they wouldn't be inhaling "copper arginate"; they would be inhaling a cocktail of combustion byproducts that acts as a direct lung vescicant (blistering agent).

Here is the chemical breakdown of what happens when you apply a flame to Copper(II) Arginate:

1. Pyrolysis of the Arginine (The "Gas Chamber" Effect)​

Arginine is an amino acid rich in nitrogen. It is not designed to be heated.
  • Reaction: When you burn nitrogen-heavy organics, you don't just get carbon dioxide and water. You get Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and, more dangerously, Cyanogens.
  • The Result: Burning arginine will likely release traces of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) and various toxic nitriles.
  • Effect: They would essentially be freebasing a small amount of cyanide gas mixed with acrid, ammonia-smelling smoke. This causes immediate throat constriction, dizziness (hypoxia), and potential chemical pneumonia.

2. Copper Fume Fever (The "Shakes")​

Copper salts do not vaporize cleanly like methamphetamine. They decompose.
  • Reaction: The heat converts the copper ion into Copper(II) Oxide (CuO) particulates—microscopic dust.
  • The Result: Inhaling copper oxide dust leads to a condition known as Metal Fume Fever (often called "Monday Morning Fever" by welders).
  • Symptoms: About 3-10 hours after smoking it, the user would experience violent shivering, chills, a high fever, severe muscle aches, and a metallic taste in the mouth. It mimics a severe flu but is caused by the immune system attacking the metal particles lodged in the alveoli.

-

Maybe a good way to lower the crime rate and make some money at the same time?
 
Like my old manager used to say, you can do anything you want on your last day. I asked an LLM since I don't know that there's much research on this particular compound.

-
If someone were to swallow a gram or two of this blue powder, the health effects would be immediate and violent.
  • The "Emetic" Response (Immediate): Copper is a potent emetic (vomit-inducing agent). The human stomach is extremely sensitive to copper ions. Ingesting this would likely cause violent vomiting within minutes. The vomit would likely be blue or green.
  • Gastrointestinal Destruction: If the copper stays down (or passes into the intestines), it causes severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and chemical burns to the lining of the GI tract.
  • The Absorption Danger: This is where the "arginate" part makes it worse. Simple copper salts (like copper sulfate) are often poorly absorbed. However, amino acid chelates (like copper arginate) are designed to pass through the intestinal wall efficiently. This means a higher percentage of the toxic copper enters the bloodstream, leading to systemic copper poisoning.
    • Hemolysis: The copper ions can burst red blood cells, causing anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin).
    • Organ Failure: The kidneys and liver act as filters. Overloaded with copper, they essentially shut down (hepatic necrosis and renal failure).
If someone were to smoke the powder, they wouldn't be inhaling "copper arginate"; they would be inhaling a cocktail of combustion byproducts that acts as a direct lung vescicant (blistering agent).

Here is the chemical breakdown of what happens when you apply a flame to Copper(II) Arginate:

1. Pyrolysis of the Arginine (The "Gas Chamber" Effect)​

Arginine is an amino acid rich in nitrogen. It is not designed to be heated.
  • Reaction: When you burn nitrogen-heavy organics, you don't just get carbon dioxide and water. You get Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and, more dangerously, Cyanogens.
  • The Result: Burning arginine will likely release traces of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) and various toxic nitriles.
  • Effect: They would essentially be freebasing a small amount of cyanide gas mixed with acrid, ammonia-smelling smoke. This causes immediate throat constriction, dizziness (hypoxia), and potential chemical pneumonia.

2. Copper Fume Fever (The "Shakes")​

Copper salts do not vaporize cleanly like methamphetamine. They decompose.
  • Reaction: The heat converts the copper ion into Copper(II) Oxide (CuO) particulates—microscopic dust.
  • The Result: Inhaling copper oxide dust leads to a condition known as Metal Fume Fever (often called "Monday Morning Fever" by welders).
  • Symptoms: About 3-10 hours after smoking it, the user would experience violent shivering, chills, a high fever, severe muscle aches, and a metallic taste in the mouth. It mimics a severe flu but is caused by the immune system attacking the metal particles lodged in the alveoli.

-

Maybe a good way to lower the crime rate and make some money at the same time?
I don't think you're going to have any repeat customers.
 
LoL! I really fucked that up. My typing has gone to shit. Not entirely sure what the problem is. Maybe early senility. I have a few other things going on, but they've always gone on. I'm just getting worse.

One problem is I'm running edits as I type, and I sometimes concatenate multiple versions. That's exacerbated by slow typing. I'm several words ahead of my fingers, and shit gets scrambled before it makes onto the screen.
 
LoL! I really fucked that up. My typing has gone to shit. Not entirely sure what the problem is. Maybe early senility. I have a few other things going on, but they've always gone on. I'm just getting worse.

One problem is I'm running edits as I type, and I sometimes concatenate multiple versions. That's exacerbated by slow typing. I'm several words ahead of my fingers, and shit gets scrambled before it makes onto the screen.
I meant we basically typed the same thing at the same time. lol
 
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