Koi Pond
Instruction
Nothing says relaxation than resting yourself outside, soaking in the sun, and watching the lazy movements of Koi swimming in the water.
Koi ponds have evoked a sense of tranquil peace for many years. The smooth, fluid movements of these ornamental fish brings a sense of quiet to the mind and serenity to the soul.
Captured here is an decorative piece that captures a moment in time. Made with walnut and acrylic, this item is sure to be a very much appreciated item on any desk, shelf or table to help you enjoy peace and relax your mind and soul.
Include with this is both the XCS version and SVG version.
Size: 8.4"x8.4"x1.625"
This was created on a whim, inspired by my wife who wanted a simple decoration depicting Koi. I decided to go a bit more in depth with it and created this.
It is a sort of layered art piece depicting a Koi Pond with several Koi within it.
This is made with the P2 due to the clear acrylic. Unfortunately, this will require a C02 laser to cut cleanly and as such, I cannot recommend this item to be made on another machine that is not C02. The alternative is to use epoxy instead of the Acrylic and that was an option for me, but I went with the clear acrylic instead. I may do the epoxy version later.
Keep in mind, all settings are entered with the P2 in mind with acrylic and walnut plywood and using XCS. If using a different C02 machine, a different wood, and/or a different laser program, you will need to adjust your settings accordingly. (Although, 3mm birch plywood seems to use the same settings.)
I used 9 - 12"x12" Walnut Plywood from xTool and clear acrylic from Smokey Hill designs for this project. You could always resize this project. If deciding to go that route, select everything at the same time and reduce or increase the size according to your preference.
If you do this, you will need to change the slots located in the sides. You do this by ungrouping each side and then select the red lines and right click. Select release compound vector and then resize the slot to where it is 0.125" in height and then measure the tab width on the bottom piece and make the slot size that width. Select the side and the slot and subtract it to make a whole piece and then group the pattern and the side together again.
Attached to this step is a photo showing all the pieces you will need to assemble this. However, it is short one of the .25" pieces. So keep that in mind when you cut your pieces out, there should be 4, not 3, .25" borders.
This design has 3 pieces of acrylic with varying degrees of engrave on it. This creates the ripple effect seen in ponds. Each one is lighter than the other. Pay attention to this as when you assemble it, the lightest will go on the bottom and the darkest on the top.
I recommend decreasing your air assist to 30% on the P2 (or off if you have that ability on another machine). I also recommend coating the top of your acrylic with liquid dish detergent. This will make clean up a breeze and prevent hazing on the acrylic.
Cut and engrave your acrylic to the settings listed and then clean thoroughly under warm water. Dry each piece completely.
The sides have a pattern included. If you do not want the pattern or want to replace it, you can do so by clicking and ungrouping each side and then removing the pattern in place and replacing it with another if you desire.
NOTE: The side pattern was a free svg located online.
I made the top and sides a different step since the engraving of the pattern on the sides came out where some areas were dark and others were light. This created a very inconsistent look. To combat this, I decided to stain the sides which made the pattern look uniform all the way across. Since the top is visible as well, I decided to stain it to match. I used a spray stain but you could also use a brush on stain as well.
There are two different sized middle pieces. One has a .25" wide edge and the other has a .125" wide edge. There are 4 of the .25" and 3 of the .125". Cut these according to the settings provided.
I include 4 diffent Koi with this. You can use any number you want but I recommend a maximum of 4 to keep the aestetic of the piece. If you want to, you could reduce the size of the Koi and put more in the piece. It is up to you.
When you cut your middle pieces, cut the Koi in the center of one of the pieces to help save on material. Use the settings above to engrave and cut each one.
NOTE: The Koi fish were free svg downloads from online.
Once they were cut, I placed them on tape, engraved side up, and then sprayed them with Orange spray paint. I then misted yellow spray paint over the top to give the coloring a breakup. If done right, the spray paint will coat the unengraved part and be slightly broken up in the engraved parts giving the Koi a pleasant look.
I feel I should also point out the bottom in this step. When I painted the Koi, I also painted the bottom piece a light blue. This will help to sell the idea of water in the final product. You could also use a blue grey color to make it more realistic if you desire.
Using the 2P10 adhesive on the tabs of the bottom piece, insert them into the sides. Note the sides are one continuous pattern. If you lay them out, you will notice that they continue in the same straight pattern across all four sides. Line them up so the pattern is correct and then place one at a time ont the bottom piece. (See first photo attached to this step.)
Once the sides and bottom is assembled, run a bead of 2p10 along the joint where the bottom meets the sides.
There are 2 different widths of center pieces. There is 4 of the .25" center piece and 3 of the .125" center piece. The first layer you want to set in is the .25" piece. Put a strip of glue along the backside and then drop it into the assembled basin.
Put a strip of glue along the backside of a .125" piece and lay that on top. If you are putting a fish on the bottom layer, put that in now so it is glued to the bottom piece.
Next, take the acrylic with the faintest water ripples and put that into the center of the .125" piece. It may take a bit of pushing along the edge but it will snap in.
You will do this for the next two layers, one .25", one .125", fish if their are any on that layer glued to the surface of the acrylic and then the next layer of acrylic into the center of the .125" piece.
NOTE: The acrylic has wave paterns on it that may line up with the layer beneath. Be sure to alternate the acrylic so that it has more depth in the finished product.
The final piece before placing the top is a .25" piece that helps to lock in the last acrylic. Once that is down, run a bead of adhesive around the top edge of the basin and then adhere the top piece (which has a slightly larger border than the .25" pieces) to that.
My wife recommended a few lily pads so I created a separate file that had a few different lily pad styles on it. I include these as a separate xcs and svg file. You can put lily pads on if you like or not and you can choose which style or size you want as well. It is all up to you.
In addition, the idea crossed my mind that maybe lights would make this pop more. So maybe you want to try that as well.