Sonic "Pencil Pot" holder

[justsomeguy]

I love the Doctor's desk in season 10's "The Pilot." As I keep my various sonics in a mug and a pint glass, I was especially interested in the "pencil pot" which, as pointed out in the reference section http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=7614.0, is a Victorian lignum vitae (that's a dense wood) string dispenser box without the lid. Thanks, tannim.

As I'm an American, and most of the UK imports on antiques fetch a staggeringly high price, I thought, maybe I could build such a thing that would approximate the real deal. While in the Dollar Tree dollar store, I found some round boxes that would work with a bit of creativity and if you sort of squint at them.  (oh and I also used another box to start making a Dalek hoverbout (that's not in the show as a prop but is an often drawn Dalek device in comics) can it be posted on these forums?))

I approximated a plan of sorts from tannim's description:


Then set about cutting up the cardboard.



I nested them


and cut up the lid and used the bases of the boxes.

Then I realized I got the size a bit off because, well, frankly, I'm overtired and was sloppy. It's not that big of a deal except now the base is too big to the rest of the cup...I mean, pot.

All that's holding them together now is scotch tape (cellotape), but I'm not displeased with the overall effect when my sonics are added



Now I need to figure a way to simulate the wood and stain as well as the thread on the top and get that sort of sloped connection to my base. I've thought about using paint or some kind of contact paper. I know it's not going to look or feel close to the original, but right now the cost is sitting at $2.17 in USD, and that's not too bad.

Any ideas, folks?

[galacticprobe]

Looking great so far, Guy. For the threaded part of the top, you could use some thin yarn. Coat the yarn with something like Elmer's Glue (something that works well on porous material); you can use a paper towel to wipe down the yarn if it looks like it's a little too glue-heavy. Then carefully wrap the yarn around the top while trying the best you can to match the angle and spacing of the "threads". Then let that dry overnight and you should have some decent threads.

As for that bevel on the base... you could try some of that foam (styrofoam) they use for floral arrangements. It's usually an olive green color and is a denser foam than the rough "pom-pom ball" foam, but not as smooth and crumbly as the "coffee cup" foam. You should be able to shape that foam to your base, and then glue it in place (again using something like Elmer's). Once everything is set in place, you'll just need to seal the foam (Bondo?) so it can be sanded smooth to match the rest of the holder.

Getting that wood look? Contact paper is one. Another option is to paint on some lighter brown paint, and while it's still wet, swirl around it with some darker brown paint to get streaks that resemble wood grain. (You might have to paint on a sealer first so the material you're working with doesn't soak up all the lighter brown paint before you can get to it with the darker brown "streaking" paint.)

Of course this is just one insaniac's suggestions. I'm sure other members with better brains will have more ideas.

Still, I hope some of this is helpful.

Dino.