furco said:

Latest build. My logo is not as sharp as I would like but then again it's a completed project. I thought the polished 30/30 bullet shell for the splitter was a nice touch for a custom cable.

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Looks great real carbon fiber nice now you have to do a whole shell put of carbon fiber. What kind of acrylic did you use for the shell?

acain said:

  Looks great real carbon fiber nice now you have to do a whole shell put of carbon fiber. What kind of acrylic did you use for the shell?

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I could be wrong, but I don't think that is real carbon.

theos53 said:

I could be wrong, but I don't think that is real carbon.

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It's real carbon fiber I layed up a couple days ago using my vacuum press. And my logo is in 23k gold leaf. The shells are made of nail acrylic.

One major issue I had was once I had the plates glued on, I applied more acrylic to the plates and the shells where the two meet. After curing and cleaning off the uncured resin, guess what happened? The acrylic got cloudy and dull. Far from the gloss I wanted. I can get it glossy but only if I do a second cure in glycerin. But I really didn't have a way to do that without trying to plug up every hole and praying that no glycerin seeped inside. Given all the recent diy tragedy I've been having, I decided to not do a second cure. I settled on putting a coat of regular nail polish (nitrocellulose) and let it dry for a few hours. Worked very well.

Nitrocellulose lacquer has been used on acoustic guitars since Martrin started making them so I guess it's skin safe once cured. Want to take a guess how I know this? Yep, I built an acoustic guitar that sounds like s Steinway piano. Problem is nitro can take weeks to fully cure but something tells me the additivitives in nail polish makes it cure quicker.

acain said:

Looks great real carbon fiber nice now you have to do a whole shell put of carbon fiber. What kind of acrylic did you use for the shell?

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furco said:

It's real carbon fiber I layed up a couple days ago using my vacuum press. And my logo is in 23k gold leaf. The shells are made of nail acrylic.

One major issue I had was once I had the plates glued on, I applied more acrylic to the plates and the shells where the two meet. After curing and cleaning off the uncured resin, guess what happened? The acrylic got cloudy and dull. Far from the gloss I wanted. I can get it glossy but only if I do a second cure in glycerin. But I really didn't have a way to do that without trying to plug up every hole and praying that no glycerin seeped inside. Given all the recent diy tragedy I've been having, I decided to not do a second cure. I settled on putting a coat of regular nail polish (nitrocellulose) and let it dry for a few hours. Worked very well.

Nitrocellulose lacquer has been used on acoustic guitars since Martrin started making them so I guess it's skin safe once cured. Want to take a guess how I know this? Yep, I built an acoustic guitar that sounds like s Steinway piano. Problem is nitro can take weeks to fully cure but something tells me the additivitives in nail polish makes it cure quicker.

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I stand corrected. It just didn't seem to have that uniform, trippy 3D effect that carbon usually has..perhaps because yours is 2/2 twill

My first attempt at a three way. CI/ED/WBFK. CI makes a huge improvement on bass. I still have trouble with fit. Mostly mine come out too large and end up hurting after a couple of hours. A made up a resin based copy of my earmold that I built up with layers of nail polish. Either they hurt, or they dont seal. I cant the perfect fit. Anybody have a good comparison of an original earmold and final CIM with good fit/seal. Thanks

Nice job. I'm wondering if you're IEMs aren't extending far enough in your ear canal which might be the cause of lack of seal?

furco said:

I'm wondering if you're IEMs aren't extending far enough in your ear canal which might be the cause of lack of seal?

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I wholeheartedly agree.
 
I posted something relevant, a while back, in this post:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/684787/noble-audio-the-wizard-returns/1530#post_10176492   (please CTRL-F to search the post for the word 'kick' )
 
It's important to get the CIEM to extend at least close enough to the second bend of the ear canal so that the tip of the CIEM does not just taper without first having some kind of kick/lump/ridge to 'grip' and 'seal' the tip of the CIEM within the ear canal. The pics in the above post illustrate this.
 
Your shells, wjp007, look much too smooth and aggressively-tapered in the ear canal section. Did you do DIY ear impressions..?
 
 
Also see:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/684787/noble-audio-the-wizard-returns/3990#post_10535447
 
.

wjp007 said:

My first attempt at a three way. CI/ED/WBFK. CI makes a huge improvement on bass. I still have trouble with fit. Mostly mine come out too large and end up hurting after a couple of hours. A made up a resin based copy of my earmold that I built up with layers of nail polish. Either they hurt, or they dont seal. I cant the perfect fit. Anybody have a good comparison of an original earmold and final CIM with good fit/seal. Thanks

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You probably need new impressions. I had similar problems when I first started. You need to think about exactly what part is causing you pain, since everyone's ears are unique, ultimately only you will be able to determine how to solve the problem. When taking new impressions, make several sets. try taking the impressions with your mouth open to create a larger impression and with mouth closed for a smaller one. I have found that for me the best impressions result when I start with my mouth open but then close my mouth after about 30 seconds. 
 
I do not agree with the idea that only a deep fit will give a proper seal as I have made sets for myself with very shallow canals that only go past the 1st bend and the fit and seal was perfect (this does have a big impact on the base reproduction and you may have to re-tune if you go for a shallow fit). For me, the key to a proper seal has been making the shell large enough at the 1st bend, you may need to experiment with building up or grinding down the shell directly in this area in order to get just the right fit aven after you have good new impressions. 
 
 Remember to be gentile with your ears when inserting hard objects like CIEMS, if you stress your ears out, you may need to give them a few days rest before trying again, otherwise, everything will be painful even if the fit is correct. 
 
Good luck and keep working at it, you can do it if you think hard and are persistent. 

cmos1138 said:

  You probably need new impressions.

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IMHO, you should go to the audiologist, and speak with him(her).

I do have an impression that goes past the second bend. I think i need to try making another resin copy. The current one has too much build up and lost the detail of the second bend. Can anyone send me a picture of their earmold compared to the final IEM. Thanks for the tips.

wjp007 said:

...Can anyone send me a picture of their earmold compared to the final IEM.

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Can you clarify exactly what you mean?

mython said:

   
 
Can you clarify exactly what you mean?

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I just want to see a side by side of the ear impression compared to the final IEM from different views.  I'm curious to see how deep from the second bend and if there is any additional build up needed to improve seal.  
 
Thanks

wjp007 said:

  I just want to see a side by side of the ear impression compared to the final IEM from different views.  I'm curious to see how deep from the second bend and if there is any additional build up needed to improve seal.  
 
Thanks

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But, with the greatest of respect, you are the person best-placed to do a comparison, because you have your original ear impressions...
 
Other than the various images contained within the links I pasted earlier, there's not much anyone else can offer you that you cannot better establish for yourself, using your own ear impressions.
 
I do want to help you, it's just that it's really in your hands.

wjp007 said:

I do have an impression that goes past the second bend. I think i need to try making another resin copy. The current one has too much build up and lost the detail of the second bend. Can anyone send me a picture of their earmold compared to the final IEM. Thanks for the tips.

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I haven't had a single fitment issue, perhaps I just got lucky and did it right the first time. 

When casting the acrylic shell, it will come out quite rough, so what I do is to use some 320 or 400 grit sandpaper and scuff the entire shell until I have a fairly smooth, but hazy finish. Then I either start painting it with nail acrylic, or 2 coats of clear lacquer. 

What I have noticed it that you don't have to worry as much about the actual canal section. Of course, you want to keep it as similar to the original impression as possible, but more importantly is the section right before the canal, as that is where most of the seal occurs, and the ear is more forgiving in terms of comfort at that part. 

Thanks, do you coat your ear impressions in wax or build up the impression in any way before casting in the gel?
 
Thanks