Skeleton Crew

Materials:
In order of use...

• A Stash of black Icehouse pyramids. Actually, any color will do if they'll be painted.
• A #6 x 3/4" flat head wood screw.
• A couple small scraps of wood - popsicle sticks would be just right.
• A Dremel-type rotary tool. With some bits:
  • Triangular High-speed Cutter - Dremel number 118
    #118 just happen to be the one I used. This bit will be used just to make the initial hole in each pyramid side. You could use any of a number of bits as long as it doesn't make too big of a hole. Try bit numbers 190, 191, 193, or 194. Heck you could even use the saw blade bit (#199) and cut the three sides of the triangular hole.
  • Spiral Cutter bit #561 (similar to a Roto-zip bit)
  You could try cutting the initial hole with the spiral cutter bit, but I tried and eneded up completely ruining a pyramid.
• Fine files. The Craftsman assortment number ⁹6757 from Sears contains a triangular one and a semi-circular one that were just right.
• Liquid Steel filler from Duro (but only if you make mistakes)
• Rustoleum brand Protective Enamel - Gloss White.
• Paint Brush
• Cleanup stuff: bench brush, compressed air, and/or small vacuum.
• Naphtha or Mineral Spirits (for the paint)
• Acetone / Nail Polish Remover (for the Liquid Steel)
• But first a word about shop safety: Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety information that come with your power tools. And remember there is no more important safety rule than to wear these, Safety Glasses

Step 1: Making the the scribing tool.
The first step is to use the wood screw and a popsicle stick to make a tool to scribe guide lines on the pyramids.drive the screw through the wood so that the point protrudes a couple millimeters. If the wood tends to split you can make a small pilot hole using the Dremel with the pointy bit. Measure the height of the screw point off the table when the wood and the screw head are held firmly on the table. Since I made the first set of these types of pyramids, I get to set the standard. The screw point should be between 2.4 and 2.5 mm off the table (as shown in the following diagram).

Step 2: Scribing the 'mids.
Hold the scribing jig so that both the bottom of the wood and the head of the screw are on the table. Run each side of each pyramid past the point of the screw so that a nice straight thin line is scratched along each each side. These lines will be the guides you use to determine how much material to remove. The following diagrams show a pyramid being scribed. Don't worry if the lines overshoot each other so that you're leaving lines where there will still be material. The paint will fill in any little scratches.

Step 3: Breaching the wall.
Use the triangular high-speed cutting bit in the Dremel to make the initial rough hole in each side of the pyramids. This initial hole doesn't have to be very close to the scribed lines at all. It just has to be big enough to give you some room to start using the spiral cutting bit. Heck, it doesn't really matter if you end up melting your way through instead of cutting. Hendy hint: if you end up with a bunch of melted plastic on the bit, you can run the plastic against a small block of scrap wood to generate some friction to re-melt the plastic. You darn well better be wearing safety glasses for this because little blobs of hot plastic can go flying. The following picture should give you a rough idea of how big of a hole to make.

Step 4: Enlarging the holes.
Next use the spiral cutting bit to enlarge the holes and bring the outside edges as close to the scribed lines as possible. Just how close you dare to try to get is up to you. Use a very light touch, just barely skimming the bit along the inside of the hole. It works out best if you go against the way the bit is rolling. I.e. Go clockwise around the inside of the hole (as viewed from the Dremel end of the bit. One thing to watch out for is that the spiral cutting bit is designed to dig straight into material, as opposed to just shaving off thin layers at a time. The good news is that if you do go past the lines you can fill in any gouges later.

Step 4.5: Fixing mistakes.
If you got a little too adventuraous with the Dremel, you can use Liquid Steel filler from Duro to fill in any over-cuts and major scratches and gouges. The stuff is easy to work with and sticks to plastic (and just about everything else) quite well. The filler will dry enough to be Dremeled or filed in about an 45 minutes. It can cleaned up with nail polish remover/acetone. If you don't want to get this stuff on your fingers, you can use a popsicle stick to apply it.

Step 5: Finishing the holes.
Now comes the tedious part: filing the holes out to meet the scribed lines. This is where your attention to detail (or lack thereof) really shows. The triangular and semi-circlular files are the best ones to use here. Either of those can be used to get the material in the corners at the base of the sides. By using the tringular file with a fairly shallow "entry angle", you can at least get the hole to match the scribed lines at the out surface of the pyramid faces. Once the hole outline is correct at the outer surface, you can use the semi-circle file to saw away at the material that's deeper in.

Step 6: Painting.
You probably don't need me to tell you how to paint these things. A few hints:

• Avoid finger prints.
• Use two coats or more.
• Allow at least an hour between coats.
• If you get drips or gritties in the paint, it can be filed once it dries.
• Don't forget to paint the inside too.
• Let the pyramids sit on waxed paper while they're drying.
• Clean your brush with Naphtha or Mineral Spirits.