Alright, so I’ve been meaning to share this little adventure. I had this idea buzzing in my head for a while, this “star fin” thing I wanted to try making. Not entirely sure where the name came from, just popped in there and stuck, you know?
Getting the Ball Rolling
First off, I had to actually start. That’s always the hardest part, isn’t it? I rummaged through my garage, which is a bit of a black hole for forgotten projects and good intentions. Found a decent-ish piece of wood, not perfect, but good enough for a first attempt. I figured, if I mess this up, it’s no big loss.
Then I sketched out the shape. Now, I’m no artist. My first few tries looked more like weird, lumpy bananas than any kind of ‘fin’. My kid walked in, took one look, and asked if I was drawing a misshapen boomerang. Kids, eh? Brutally honest.
The Cutting and Shaping Drama
Once I had a shape that didn’t totally embarrass me, I got out my old jigsaw. Fired it up and started cutting. Concentration face on. For a glorious five minutes, I felt like a master craftsman. Then, naturally, the blade decided to go on its own little adventure, veering off course. Ended up with a jagged edge that wasn’t part of the plan. So, back to the drawing board – well, sanding board, more like. I spent ages just trying to correct that one slip-up.
Shaping it further was a real test of patience. Lots of sanding. And I mean, lots of sanding. My arms were aching. Dust everywhere. I think I inhaled enough wood dust to build a small birdhouse. I was starting to think this ‘star fin’ was going to be the end of me, or at least my patience.
Making it ‘Star’-like (or trying to)
The ‘star’ part of the name needed some justification, right? I decided I wanted some kind of pattern or inlay. I thought about painting, but then I remembered some old glow-in-the-dark powder I bought ages ago for some other forgotten project. “Perfect!” I thought. Or so I hoped.
Mixing that powder into a bit of clear epoxy was messy. Let me tell you, epoxy is not forgiving. Got it on my gloves, then somehow on my jeans. Don’t ask. Applying it into the grooves I’d carved for the ‘star’ effect was fiddly. I used a toothpick. It took forever. And I was really hoping it would actually, you know, glow.
There was a moment, after it had cured and I took it into a dark room, where I held my breath. And then, a faint glow! It wasn’t exactly lighting up the room, but it was there. Success! A small one, but I’ll take it.
The Finish Line (Sort Of)
More sanding. Yes, again. To smooth out the epoxy and the wood. Then a few coats of varnish to seal it all in and give it a bit of a shine. Each step felt like it took an eternity. I’d leave it to dry, come back, inspect it, find some tiny flaw, and then debate whether to fix it or just live with it.
Finally, I called it done. I propped it up on my workbench and just looked at it for a bit. My ‘star fin’. It’s definitely homemade. You can see the imperfections, the spots where I struggled. It’s not something you’d find in a store.
But you know what? I made it. From a vague idea and a chunk of wood to this… thing. It was frustrating at times, sure. I almost gave up a couple of times. But seeing it finished, flaws and all, felt pretty good. And hey, it even glows a little in the dark. So, that’s my star fin story. On to the next harebrained idea, I guess!
