Alright, some updates!
After making some physical prototypes in the design of my last concept art, with the steel sleeve, etc.. I've decided to make some changes.
First, the steel sleeve was too cold, and heavy. It really didn't feel very good in the hand.
The sleek flush exterior design also didn't appeal to me. It looked clean with a touch of modern in the drawing, but in real life it was a bit boring, too modern, too clean. That solid "block" shape made the entire device feel chunky. What works as a 2D side profile, may not work as a 3D object...
...so I went back to the drawing board to re-consider the core aesthetic theme, and figure out exactly what design elements I was missing.
After some thought, this is what I came up with.. Two examples.. on the left, a bit more wild, with red padauk wood and walnut, and on the right a more matching colour scheme.
It mixes in an element of recycling. Which I think is central to the cyber punk theme.. building upon the past, a mash-up of old an new.. neon signs over art-deco buildings (Blade Runner).
I am going back to Kraft paper laminate for the sleeves, they have the perfect amount of springyness to allow for a smooth sliding fit without wear. They are warm to the touch, with a unique texture. And they can be customized and replaced with ease. Painted with black milk paint and sanded smooth, they pretty much look identical to black patina'd steel, but with a better feel and much lighter weight.
One idea I have is to get antique Japanese block printed books for making custom sleeves by pasting the old text/images/paper over top of the kraft paper. (shown above)
As far as durability is concerned, well you can think of the kraft paper laminate as a softer version of Micarta, and Micarta is damn tough. I could use resin with paper/cloth for an even stronger sleeve if it proves necessary.
The step down between the sleeve and wooden body give the entire design a much better look, IMO. Not sure why... but it just does.
The underlying wooden body will be all one piece, so you can slide the sleeve up or down.
The "module" feature is still very much alive. The red and orange blocks of wood at the very bottom of the vapes shown above are the modules, which have been plugged into the main body, and partially covered with the sleeve. Different exotic woods can be used for the modules to give different looks. To remove the module, just slide the sleeve up and pull the module out. The gold plated terminal plugs hold the modules in there very solidly.
The glass stem "collar" (heat sink lookin' thing) will be made from wood. A metal one would make the vape too top heavy.
Glass stems may also be switched out for more fancy wood mouthpieces, with more organic flowing lines... sort of like a nice tobacco pipe mouthpiece.
I made the frosted LED light bigger, seems to work better once you see it in person. Remember that this entire vape fits in the palm of your hand... so as you scale it down from what's on the computer screen, things can look different.
Sharper edges all around. The rounder the corners, the worse things got, haha. I played with all sorts of radii. The contrast between the slightly rounded edges of the kraft paper sleeve, and the sharper edges of the underlying wood body is really nice.
