2014 Secret Santa Box

I was signed up as a rematcher for a guy who got screwed on his Secret Santa. Having some time and living closer to the techshop, I decided to do something fun. A little bit of sleuthing found that he loved the Marvel universe and was big on the new S.H.I.E.L.D. tv show. So, why not? I made him a secret agent… (or maybe a secret spy?)

Warning: Click the images for the original. All images are huge, so click on them at your own risk.

Front, Laser Engraved with his name and position.

Since he posted that he had recently passed his BAR exam, I decided to make him a SHIELD lawyer. Why not?

S.H.I.E.L.D. ID Card

With Field Agent status. Because, if you’re going to be a secret agent, you should be able to carry cool gadgets and sneak into scary places, right?

Shield Badge and Lanyard

I also got him a badge and lanyard, since, they’re required. Can’t wander super secret facilities without a lanyard.

Finished Product – Hidden Compartment

What’s this? A hidden compartment? (It’s actually not very hidden. I’m not that good. Also, the wood working shop was closed at the techshop so I couldn’t turn the legs to make them look prettier.)
I included a letter from HYRDA congratulating him on infiltrating the highest levels of SHIELD. I told him his missions was to create copies of Agent Coulsons ID Card, which were also included in the box. They also include a coin that I was given when I ordered the badge/lanyard.

All in all, a fun Secret Santa gift.

Lessons Learned
Some lessons learned. The engraving came out great and I was happy with it. I also stained the box, and that seemed to come out ok. Building the false bottom was troublesome since it seemed the wood was expanding, which was weird since it shouldn’t have been gotten wetter or anything. I thought it would shrink if anything. This meant that what fit one day would get caught the next. Spent a lot of time sanding to get it to fit well and easily come out.

The biggest pain was the felt! Holy hell. I bought this adhesive that you spray on and it was like insta perma stick. I tried to cut out the bottom and sides in the same piece of felt. Bad move. As soon as it stuck, it was there. I couldn’t slide it as I expected. It meant getting felt stuck to my fingers, crazy adhesive stuck everywhere, and having to improvise last minute to get the felt to look ‘ok.’ I don’t think it looked exactly good, but good enough for government work I think. 🙂

Putting it Together

Laser Engraving the box

As I mentioned, the laser worked great. I tested on a few pieces of wood and was able to get the speed and power down for this wood. I’m quite happy with the detail and I love the burned look.