How Quys makes stuff

The process of turning a raw bronze block into a custom hotshoe.

1. The first step is preparing the block. Each kind of hotshoe needs a seperate kind of block, which varies in size as well as thickness. And the initial minor defects of the block need to be taken care of too, through sharpening, before being delivered into my CNC machine.

2. Next, cutting the block. I have several setting profiles to run on my machine to suits different kinds of hotshoe.

3. Processing the block. To minimize defects, I always manage to perfect every step, even the smallest one, so I can always get ready for the next step in the whole process.

4. Checking the finished workpiece through the quality of the milling line and the milling surface.

5. Cooling the edge of the workpiece. Newly made workpiece looks beautiful but also very sharp, like freshly cut nails. This is the step I take to protect myself by making the edge less sharp.

6. Positioning the workpiece on to the engraving machine. Also pre-programmed by Quys according to each hotshoe profile. The white liquid inside the machine is a special oil mixed by me in a certain proportion, which has the effect of cooling the workpiece and the knife. Prevents workpiece deformation due to heat.

7. Checking the quaility of engraving. The engraving knife has a very small diameter, only slightly larger than a hair shaft, so it is extremely easy to break during the engraving process. Leads to lack of sharpness or uneven strokes. So I had to constantly check to make sure everything was fine.

8. Painting the workpiece. This is the stage that requires the most time and attention of mine. At least 5 layers of base coat are required, with 30 minutes apart between painting sessions. After all the painting steps are done properly, wait another 6 hours for the paint to dry before heading to the next step.

9. Surfacing. This is an important intermediate step so that my next step can be run with the highest possible accuracy. The surface of the workpiece will be served with just enough force for the later cut, without affecting the desired height of the hotshoe.

10. Checking again. See if the last stroke was correct.

11. Another cutting step. At this nearly last step, the risk of damage is quite high. A small mistake in the process may cause the workpiece to be defected with no further use.

12. Smooth cooling. After cutting, the blades will leave small cuts on the hotshoe that does not look good. I managed to solve it by combining 2-3 types of sandpaper to push them all away.

Bonus: It looks pretty good but it's not done yet.

13. Removing excess paint, check the contours, and edges to see if they are even and clean.

14. The next step is to spray a layer of clear paint to protect the copper color of the hotshoe. Helps to increase the prominence and decrease the rate of color losing over time.

15. The last step is to test the hotshoe quality, with cameras. Some models have a slightly different hotshoe design than most, so it's my job to make them fit together as best as possible.

Thank you for reading this far. You can view Quys' Stuff products on my store page, or contact me for your own custom needs.