Third time's the charm? (Patreon)

Thermochromic liquid crystals are super cool. They are what makes the "mood ring" effect possible by twisting and reflecting different color light at different temperatures. You might have seen them used in our mood ring toilet seat or when we turned a xbox controller into a mood ring. One thing that you probably haven't seen is how much our mood ring controller has "aged" since we made it. We've realized that the crystals are very delicate and they have very little adhesion power. We have discovered that a nice thick layer of 2 part epoxy is a great way to protect the liquid crystals though haha, the toilet seat is still holding up fine!

A thick layer of 2 part epoxy is probably not an ideal solution for our next project though: we're going to try and make a "mood ring" effect keyboard. Mainly because it sounds fun but also the effect would be cool to see after a little typing session, somewhat like a heat map for the letters you used. We are in the experimentation phase of the project right now, trying to figure out a finish that's stronger than the clear coat spray we used on the controller, but thinner than the 2 part resin on the toilet. Right now our main hope is an automotive 2 part epoxy spray can. So far we've had... mixed results 🤣 but we're making some progress. It's really satisfying sometimes to go back to materials we've used in the past but apply new techniques and knowledge to see if we can do better. Look forward to sharing more soon!

-E