Magic Coin Bank

[DickB]

This is my take on the Magic Coin Bank that I am making for my granddaughter's birthday. It will be fun to see her reaction. If you've never seen one before, it is a (roughly) cube-shaped box with a window in front. A front-surface mirror divides the box diagonally, such that when you look into the bank it appears to be a whole, empty cube. Front-surface mirrors have no distortion due to glass in front, often used with lasers. In this application it makes the seam between mirror and sides and bottom virtually disappear. I found a pair 4" x 6" mirrors on eBay for $15 with shipping, but there are various specialty suppliers. Choosing mirror-image graphics inside the box enhances the illusion. Coins dropped into the bank stay to the back and on top, giving the illusion that they disappear.



All the parts were made on the Carvewright from 7/16" hardwood stock, which is readily available at my local home centers. I used a carved pattern for the miters, and they came out really well. Very handy if you don't have a table saw or other means to make mitered corners.



I'm using a carved Celtic pattern on the outside and a matching, colorful version on the inside. Right now I'm just prototyping the insides with plain paper, but will use adhesive-backed paper to finish. Also, I'm using the back side of my front-surface mirror in the photos to protect the front surface, which currently has a protective film on it. I don't want to risk scratching the mirror before final assembly.



I've got a simple twist-lock mechanism to access the bank - didn't want my granddaughter to loose a key.



I'm still designing the front face frame, which will hold a thin piece of clear acrylic. I should finish this project by this weekend.

I do plan to offer this project though the Pattern Depot.

[henry1]

That would be great for my grandaughte,r thank god for cheo hospital in Ottawa saved her , you see she had cancer at 3 yr old now she is 12 yrs old but still regular check up for not the cancer to come back

[fwharris]

Cool project and sure she will love it.. I should get some takers for the project!!! Great job!

[badbert]

Very cool!

[easybuilt]

That is so awesome!

[guido5286]

Nice. I have a suggestion though. You were talking about buying the mirror on eBay. Could you not buy a cheap pane of glass and paint one side black?

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[DickB]

Nice. I have a suggestion though. You were talking about buying the mirror on eBay. Could you not buy a cheap pane of glass and paint one side black?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

No. The box uses a special front-surface mirror. The reflective coating is on the front, not on the back like a regular mirror. If you use a regular mirror, you will see a gap - the glass - between the back of the mirror and the slot into which the mirror is placed, spoiling the effect. Only with a front-surface mirror will the sides of the box appear to be seamless. Take a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Specchi.jpg

There are some DIY instructions for stripping the coating from the back of a regular mirror to expose the silver, then reversing the mirror, but I haven't tried that.

[Smoken D]

Very Nice and Well Done. A lot of thought went into this project. She will love it!

[lawrence]

awesome! This is one time that "thinking inside the box" is really "thinking outside the box!"

Lawrence

[Bigtyme]

Very nice project DickB. I am sure your granddaughter will love it and I think a number of will too when it comes up on the Patten Depot