This project is about making a slightly annoying birthday present for a friend's 40th birthday. It's a quick one.
The birthday girl plays computer games, so I figured she'd like a steam gift card. But gift cards are one step above cash in terms of thoughtlessness, so I decided to fancy it up a bit.
I had some 25x25x1.5 steel box section leftover from a previous project. I cut it open lengthways.
I then used a set of punches to punch the steam gift card code, a 15-character string of letters and numbers, onto the inside of the tube.
I also punched “steam card” on the outside to reduce the risk the gift would be discarded as one from a madman.
I cleaned and butt-welded the two pieces together. No filler. I trimmed off the end with the blowout visible in this photo.
A coat of primer and a coat of matte black spraypaint.
The end result
I didn't grind down the seam so there's a hint of something afoot.
Another clue is the marks on the outside of the tube from my punching the inside. I did the punching on a concrete surface, which probably transferred the pattern of the concrete onto the pipe. Next time I will use a smooth surface as an anvil.
