Thanks ! The folks I made the puzzle for loved it ! For some reason the box generator boxes.py made a fault in the design with the sliding lid. This slightly changed version worked fine for me. The original box is made for two decks of playing cards, and the dividing wall supports the lid that slides in and out. Because I removed this central support, I just glued in some rectangular supports to the three walls, so the lid moved in a stable fashion.
The lid has a double set of leaves: One is for the front and one for the back side of the lid.
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Thanks for sharing the box file and explaining your fix! Iām glad they loved it 
Thanks for your amazing generosity. I need to work on my alcohol ink technique but the recipient is still tickled. Damn this thing is devilish!
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Nice color selection! Taking pics of mirror items is so dang difficult, it makes me question why I got into making these in the first place 
And yes, less is more with the alcohol inks, and diluting the super concentrated colors is a must! Glad your recipient had a hard time with it, I love adding little tricks like the drop-outs and split whimsy pumpkin
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I would love to see her as well ā¦ she is about a 2 day drive away from me ā¦ and this will be a bright spot when she gets it! I DO have alcohol inks!!! I havenāt used them in like foreverā¦and itās nice weather this weekendā¦so I can dye the mirror tile outside! Post-a-noting it to remind myselfā¦about to go to sleep but will definitely want to try this out! Thank you again.
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highly recommend the Infinity inline duct fans!!
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The duct fan is a must, but that stink is pervasive 
! Iāve taken to leaving all the freshly cut puzzles in the laser with the lid propped open, laser off, and inline fan on for a couple hours after cutting. Mirror acrylic is particularly stinky, although the smell does wear off after a bit.
Post pics of the finished product! I love seeing other variations
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Looking up the mirrored acrylic i noticed that it is extruded so especially stinky,
I would leave the lid closed. There are plenty of places for the air to get in as that is part of the design.
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Well theyāre quite beautiful and unique for one 
But I think youāve really hit on something. As a person who hates tedious tasks I love that thereās no need to mask acrylic and thereās no charred edge cleanup. One of the reasons Iāve avoided puzzles for the most part. Plain acrylic makes for some diabolical puzzles but Iām not excited about the monotone color. Your method is just perfect for my lazy self.
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Agreed 
The tedious job of pulling of the masking is definitely a time suck! Thanks for the compliments 
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This is awesome!! And the box is super cool! Is that from 1/8ā ?
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Thanks, glad you like it! I used 3mm , European-not-British you know 
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I havenāt touched my alcohol ink in YEARS ā¦ do you have any tips on the best way to use them? Meanwhile, I will start digging to find themā¦havenāt used them in the 3 years since we moved into this house. I really really really REALLY want to make this for my mom. I havenāt cut mirrored acrylic yet either ā¦ I think I bought some from both Cerulean and from eStreet.
It is my goal this year to make some mirror projects for Christmas giftsā¦I better get my rear in gear! Thanks for any tips especially when it comes to combining the mirror and alcohol inks (I do have an inline duct fan so it will help with the smell)
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You might find the alcohol inks have dried up over 3 years! I use Tim holtz blending solution to dilute or reconstitute colors, and a dedicated per color paintbrush to smear around the color. Less is more, including touching it 
Another tip is to let one color dry for a couple of minutes before adding splatters or drips or dots of color, to keep it from spreading the color away too far.
And it makes a ridiculous mess, at least the way I do it
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I had the papers nearby of my grandpaās WWI scrapbook I was working on years agoā¦and used alcohol inks because at the time I couldnāt find the colors that fit the pictures so I used Tim Holtz alcohol inks on glossy photo paper. One day I hope to finish the albumā¦but I got out of paper scrapbooking and went digitalā¦and just never got back to this ā¦then discovered 3D printingā¦and Glowforgeā¦ I really should finish that albumā¦my kids never got to know their grandpa. This was my first try with alcohol inks way back in the dayā¦
Appreciate the tips. Hopefully I can find the ink today or tomorrow and try that outā¦otherwise she may just get a mirror puzzle (and sheāll never know what she missed with the inks).
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You could cut the 1/4" plywood one and paint it (before or after). The bigger pieces tend to be liked by seniors a little better than the small mirror puzzles pieces!
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That is a good point and I hadnāt thought of that. The mirror could be a bit frustrating. I do have some pretty wood from SmokeyTides that might make a good puzzleā¦and would get it done meaning she would have it a lot soonerā¦seems like there is a rustic color.
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Mine didnāt turn out as beautiful as all the others that were painted. I took to heart your smell of mirror acrylic and alcohol inksā¦so I cut mine out of white acrylicā¦and then I painted it with alcoholic inksā¦so it didnāt turn out as beautiful as the othersā¦but I will take a picture of it when I flip it over.
Iām going to try to cut the box that @ToGo shared so she has something to keep the puzzle in. Will post pictures. Thanks to both of you.
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I bet it will be enjoyed regardless of the substrate. I actually did test white acrylic when I first started making these types of puzzles ā the light bouncing back through the alcohol ink coloring makes a world of difference! I was truly surprised at how the alcohol ink on white was so dark. If you highly diluted the colors, it still might work on white 
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I havenāt touched alcohol inks in years. I was surprised that they still worked. Painted these after I cut so I didnāt have to smell a bad smell (but couldnāt even tell I was cutting because my inline duct fan is just that good.) Not sure I like the finished look, but it will help her somewhat with the puzzle.
My husband was concerned mom might not be able to get the box lid off so he took @ToGoās file and added the lid edge back in. She will be glad to have the design to build it by I am betting. 
Thanks to both of you for the box and the puzzle design. This will be a nice surprise for her. Wish we could get a pic of her putting the puzzle together but not really a way for one person to do that for themself. Thank you! She really needed a pick me up and I think this will be just the thing!!
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