I'm going to have a custom Whalen built, and need to check out some completed ***** for ideas on finishes and designs.

Is there a thread or a url out there with a bunch of pics of custom Whalen *****? I've searched and found a few threads with a handfull of pics, but I figure there is a pile of pics out there I haven't found yet.

If you've got a Whalen and want to show it off, post some pics here!

 

One thing to keep in mind - there are more finishes available than what you see on Doug Whalen's website. In addition to the polished and brushed finishes, he has a bead-blasted finish that's very classy. Then there are the combo finishes, such as a brushed **** with a polished circle on top, contrasting rings, etcetera.

Here are two that my wife and I just recently had made for our cars (click for larger versions):




The one that says "Fiona" on it is a brushed finish with the polished top.
The other one, with the winged "D" is beadblasted with a brushed ring around it. The engraving was done after the beadblasting, to make it stand out a little more.

Doug was a real professional - great to work with. I sent him the design files on Friday, and I had the ***** on Wednesday.

Scott

 

Whalen ***** are the Bomb!
Check it out.
http://www.whalenshiftmachine.com/engrave_gallery.htm

There are many threads on Whalen *****-
Like
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=23953
But some links to pictures are now dead.

Here are some pictures:


























Complicated Starfleet design- was done on a Whalen ****!


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=42346
for billiard ball *****


Bead blasted and painted black numbers



























Wu-Tang ****


Manzanita Root inlay!


MINIClo's ****! Excellent

 

Nice work compiling the pictures, minihune.

There's also a thread on MINI2: http://www.mini2.com/forum/interior-...at-please.html
(some of the same photos also appear here on NAM).

 

I'll add mine. Brushed with a polished top.
(edit) oops, I didn't see you already added mine. Sorry.

 

And possibly...something completely new!

 

Stone inlays!

 

Whalen is the only way to go! I have had a few made, this is the one on my car.

 

^^ from Agokart's post- Let me get credit for that one... I had it made for Christmas

Here are a few more....
The crown is mine, the pig is a band logo for a customer and the other one is a raffle prize

(sorry for the crappy picture of mine... Its hard to photograph.)

 

Very elegant, Doug!

A couple of questions:

1. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the ball has a larger diameter than your standard size. Is it the same or different?
2. Are designs possible on the stone (etching or engraving)?

 

Nope, that's the usual 2" ball. The added angle just makes it look larger.

If truth be told, I had programmed three concentric around the top of that ball, and something went wrong with the engraving program.

The cutter crashed into the ball and gouged it up. So, not wanting to waste a shift ****, I decided to pop it in my lathe and cut away the affected area, sort of blending the angle in with the stone.

Looks a little different, but feels kind of cool when driving; I can't keep my fingers off it.

Unfortunately, I won't be trying to engrave onto the stones.
I've only purchased eight different cabochons so far; but the radius on the top of the stone is different on each one, which would make programming the CNC very touchy.
Also, I wouldn't want to burn up a lot of the expensive carbide end mills, that I use for engraving.

Sorry!

 

Are the cabochons translucent? I'm imagining a LED under the stone, glowing softly in the dark... A blue LED under that red stone would make for something startling, I bet, if it allows light to transfer...

PS- LOVE that MotD design a few posts up.

 

The cabochons will all be different. That Carnelian Agate is fairly translucent, while this Rainbow Fluorite is very translucent.

However, I'm not an electrical guy, and I don't think I want to pursue any type of wiring projects combined with stainless steel.

But if you're handy with that type of thing, what you do with your own shift **** is your business.

 

The question is: would it be possible to drill a 6mm hole at the base of the depression that holds the stone, which leads to a channel on the back side of the **** to run out the wires? Wiring up LEDs is dead simple, actually, and everything's insulated (or should be, anyway) in layers of heat-shrink tubing - it's mounting the hardware in a block of solid aluminum stock that's hard.


Let me know if you find any translucent red material...

 

I was worried about the full polished being too much smooth chrome for my hand... that I wouldn't like the feel and that, with my detailing OCD, I'd always be polishing fingerprints off of it. I was also worried about the feel of a brushed finish... that I wouldn't like the texture.

I originally ordered a bead-blasted finish, but the texture wasn't right. It seemed to pick up every bit of grime from my hands, so I was always cleaning it (despite my plans). There was something about the feel of the bead blasted too... maybe a slight 'nails on a chalkboard' feeling. It was very grippy for a metal finish, but it just didn't feel right in my hand. Also, it was just too flat silver for my interior w/ the chrome pack.

My Whalen **** with a bead-blasted finish:


I figured that I had already spent the $, so why not experiment a bit... I think Whalen would convert it to a brushed finish as well for shipping and a small fee, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I pulled out the Wenol blue (fine metal polish) and a microfiber one night and spent the evening "polishing my ****" (come on... I had to make the joke!). I got the finish below with about an hour of polishing.

The same **** after an hour of polishing w/ Wenol Blue:


The polishing fixed all of my concerns!
1. I got a 'chromier' **** to match the interior better
2. The feel became much smoother and more pleasant to the touch
3. It stopped grabbing all of the dirt and oil from my hands
4. It looked great and doesn't show fingerprints.

I also got the added benefit that the engraving kept the bead-blasted look, so the contrast between the **** and the engraving grew. If you noticed the color change in the ****, that was the most surprising thing about the whole process. It turned a richer, deeper color and it matches the interior of Jango much more than before... even more than bright polished, IMHO.

 

Here are my wife's (Capias) and mine.

 

Here's mine!!! Very, very, very cool!!




I got it to match my grill badge.

 

I really dig the one with the paw prints!

 

Here is one we had Doug make for a member in our club. Doug rocks!

 

More than meets the eye!!

 

After looking at my own pic...this pic give the type of car away doesnt it?

 

My Friend would go crazy for this! He loves Transformers, He has the biggest collection I have ever seen! Now i know what to get him for christmas!

 

These are AMAZING.
One of these would make an excellent Christmas present.
Thanks for sharing.

 

mb

 

The date at the bottom is a great idea! Very nice!