The person behind Metalbuttcheeks

Hey, I’m Ricardo, the person designing, printing, and hand-finishing these charms.

And yes, Metalbuttcheeks is a SpongeBob reference. Patrick’s metal buns somehow stuck with me, and the name has followed me for years.

Music, making, and a spark

I started getting into EDM around 2012. Skrillex was one of my favorite artists then, and still is today. Around 2014, I began teaching myself SolidWorks through small CAD projects and a lot of YouTube videos. I didn’t know it yet, but those skills would become the foundation for this project roughly a decade later.

My first rave at 21 solidified my love for the music. Then, around 2023 at Lights All Night, someone gave me a 3D-printed charm with the festival’s logo. That small gift stayed with me. I loved the idea that someone had made something specifically to share with another person.

That was the spark.

Something handmade means something more

I’ve always felt that receiving something handmade adds another layer of meaning to a trade. Someone put their time, creativity, and care into it. You get to take a little piece of that effort home with you.

That’s what I want these charms to carry: a connection to the music, the person who gave it to you, and the moment you shared.

From my playlist to your wrist

A design often starts with a DJ I’ve been listening to lately. I create a charm inspired by them, print the shell in resin, and add metallic colors for that deep shimmer. Every piece is polished by hand, one by one, before I choose beads that complement its colors.

Purchased charms can also include an optional NFC chip programmed to a link you choose: a YouTube video, a personal website, or a Spotify song. It’s another way to make the piece yours.

A project that keeps growing

This is probably the fifth or sixth iteration of my kandi charms. My earliest charms were simple shapes printed on an Ender 3 Pro and colored with Sharpies. Shoutout to Cas for giving me that printer for free.

And to everyone who complimented those first designs: thank you. Your encouragement is what pushed me to refine the designs, try better materials, and explore ways to add technology.

The next chapter is Kandi Passport, a project still in development. The idea is to give a charm its own digital history through an NFC chip: when it was created, its batch number, and how many times it has been traded. Each new person could add a memory or trade location, helping preserve the story as the charm travels.

My goal is to bring that experience to the charms I give out at festivals.

Have an idea for a charm?

A DJ I haven’t made yet? A color combination you love? Something completely your own?

Let’s make it happen.