BEIL0014 Digital Making 2017

Week six: Continuation of the tray and the blister

The tray:

• As mentioned in the previous post, the first attempt at the tray was disastrous due to the fact they were made at two separate times by two different people, and was never going to be perfect. We decided to start again using a better timber jib and making a smaller tray with larger curves. In the two images below you can see both the jig and the measuring out of the steel to be cut and shaped. I repeated the same process as the first time however this time created two identical 'moulds', the main and the support to ensure the metal could only move in the direction we wanted it to. The metal was then wedged between the two pieces of MDF, clamped together and locked in the vice allowing the process to begin.

• The edges were softly beaten into place to achieve a rough tray shape. When the time came to remove the jig the edges were so tight that the MDF wouldn't budge. As you can see I split the MDF to trim the crooked edges to no avail. In the end it was easier to drill a screw in and use that to leaver the wood out, with the help on pliers in the edges.

• The result can be seen below. Bearing in mind the corner edges will be trimmed, sides flattened and smoothed down, the result is far better than the first attempt which is very pleasing. This will be completed the next meeting with my partner and will be photographed together to show uniformity.

The blister:

• The blister task required the use of two female moulds to create a blistered shape in the metal, in this exercise the shape was to be a unique teardrop. Two moulds would be CNC cut with both the tear drop shape and four holes to allow for clamping later. I received tear drop 11 which was a long yet fairly straight shape, the hardest part would be creating tools to get into the tip of the mould. 

• Once the shape was cut with the CNC machine, we had to use the jigsaw to cut the tabs and then using a file or router smooth the inside edge. The process went smoothly however the line to use the router was too long so I opted to file instead. To ensure the moulds were identical I bolted them together and using the cylindrical sander achieved two symmetrical components. Just goes to show there are multiple ways to achieved the desired result.

• Now that I was ready to start, the metal was clamped inside the two pieces of MDF and bolted tightly. Then using the nylon hammers I began pushing and stretching the metal down at the larger end, ensuring to start at the top not just the centre.

• Although the start didn't look too promising, I began to see some quality results during the process. This was a result of switching between different types and sizes of mallets, especially using wooden timber jigs to protect the metal surface. The cut-out shape was extremely handy in getting into the tight upper corner. Similarly, timber off cuts in the lab were found, sanded and rounded to achieve custom shapes for the metal blister.

• Admittedly the process was slow, especially whilst taking care to not over stretch the metal, however the waviness and unevenness of the patterns began to smooth after a while, with the aid of the aforementioned timber custom jigs and the sand bags. Below are some photos of the blister as it currently stands. I trimmed the edges and rounded the corners for easier and safer transport. There are still some minor issues which are drastically exaggerated in the reflection of light but my limited time has meant I've been unable to make it to the labs very often. I will however find time to continue to smooth the interior out to get as close to perfection as possible.