My Digital Making Journey- Original Tutorials and Reflection: Interdisciplinary Skin Part 2: Tutorial 1

 For this second project i had a much better understanding of the process that it takes to shape metal, i also had a precedence for this project to refer to. The preparation for this second attempt was a lot less than the first. I was basically able to get straight into the workshop and start testing and working on ideas for the form.

 For this project i set out to improve on the work of the previous student by adding a few extra elements mainly being a section for the handle. whether i would be able to complete this, is another question altogether. I think the best thing to do at this stage is to discuss your thought process with either your tutors or the workshop staff, they more often than not can offer a more experience perspective on the subject, which i found extremely beneficial.

Step 1: Measuring up the required shape and marking it with a marker. it is better to over compensate than to guess wrong. you can always cut more off later

Step 2: Cutout the shape using either the guillotine or snips. I found the snips easier to maneuver and you can be more accurate with them.

I started the process by  tracing the shape of my item  on my piece of metal, making sure that i left a  fair bit of extra around the edges to allow the sheet to cure up the edges of the mallet and for both stretching and shrinking when working the metal later on. Once i had the outline completed i used this machine to cut my shape out.

Step 3: In the same way that i used my solid model in the first project, i was able to use an actual plastic mallet from the workshop to begin the shaping of the mold. Although it was not a easy as i had envisioned, It did allow me to start forming the rough shape for the skin.

Once i had cut out my shape and smoothed up the edges i placed it over an actual plastic mallet (similar to the one the original model was based off) and began lightly working the metal into the shape of the mallet. I did this to try and get a feel for both the metal and the shape

Step 4: As i had suspected the concept of shaping this piece around the plastic mallet wasn't an ideal way to go about it, as it caused a number of issues relating to the overall metals appearance, and shape as well as the form of the plastic mallet being undesirable in terms of a sturdy item to work on. After consulting with Russell i began working on the tree stump and creating the desired curves in the metal by beating the inside of the skin along a central spine, allowing the shape to gradually stretch the way i needed it to.

Step 5: I then used the handle of a wooden hammer to create a small arc in the handle area of my skin and allow the shape to sit closer to the model, this way i could start to get a better idea of the form of my skin in relation to the mallet model. This task was different to my last as i had to keep referring back to the shape of my skin in relation to the model, rather than just shaping it around the model itself. In that respect it was a much slower process

Step 6: Began working on trying to get more curve in the edges of the skin by placing the skin over the edge of a wooden plinth and systematically working the metal towards the edges using the angle side of a flat rubber mallet. by using this technique i was able to create a wave in the metal and gradually pushed the wave to the edge of the metal before flattening the crinkle out of it., similar to the techniques i used when shaping my pot base in the first project.

This image clearly demonstrates the wave in the metal

Step 7: By this stage of the project i was beginning to realize that as i had originally suspected the changeover point between the handle and the head of the skin was proving to be a problem area, cracks and places with thinning were beginning to show, at this stage i decided to go through a different process and cut off the handle. Although this isn't originally what i wanted to do, i believed it would help my produce the best skin i could for this object in the end. 

Mark out where on the piece that you need to cut and then use snips to complete the task.

I also marked and cut the edge of my skin to try and even out the shape , as i had been stretching and working the skin it had begun to form a slightly irregular wrap around the model. i cut the edges to try and compensate this issues whilst having away with the  handle section, i intend to cut out out a section later on for an separate handle segment for the skin.

 

Step 8: Position the metal skin in the exact location you wan tit to sit when it is completed, measure up the diameter of the handle and mark out half of that in the location you will make a cutout.

Step 9: Using snips, cutout where you have marked. To refine the edges and get into tighter spaces, you can use the nibbler as shown below.

Step 10:  File the edges where cutting has been done. this will smooth it out and contribute to an overall better quality finish.

Step 11: Use the metal ball (about the size of a tow ball) to work the metal into the desire curves. this process is slow and will take many attempts. do not attempt to do a lot a once.

I switched between this process and using the stump as well as the wave technique demonstrated earlier to achieve the desired shape for the skin

Step 12: By this stage my skin was fitting reasonably well over the laser cut model. The next step was to run it through the English wheel and smooth out the surface for a nicer finish. As shown in the image below

Step 13: Give the edges a quick trim and file to try and achieve the most aesthetic skin surface possible. Make sure you get inside the handle cutout.

By this stage the skin for the head of the mallet is complete. The following images will demonstrate the stage that you should be up to

 

Step 14: Constructing the Handle: The following image demonstrates the cutout for the handle. this image was from much earlier on in the process. from this image the cutout needs to be trimmed even further to allow the handle section to slide underneath it. Measure the width of the handle metal and use the nibbler to add width to the cutout. this stage can be done now through measuring or later on using the handle to trace it out.

Step 15:  Luckily for this stage i only required a small piece of material and i was able to find a small cut off from someones project. It had been worked slightly with a hammer and had bumps all over it. I straightened it out as best as i could then ran it through the English wheel to smooth it out.

 

Step 16: The next stage i used a metal rod roughly the same diameter as the handle and and began working the metal around it (as shown below)

Step 17: Once i had a rough idea of the amount of material i needed to wrap it around i measured up and trimmed the edges using the snips

 

Step 18: Due to the  handle section being quite a simple project the surface didn't requires as much effort to achieve the required finish. The only step left to do was to ensure the handle fitted perfectly within the cutout. The nibblers can be used to trim small increments out for this process, and then the file can be used to smooth the edges off.

MY FINAL RESULT

The image above is the final combined result of the head skin and the handle skin as one complete Mallet skin.