Project 2

Project 2:

For your final project, create a compound shape. Then cut that shape apart and re-work it (by soldering it together in a different order, by making each bit a separate piece, by forging the pieces individually, etc.) to create a new piece(s). The new piece must have one movable connection.

Consider the surfaces of the piece- different surface treatments, metals, textures, patinas, etc. Think about what you want the final piece to be- object, wearable- and technical considerations that apply- connections, display base, clasp, etc.

Due next class:

5-10 Sketches of the compound shape and alterations. Scale maquette of your favorite. Create a rough outline of steps of fabrication from original shape through final form(s).

Final piece due beginning of class December 12. 

Lesson 8: Connections

Lesson 8: Connections

Connections for hollow constructions can be simple or very complex. Because of the steps of construction, you need to have a blueprint for your connections as you start fabrication since many connections need to be set up or fabricated in between hollow construction steps.

T-Bar or Ball/Socket links:

Both the T-bar and and Ball/Socket links function the same way. The crossbar of the T or ball sits inside the hollow construction. The other side can either be a fixed link soldered onto the form or the same (sitting inside for movement)

• Create your hollow forms but leave them open.
• Create the links- only put T or ball on one side.
• Drill hole in your form where the connection point is and slide link through hole.
• Solder that form closed. Hold the part of the link outside the form in a third hand to prevent from dropping into the form.
• When doing this you do not need an additional air hole.
• If fixed on other side:
• Close second form- placing the air hole where the connection point will be is will allow you to hide the hole under the link.
• Solder link to second form (over air hole if applicable)
• If moveable:
• Drill hole for connection in second form.
• Feed link through hole.
• Solder second T or ball onto the end of the link inside the form.
• Solder the form closed.

Jump Rings:

• Close your forms.
• Solder half jump rings to the form where you want your connections.
• Finish the forms to final finish (minus patina).
• Link the forms together and solder the final ring.

Tube Hinges:

Tube hinges work best for longer hinges.

• Close forms.
• Solder knuckles on to forms.
• Solder knuckles to one side, then measure and mark the other side. Cut the tubing a little longer than you need so you can file down for a perfect fit.
• Ball one end of the hinge pin and feed through.
• Set the other end.
• For tricky and inset hinges, chasing tools work well to reach into tight areas.

Sheet/Rod hinges:

These types of hinges can work very well for hollow forms and for small hinges.

• Take a sheet and fold into a U.
• Alternately cut out a slot in a thicker rod to form a U shape.
• Fit single sheet or rod into the opening to complete the hinge.
• Drill hole through.
• Solder U to first form.
• Solder single sheet or rod to other form.
• Ball up one side of hinge pin and feed through.
• Set other side.

Rivets:

You can rivet forms together as well. This is tricky, and mostly used for when you want 2 forms pivoting around each other.

• Create forms but leave open. One form should have the side to be riveted already attached, then other one should not.
• Drill hole for your rivet.
• Ball one end of the wire, feed through the separate sheet and cut to length.
• Place on block and set.
• Solder both forms closed.

Other connections:

• Drill holes and feed a jump ring through the holes.
• Drill holes and thread together. Feed small lengths of tube between forms to separate.

Lesson 7: Finishing Techniques

Lesson 7: Finishing Techniques

Order of operations and steps of construction are very important in Hollow Construction. Think about your surfaces at the beginning when you are designing your piece. All of the finishing techniques you have learned can be applied to hollow forms, but some of them need to happen earlier in the process than they would otherwise.

Sanding:

• For flat surfaces, the sanding discs work very well. Remember to rotate the piece evenly.
• Check each grit before moving to the next one.
• For curved surfaces- wrap sandpaper around paint stirring sticks or your file to create a sanding “file”. This will also help keep the surfaces smooth and even. Make sure to cover as much of the surface as possible with each stroke.
• Sand in circles for a matte finish, in one direction for a shinier look.
• You can get a shiny look by moving up in sandpaper grit.

Polishing:

• Be careful polishing on the buffing machine. If you lose your grip and your piece goes flying it can dent.
• Smaller surfaces can be polished on the flexshaft.
• If you want to highlight the corners and edges, burnish them. This adds the touch of polish and highlights the form without being super shiny.

Textures:

Roll Printing:

• Roll print and texture on the sheet before cutting and forming. This way you can choose the best areas to use for your piece.
• When soldering, the solder will want to flow and fill in your texture.
• When possible, have the textured side face down when soldering so you are soldering on the back surface.
• Alternately, you can paint your texture with yellow ochre to help prevent solder from flowing there. Be careful that you don’t get any on your joints!
• You won’t be able to planish your forms, so spend extra time with the mallets.

Stamping and Hammer textures:

• For all over stamped textures, follow the roll printing steps.
• For selective stamping; planish, file and sand the forms. Then place back on the mandrel and stamp.
• For the top and bottom, mark where you will be soldering and then stamp.
• For hammer textures, planish, file and sand to 320. Then place the form back on the mandrel and hammer for texture. File and sand the tops after this.
• For the top and bottom, mark where you will be soldering and hammer texture just past that point.

Patinas:

• Patinas go on at the end, as usual. Make sure to seal patinas. Some patinas will make seams more noticeable- be careful of that!

Finishing tips:

• Do not use the tumbler! The steel shot can go into your air holes and then it’s stuck. If you have an open form or one with a lot of piercework, you can tumble.
• Make sure you have filed and sanded away all solder spill. If you are in doubt or having trouble telling, heat the piece gently. This will start to discolor the metal and the solder will show prominently.
• Be patient.
• Pull out your dust tray when filing and sanding- line it with a soft towel. The most common casualty in hollow construction pieces is dropping them, leading to dents.
• Think ahead. If the next step is going to make an area unreachable or really difficult to sand and finish well, do it now.

Lesson 5: Cone

Lesson 5: Cone

• Draw out your cone on paper in side view.
• Make sure that your drawing is to scale.
• Using a compass, place the point at the tip of the cone, and adjust the legs so that the pencil tip hits each corner.
• Draw ¾ of a circle with the compass.
• Measure and set your compass to the distance between the 2 bottom points.
• Place your compass point on the left point and make a tic mark with the pencil.
• Repeat with the right point.
• Bring your compass in to 1/6 of the previous length.
• Mark this distance onto the end of one of your tic marks.
• This will give you 3.14 (pi- π) the diameter of your cone!
• Draw straight lines from the center point out to the end tic marks.
• This is your pattern for your cone.
• Make sure that you have made notes on each measurement.
• If you like, cut out the paper template and bend and tape to make sure it is the right shape that you are looking for.
• When you are happy with your paper version, repeat the layout process on metal, using dividers instead of the compass.
• Cut out your template and file the edges smooth.
• Using your half round needle file, file down the thickness at the tip of the cone.
• Anneal.
• Mark lines from the center out to the bottom with your scribe.
• Place in the vise and bend.
• Bend around so that the edges meet.
• Hammer on shoulders to bring edge in close together.
• Solder and pickle.
• Hammer on the cone stake to round out the form.
• Planish.
• Check against the steel square to make sure the sides of the cone are straight and not flared.
• File the bottom edge flat. Use the steel square to make sure you are filing evenly.
• Solder to a bottom plate.
• Cut off any excess and file.
• File and sand the cone to 600.

Tips and tricks:

• The thinner to tip of your cone is, the easier it will bend around.
• To make sure that your cone is indeed round, trace around the bottom on a sheet of paper. Rotate the form slightly and make sure that it still lines up with the drawing.
• If drilling an airhole, do that in the bottom plate before soldering.
• For an open top cone, mark where you want the cone to end on your profile drawing. Draw a ¾ around those marks as well as the bottom marks. If you are doing an open top cone, there is no need to file down the thickness at the top edge.

Homework:

Using 20ga. brass, create a closed cone. The cone should be 1.5-2” high with a 1-2” diameter. The cone should be finished, filed and sanded to 600 grit. There should be no visible airhole.

Due beginning of class October 10.

Lesson 6: Sweat Soldering

Lesson 6: Sweat Soldering

Sweat soldering is the best way to attach large overlapping pieces of metal together. There are 2 common methods for sweat soldering- sandwiching and feeding. Sweat soldering allows you to place pierced out designs onto another sheet of metal.

Make sure that both pieces of metal are clean and flat. All burs from filing and piercing should be removed.

Tips:

• Sweat soldering takes a lot more solder than you think it will- remember that the entire area needs to have solder on it.
• Leave a small area that you can cut off afterwards as a place to feed any additional solder into.
• Place sweat soldering piece on grates or tripods to allow for quickest heating of the pieces. The soldering boards absorb heat.
• The entire piece(s) need to get hot all around in order for the solder to fully flow.
• Sweat soldering is easiest when the pieces are flat. Once soldered, form with plastic mallet.

Sweat Soldering- Laminate method

• If one of your pieces has piercing or a smaller area than the other, this is your top piece.
• Clean both surfaces to be soldered well- no dirt or oils on the metal.
• Both surfaces should be clean and fit together well.
• Lay your top piece on the soldering board face down so that the side that will be soldered is up.
• Flux and heat your flux until clear.
• Place chips of solder all over the piece.
• Heat until the solder begins to slump and flow. Do not let it flow completely!
• Pickle and brass brush.
• Reflux the piece and lay with the solder side down on top of your bottom piece.
• Use cotter pins, cross tweezers, or third hands to apply a small amount of pressure- holding the 2 sides together.
• Heat until the solder flows.

Sweat soldering- Sandwich method

• Clean both surfaces to be soldered well- no dirt or oils on the metal.
• Flux both surfaces to be soldered.
• Heat top piece until the flux is clear.
• Place solder chips all over the top piece.
• Place the bottom piece over the top piece and clamp together.
• Heat until the solder flows.

You should be able to see your solder line around every edge of the piece.

If you do not see that solder line, you need more solder.

Feed in any additional solder from the easiest area to clean up afterwards.

Project 1

Project 1: Compound Shapes

Combine at least 2 of the basic shapes to form a compound shape. Play with the measurements, proportions, and scale to come up 3 variations on that shape. This form(s) should be the central focus of the piece(s). The overall design is up to you, I recommend working with the maquettes to determine what you want to make.

Skills I want you to focus on and use in this piece are: fitting shapes together at angles or on curves, soldering skills, creation of the compound form.

Think about proportions and overall size.

Sketch 5 different ideas on compound shapes and pieces, 3 proportional variations on each. Make a maquette of your top shape idea. Sketch out and demonstrate how/if the pieces will connect and be integrated into the piece.

Lesson 4: Pyramid

Lesson 4: Pyramid

• Draw out your pyramid from a side (profile) view. Do this on paper first, and then on metal.
• Measure from the tip of the pyramid to the bottom points, set dividers, and scribe an arc.
• If doing an open top, follow the same step to scribe the arc for the top as well.
• Measure the distance between the 2 bottom points, and set dividers to that distance.
• Mark off that distance 2 times on the right and one on the left for a total of 4 sides. Make tic marks where the dividers meet the scribed arc.
• Repeat with the top marks if open.
• Draw a straight line connecting the each point where the arc and tic marks intersect. This will mark out your 4 sides.
• Repeat with the top set of marks if open.
• Draw straight lines from the center point out through the intersections.
• Make sure that these lines are scribed deep and straight.
• Cut out your template.
• File the edges.
• If closed, file the down the thickness of the metal at the top.
• Begin with your triangle (3-square) needle file and score along the deep scribe marks.
• When you are 2/3 of the way through the thickness of the metal, switch to your square needle file.
• You should be 95-98% of the way through the thickness of the metal.
• File the side edges of the template to a 45 degree angle.
• Measure the thickness of your metal (20ga=.8mm). Mark this distance on the top of your sheet.
• File from the bottom edge to that line- this will give you a 45 degree angle.
• Bend the pyramid together along the scored lines.
• Solder all of the score/bend joints.
• Solder the 2 edges together.
• Hold with binding wire if needed while soldering.
• Use your triangle or square needle file to clean up any excess solder- both inside and out.
• True the form on the square bezel or ring mandrel, or on the small anvil.
• Planish the sides.
• File the bottom edges flat.
• Use the steel square to make sure that all angles are 90 degrees.
• Solder to a bottom plate.
• If open, also solder to a top plate.
• Cut off excess and file.
• File and sand to 600 grit.

Homework:

Using 20 ga. brass, create an open-top pyramid. Height between 1-1.5”, and the bottom of each side should be no smaller than 1”. Pyramid should be soldered both top and bottom with no visible airholes and finished to 600 grit.

Due beginning of class October 3.