Experimental Project Proposal: Wood Veneers

I have decided to explore wood veneers for this project. I've been wanting to try them out for a while, but have never had the opportunity. For the time being, I am more interested in how well they work on a smaller scale. There are entire stores full of different veneering supplies, so it is kind of difficult to figure out where to begin, but I am considering some tips from the following web sites:

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/getting-started.htm

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/no-vacuumpress-veneering.htm

http://www.diyinfo.org/wiki/Using_Veneers

http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com/Veneering_Index.html

Some experiments I would like to try are:

1.Simple, flat veneering. I might try this on a cut out shape to get a feel for application and finishing.

2.Vacuum Veneering, if the Vacuuform machine would work for this, I'd like to take advantage of that by trying it over a curved surface.

3. Bending veneers. What kind of angles and curves can I get different kinds of veneer over and what are the limits on the shape/angle before the wood breaks down?

4. Decorative. I am going to try out different things, such as laser cutting and staining. I would like to see what types of colorants outside of woodstains the veneer would accept. I've had good results staining cork with watered down acrylic, so I'd like to see how it works on veneer. I'd also like to see how well a laser cut peice would bend.

Figuring out what materials I need and don't need is a bit daunting, as there are so many out there, especially in regards to what type of glue I should use. Here is what I think I might need:

Veneer sample pack
MDF or other substrate
Appropriate glue
curved X-acto blades
glue roller
veneer softener?
paints

Carolyn's Project Proposal

Final Project: Fine Glass
Materials List:
• Fine glass
• Glue
o Epoxy
o Super glue
o UV glue
o Aquarrium bonding cement
• Solder
• Glass cutter
• Diamond cutter
• Miter
• Etching cream
• Heat gun
• Blow torch

Experiment One: Gluing
In this experiment I am going to try to find out what is the best type of glue to use for glue glass to glass. I would look into which glues are the strongest and which glues are clear and unnoticeable and which ones would leave a color residue and have bubbles that you would be able to see through the glass. In addition to this I would like to try to see if these glues are also good for gluing glass to other materials like wood or steal or if I different glue is needed when bonding these materials together. I plan on trying to use Epoxy, Super Glue, UV Glue, and Aquarrium bonding cement. I also want to try soldering two pieces of glass together to see if that works.

Experiment Two: Cutting
For this experiment I will be trying to see what is the best way to cut glass and what kind of cut you can make. I plan on using at least one type on glass cutter and possibly a diamond cutter. With these tools I want to see if you can only cut out straight lines or is curves and circles are also possible. In addition I will be testing to see if there is a minimum size you will be able to cut out.

Experiment Three: Etching
This experiment will test possible ways to etch into glass. I would like to see if any of the tools listed above also allow you to scratch into the glass without cutting it. Furthermore I want to see if you can etch into glass on the laser cutter. Last I want to try chemical etching into glass to what effect that gives.

Experiment Four: Bending
My last experiment if time permits is to test how much heat you need to bend a piece of glass. It till test how much of a bend you can get by heating glass with a blow torch. I also plan on seeing if a heat gun would heat the glass cut enough to bend the glass.

Jordan_Final Project_Cork Casting

This chair was made using a casting process involving granulated cork and epoxy. I would like to replicate this process with my three experiments. First I will make a mold of plywood. Pour the epoxy mixture into the mold and clamp it down. After removing the molded cork I will cut it to test its strength and flexibility. My final experiment will be to determine various surface finishes including wet/dry sanding and polishing.

Materials:
Granulated cork
Epoxy
Clamps
Drill
Screws
Plywood
Sand paper
Stirring stick
Wax

Final Yellow Foam Flashlight

Here is my finished flashlight. I'm really glad I finally got a chance to try the lathe, and I look forward to using spot putty with auto paints in the future, as they give such a nice, real plastic finish. I never would have known to use that stuff and can think of may projects for which I would like to get such an effect.

Mike Hummel's finished flashlight

After my flashlight dried on the outside I then painted the inside part under the lens a metallic gray. Here's a picture of my finished flashlight.

Mike Hummel's research on STEEL!

My process "experiments"

1. Bending
•Square tubing
Cut slits to bend
•Round tubing
Easier to bend in general
•Sheet metal
Easiest to bend

2. Welding (Mig)
• Square
Easiest to weld since it's rectalinear
•Round
May have to cut edge in C shape to attach pieces
•Sheet
If the gauge is too thin then it may melt through the sheet of metal.

3. Rolling
•Sheet
•Put bends in metal
Circular, elliptical, rectangles and unusual shapes.
•Grooves to interlock two pieces
V-grooves

Experiments.

I have decided to conduct research on programmable memory polymer. After "setting" this plastic 160F water, it was can be continually shaped, hardened and reshaped as the user exposes it to water of 100F. I plan to experiment with placing graphics on the surface of the polymer and observing what happens when that surfaces is stretched and contorted. Adittionally, I want to experiment with the polymer's strength as I bend and stretch it at varying lengths. Finally, I would like to consider how the polymer works when reshaped at different scales (large and small, thin and think, etc.).



Materials:

Hot water cooker
class cups
all necessary tools to build jigs for bending the polymer into specific shapes
inks
x-acto knife
metal ruler
spray paints
spray primers
use of the laser cutter to etch in graphics
cutting matte
safety glasses
chemical mask

Acrylic Experimentation

Experiment 1

-Heating

- Vacuum Forming thin acrylic to learn the properties of heating acrylic
- Push forming-Heat up acrylic and then try to push a shape through to get a smooth curve
- Use this knowledge to heat bend acrylic around an object to get an outline of the form

Experiment 2

-Laser Cutting/Etching

- Try variation of shapes and test the structural properties of the acrylic to see how thing of form are possible
- Etch different images into acrylic and see if it is possible to etch multiple layers

Experiment 3

-Finishing

- Try multiples textures including smooth, rough, and mirror
- Try different spray or paint on paints to see which works best

Plaster of Paris Material Explorations

I chose plaster of paris because I have never used it before and I'm familiar with cement and masonry. Here are the experiments I will be running to determine its properties. Obviously each experiment will be more detailed and thorough, however this is just the basics.

Experiment I: Casting a part using a mold

a.) find or make a mold, mix and pour plaster, let cure, remove from mold
b.) Materials: plaster, water, mold, mixing utensil

Experiment II: Series of adding foreign objects and materials

a.) mix and pour plaster, add objects while curing or over mold before pouring
b.) Materials: plaster, water, mold, different objects

Experiment III: Series of finishing techniques

a.) mix and pour plaster into simple mold for repetition, sanding, wet sanding, painting
b.) Materials: plaster, water, mold, sandpaper, spray paint

MATERIALS: Plaster of paris
Water
Rubber gloves
Mixing bucket
Mixing utensil
Acrylic paint
Acrylic primer
Styrene for molds?
Different objects for impregnating

Yellow Foam Flashlight

With this project I wanted to design a sleek, aggressive, and durable flashlight. The design references a bomb, more specifically from the WWII era. The button is on the end of the flashlight, and to turn it on and off, you simply hold the flashlight and bump the button on any surface for one hand operation.

After the final design was selected, I moved from paper to the lathe. This project was my first experience using the lathe. Turns out its a lot easier than I thought. Once I got the form almost perfect on the lathe, I sanded the rest by hand. Spot putty came next and after applying and sanding two coats, I moved onto primer. Four coats later I was ready for paint. The color scheme I chose was black and gold. I laid down two gloss black base coats before masking things off and subtely laying in some matte gold highlights. All in all this project was fun.

Flashlight progress

I didn't do the blog posts for the flashlight progress, but I'll describe my process.
First I sketched up the shape of the flashlight on paper. A unique feature in my design was an inside groove for the front of the handle. I then lathed the shape in yellow foam and used glazing/spot putty give it a smooth surface. I also made a styrene button. Then I sprayed it with primer, which revealed some imperfections in the surface. I went back and spot-puttied it again and primed it again until the surface quality was good. Then I masked off part of the flashlight and painted the front gloss white. The rest of it i mainted flat/satin black. I used an existing plastic lens from another project of mine for the lans of the flashlight.
I now like spot putty a lot better than spackel because it's more durable and gives a better surface finish.

Final Project Research

I've decided to experiment with casting smooth-on plastic. I plan to use Smooth-Cast 300 for the casting and Omoo 25/30 for the molds. My 3 experiments are:
- Rotocasting to make hollow shapes. I will make a cylindric or vase-like shape. I will discover how much plastic to use for a hollow part to achieve reasonable wall thickness.
- Testing detail quality. I will probably use an existing finely detailed object, make a mold of it, and cast it. I will compare the original piece to the casting to see how much surface detail it can preserve.
- Finishing/painting/pigmenting. I found out that Smoothcast 300 can be pigmented, so I will explore that as an alternative to painting. I also want to experiment with finishing techniques to achieve a variety of surface qualities: smooth, rough, glossy, matte, etc.
Materlais list:
SmoothCast 300
Oomoo 30
Spray release agent
plywood/mdf for mold box
mixing cups, etc.

Experimenting

For this final project we are required to use an unfamiliar material and test it within three different experiments. Acrylic is a material that most ID students have worked with and use often but isn't something I have used before. I have been intrigued by it because it can be heat bended, cut on the laser cutter, and finishing techniques/adhereing itself and other materials. Within each of the experiments it will be interesting to also work with different thicknesses of the acrylic. Knowing how this material works will be very important for my future in the ID program.

For the experiments:
1. Using the laser cutter I will see how well shapes can be cut into the acrylic. I would like to see how well round shapes as well as tight, straight cuts can be achieved. I also would like to work with etching, seeing how deep the etch can go as well as style of the etch.
2. Heat bending is another thing I have seen many other students doing. With the acrylic I would like to see how long it takes until it bends smoothly without cracking. Either working with the heat gun and the table heat bender. Also is it possible to use the vacuumform the acrylic?
3. Finishing on the acrylic will be important to see what materials I can use to either paint on or use to adhere. Different types of paint (spray, latex, acrylic, oil...) will be applied to the acrylic to see what sticks and what doesn't. For the adhesives I will try different types (Weld-on, acrylic glue, hot glue, elmer's, gorilla...) in order to see which will actually stick.

Hopefully these experiments will show me what works and what doesn't with acrylic. For my final project I haven't decided what to build yet but hopefully when I see what happens I'll be inspired.

Material experiments-Alex

My material I plan to experiment with is concrete.

Necessary materials
Concrete mix (Portland cement, agrigate, sand, water)
mixing bucket
some kind of mixer
mold making materials (Blue Foam, Press board, caulk, spackle)

Experiment 1-Stamping and molding concrete

In this experiment I will build a simple mold that will leave an exposed face that can be stamped at the proper time. I want to accomplish 2 things with this experiment. I want to find the smallest possible shape that the concrete will fill before it just backs up, and I also want to find out how easy it is to stamp the concrete.

Experiment 2-Coloring the concrete

Various methods of coloring concrete are available, from stain to color paste, and I plan on finding what works best.

experiment 3-finishing concrete

From filling holes to applying a sealer, I plan on learning all there is to learn about applying a finishing coat to concrete