Final Moderation

With final moderation knocking on the door. Visualizing the manner in which to best display my pieces is crucial. As the way in which work is exhibited can also make or break them. 

Earlier in the year we set out to design our own exhibition, and in a world where almost every square inch of land seems occupied thanks to the population explosion and rampant urbanization around the globe, it is no wonder that our imaginations take us to the skies and to the vast oceans. the floating concept illustrates a possible method of escaping urban sprawl with a series of entire mobile, self-sufficient and off the grid exhibitions.

As the world develops, there are new and innovative ways about how design communicates with manufacture. I had proposed to create an exhibition with the element of "future design".

The objective of the exhibition would be to invoke an aesthetic appeal towards its audience in regards to "future design", that being rapid prototyping and additive manufacture such as 3D printing and to challenge the existing fixation with precious metals. To appeal to an audience that cannot comprehend or understand rapid prototyping and creating an awareness around it.

With the above mentioned the concept was taken into Rhino, a CAD software and manipulated to my desire.

The manufactured and printed pieces would then be displayed in the glass boxes as to appear as if they were floating.

Final Piece

The preparation and manufacture for the final piece has begun. This piece was designed to be a statement piece. 

The images below represent the manufacturing process of it so far. 

Sneak Peak

As days draw near a sneak peak of what is to come follows bellow.

Previews of parts that will be seen at the end of the week out of silver and 3D printed components.

3D Prints cleaning process

Below is a link to a video representation of the cleaning process that I have been doing meticulously for the last few weeks. Note this process is not always encountered when using 3D printing but due to the delicateness of the pieces and the material thicknesses this method was best suited to remove the support material. This process was chosen also as the support material expands slightly in water and could therefore damage the piece.

Link: 3D printing cleaning video by author

Further below are images taken during this process. 

End product of one of the 3D pieces.

Manufacturing

With the final day nearing fast, manufacturing has to come to an end at some point, with that said the manufacturing of the final pieces began over this last week.

Below are images of the manufacturing process as the piece has developed before it is completed.

The Final Countdown

As time ticks on and we reach the last few days left to work, the stress levels rise and the to-do lists appear to get longer and longer however are slowly decreasing. Using all the time available to us, getting no sleep, minimal if we are lucky, with every direction we go there is something still to be done. Whether it be finalizing portfolios or sanding and cleaning until we have no fingerprints left, there is always work to do.

As the hand in day draws nearer and the ability to count the amount of days left on our hands all that can be done is the attempt to stay calm and collected in order not to mess anything up due to a hasty rush.

South African designer Kiara Gounder

Kiara Gounder is a student from the Durban University of Technology with a degree in fashion. Kiara Gounder was inspired by the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen’s fall couture collection featuring 3d printing. Gounder explored the worlds of 3D printing by developing a capsule range of garments that showcases the potential of 3D printing in fashion and jewellery. Gounder uses nature in a digital form to explore the concept of symmetry in nature. The silhouette and design of each piece combines various organic and structures elements that can be found in a natural environment. Inspiration is drawn from microscopic images of fossils, plant cells and insect cells for the detailed patterning and line work (designindaba.com). 

  

Figure 1 Kiara Gounder, Neck Piece, 2015, 3D Print, DUT.

Figure 2 Kiara Gounder, Neck Piece, 2015, 3D Print, DUT.

Support Material

After having sent out designs to a 3D printing company, they give you the option to remove the support material in house or one can do it themselves. As an exploration of understanding both the 3D print and the support material it was decided that I myself would remove the support materials from these pieces.

 

 

 

Above is what the pieces look like with the support material, the support material is attached in layers and covers the entire piece. the support is there to help build up the base material in which the piece is manufactures as the base material cannot float in air the support material acts as a support to the base.

 

 

Below are the designs for a pair of earrings, the before and after the support material is removed. these earrings are then later added a hook in silver.

 

 

 

 

The cleaning process of the support material varies according to design. if a design has a larger or thicker frame work it is likely to go through a high pressure spray to remove the support material. however with finer details it is best to do by hand to reduce any chance of breaking.

 

 

 

The process by hand requires some luke warm water and a tool that has a small tip that can scrape out the support material. As seen above AA tweezers were used, one can also use a needle.

 

 

 

 

Above are the pieces with majority of the support material removed, at this point a baby toothbrush with some water is used to remove any finer support material, keeping in mind to still be cautious with the pieces as it is delicate.

 

 

Geraldine Fenn

Geraldine Fenn is a South African Jewellery designer balancing creative innovation with the demands of running a business. Geraldine Fenn originally dreamed of pursuing a dream in archaeology yet instead went out on a whim and became a jewellery designer. Geraldine Fenn studied at the Durban University of Technology, Fenn then set up shop in the late 1990’s and has been making one-of-a-kind pieces ever since. Fenn, along with her husband (Eric Loubser, a fellow jewellery designer) are active in the creative scene. Their shop stocks quirky, hand crafted jewellery designed by some of the country’s most original designers. Fenn helped curate the jewellery section of the Design Indaba Expo for many years and understands the balance of creative innovation and the demands of running her business. Fenn, a designer on the other end of the spectrum has conflicted views about 3D printing in the jewellery industry. Fenn is not directly influenced by what happens in the broader industry as her work is contemporary, handmade, bespoke pieces, rather than mass produced commercial stuff. Fenn recognises that the industry is rapidly moving towards computer-aided design and 3D printing, and sees this as a negative thing, as the idea of old-school hand working skills are being lost. Knowing the possibilities of what 3D printing offers Fenn remains convinced that the pieces that are produced through 3D printing machines “churn out very boring, repetitive, anonymous jewellery”. Fenn remains positive because although these traditional methods of manufacturing might get ‘lost’ people will still value a handmade, unique piece more (designidaba.com).

3D Printing

The leaders of 3D printing

Piece 5

The establishment of piece 5 was inspired by the structure and manufacturing capabilities from the author of piece 4. As piece 4 was more of a statement contemporary jewellery piece. Piece 5 lends hand more to be a more formal contemporary jewellery piece. With unison throughout the piece. This piece is structured and has like elements. This neck piece was chosen to be a short necklace not only to create emphasis on the piece but to create emphasis on the wearer's neck and jaw line. The jewellery piece does not wear the person..

In the process of designing this piece, certain elements from the previous piece were taken and then put in a certain order still leaving the imagination to the fact that this piece is inspired by the cubic system. With the design this piece has the intricate molecule mesh in each Large cube this is however altered in the manufacturing process..

Below an image of the design as originally designed

The manufacturing process

The beginning of this large piece was first metal prep, melting down and rolling in order to get square wire of the desired thickness. Once a large amount of this square wire was produced and having previously prepped metal for the mesh it was time to begin putting it together and assembling and ensuring everything was the correct measurements.

It began with creating two base squares for the cubes. As seen below this was done by measuring 19mm on the first round, marking it and then sawing it and using a square needle file at a 45 degree angle then bending it to a 90 degree angle, creating a right angle, the corner was then soldered with hard solder. To begin the second edge a 20mm length was measured where the process began over again until it was a perfect square with all the corners soldered and the excess metal sawn off.

This was done until twenty squares were produced of 20mm all round. A further 22 squares of 10mm all round were produced, then squares made the cube links In between the larger cubes. 

He assembled get of the cubes, of the 20 large and 22 small squares half of each were put aside for a brief moment.. Whilst the other underwent extensive work. Ensuring that the wire is straight by pulling it straight and the handy parallel pliers the cube construction began, snipping off larger length with a flat filed on one edge and soldering them to the corner perpendicular to the square. For the smaller square the use of typ ex became effective. Once the perpendicular wires were put into place they were all measure and sawn off to the desired height.

The assembling of these pieces became tricky,try to establish a better way to assemble them as the struggles from the previous piece were evident.

Finally discovering an effective way to assemble this. The method was to place the large cube first with a small cube diagonally across from each other on the corners of the larger cube, to which a single square was soldered on to close the cube off.. This process was repeated until each piece was soldered on. 

The link was then manufactured and applied to the neckpiece, the neckpiece can now at this point sit on the neck. Although cube is known for its harsh corners this piece was considered a show it would sit on the wearer, that the corners would be "softened" by rounding the edges.

This piece is still undergoing manufacture but from here the lattice mesh will be manufactured and applied to the cube but in order not to over power the design it won't be done to each large cube but only every second one. 

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John Skotnes

With our lecturer on maternity leave and another busy with an extensive exhibition that deals with a wide variety of South African artists, we were pleased to have a temporary replacement. Although the stay was short we learnt a lot with his input and insight into our work, both theory and practice. John Skotnes a goldsmith and jewellery lecturer at CPUT took us under his wing and looked after us for two very short weeks. With daily "15" minute lectures on basic practical skills and knowledge was abundantly useful, from the metallogy lectures to the chemistry, to uncovering new methods of the way we did things. We now stand two weeks later with a clearer mind as to why things happen a certain way, why our metal reacts like this or like that, whether it is our fault or that's just how metal reacts... It is natural. At first it might seem overwhelming the way he walks around with an opti visor or during a practice crit and is analyzing your piece with the opti visor, yes it is scary but he isn't there to shoot you down but rather to help you improve, he would inform you of other methods to go about manufacturing it in order to get a better finish. John encourages students and applauds their ideas and  helps inspire and has made me enthusiastic to the future pieces that are to be produced.

With fresh input on our thesis it was good to hear a new perspective or an outside perspective on where we were going right or wrong. 

An encouraging, inspirational and remarkable man left the department today and has without a doubt left a mark on the department and the students privileged enough to have learnt something from him.

3d Printing

How To 3D Print

With many printing companies around the world and the increasing numbers of 3D printing in South Africa. It is best to see how the process works. 

Piece 4

Piece 4 is a statement neck piece. This piece speaks particularly to the cluster formation formed from the cubic system. As seen below the original centre piece is seen to be distracting to the eye so the design was then altered in order not to be distracting, as the amount of detail although intricate can become an eye sore. and from this only certain cubes had the incorporation of the lattice design.

Manufacturing process.

The chain.

The chain was assembled with square wire that was measured and then filed down at a 45 degree angle with a square needle file. This process is used to create a sharper corner on the edges as opposed to rounded edges created from bending the wire. Once the links were closed and to the desired length, as well as sanded, the hammered texture was then applied as seen in the image on the left.

The Centre piece.

The centre piece with great difficulty getting in the perfect symmetry on each cube did propose its difficulties and frustrations. Once having the just of each cube, the process of putting them together also became a bit troublesome have to re-open certain joins for another cube to fit into that spot. Once assembled the piece was pre-cleaned for the next technique. the process of applying the lattice mesh.

The lattice mesh

instead of creating one mesh each time for each side, it was decided that it could be more user friendly to create one large lattice mesh and then cut and pick from this mesh that would suite best for that side of the cube. the mesh was created with larger granules created with wire that is 0.5mm thick and coiled twice around a 2.0mm spindle, and then melted to create the granule. once the granule is created a pilot hole was created, this is where the wire would be soldered into. a tiny piece of hard solder is then soldered onto the wire which is then attached to the granule in the pilot hole created.

 The piece is still to be cleaned and polished.