Solidscape prints and casting

Here are the results of printing rings with the Solidscape wax printer, and then casting them in silver.  It came out surprisingly well!  The faceted rings are my design and the bubble and flower rings are Jess Hirst's designs.  The waxes were printed in the newly opened Towson University Object Lab, and then cast and finished in the jewelry studios downstairs.

A successful solid print!  Support material already melted off.

The first run of the prints broke because I made them too thin in two areas.  I took those broken pieces and filled in the band with wax wire.

All sprued and ready for investing!

Post-casting: sprues removed and beginning clean-up.

Complete!

Design team!

MakerSpace recently held a Saturday workshop to design and assemble laser-cut displays for our winter sale at the Deleware Center for the Contemporary Arts.  Here are some images of the design team in action!

"Fidget"

Finally updated the CAD section of my portfolio site: http://megdattoria.wordpress.com/cadcam/  Let me know what you think!  I've got my first ring up there from my Honors Thesis Project entitled "Fidget."  Exciting stuff!  Here's my Artist Statement for the project:

The word, fidget, has long since held a stigma, describing bothersome and unproductive behaviors of those who cannot concentrate and are anxious or impolite.  The word has been used in conjunction with troublesome children and unprofessional adults.  “Fidget” redefines this term by activating the benefits of fidgeting.  By occupying senses in the wearer that are not required for the task at hand, they provide the right balance of sensory-motor stimulation that allows the individual to focus on their task.  The collection, consisting of twelve rings, functions to increase the focus of individuals with ADHD, as well as the average person.  “Fidget” is a hand-centric collection of jewelry meant aid the wearer in productive fidgeting.

Other Blog

I've started a new blog for my work in Social Design this semester: designdammit.wordpress.com.  You can go check it out if you'd like!  I'll still be posting here, but all of my design research and social design projects will be on the other blog.

Thanks for looking!

Painting Sintered Nylon with Enamel

I was working on a commissioned piece and was trying to figure out how to get the aesthetics she was asking for.  Then I remembered the enamel paints I had bought while I was interning at Hasbro.  I thought I'd just give them a try on the Shapeways WSF material, and they worked great!

 These are the paints I used.  They soak right into the material and are completely opaque.  I painted them on right after I had dyed the piece black and had no issues.

You need to apply a few coats to mask the rough texture of the material and get a really great shine.  Two works fine, but I did three or four on the commissioned piece.

 These two are future earrings.

 This is the commissioned piece.  The black had quite a few coats so it took about a week to completely dry, without any tackiness.  One coat dries within an hour.  I leave two to sit over night but I'm sure it only takes a few hours.  It's great because it doesn't need to be coated afterwards like dying does.  You can get shine or matte, depending on the number of layers.  This is definitely my method of choice for coloring WSF prints from now on.

The commissioned piece is a secret container with a hidden twist-open mechanism in the center.  I was even able to paint the inside of the mechanism and it held up against opening and closing multiple times, without scraping off.

Here's the finished piece on a chain I made by dissecting two pre-made sterling silver chains.  Shipping it out tomorrow!

New Stainless Rings

My Shapeways orders are in!  I made my new design in three different sizes (6,7,8) and in stainless.  Take a look!

New Earrings

This is a new pair of earrings I designed.  They are made from 3D printed pieces in a sintered nylon, soft glass tubing, and sterling silver wire.

Thanks to my lovely model, Devonne Ross!

New Shapeways Goodies!

Received my Shapeways order!  It's fabulous.  First up is my Tree Fractal Cocktail Ring.  I adore it.  Trying to think of what color it should be.

 Next is a thumb ring I designed for myself.  I love big, chunky thumb rings and this one just came to life while playing around in Rhino.

This last one is my favorite.  I designed it based on church spires.  It's a pendant that has pegs on the ends that fit into soft glass tubing.  It's very comfortable.  I need to find a good neck to photograph it on.

Fun stuff.  More to come.  There are some commissions in my near future that will make their way up here.

Make it in Maryland

Hey friends, 
Come out and support Maryland manufacturing at a free concert put on by RMI of Maryland.  August 5th.  Performances by Paul Reed Smith and his band, a Maryland manufacturer of world class guitars. Information below.

Stainless Steel Prints!!

I FINALLY made an order from Shapeways for some stainless steel prints.  I am so so pleased with the results.  They're gorgeous and have such a satisfying weight.  I made the tree fractal pendant for a commission and the bridge rings were an experiment.  They turned out really delicate and nice.  Ordered two in a size 7 and two in a size 8.5.  They're made mostly of 1mm pipes but were still sturdy enough for the steel.  Great stuff.

My only complaint is that I ordered straight up steel and am 99% positive these have been bronze plaited.  The bronze is gorgeous and I was thinking of ordering that...BUT I didn't because I know it stains your skin and would not be great for rings.  I've been wearing one all day and haven't seen a stain yet, but I'm leery.

Societal Contraints Project

I recently completed a semester of Casting and thought I'd share my last project.  I combined a computer designed and Shapeways manufactured ring (with a sizing mechanism) with cast silicone for this piece.  Here is my concept sketch.

Here's a screen view of my file.

 I received the Shapeways order and inserted polymer clay into the ring cage to sculpt the tension marks I wanted.  This was actually Plan C in a line of unsuccessful processes, but I think it was the best option with my time constraints.

I then made a mold of this, carved the clay out of the cage, inserted the cage back in the mold, and cast the same silicone back into the mold.  Here are my results.  It made of three pieces such that how you assemble it determines the ring size.  See below for an artist statement.

Artist Statement

            This piece draws inspiration from the stories of Italo Calvino.  I pulled imagery from his writing related to society, multiplicity, tension, fat, sweat, squeezed, discomfort, and constraints.  These images made me think of societal constraints on that which it dubs “abnormal,” or “not right.”  These constraints are applied to the people that express traits relating to weight, sexual orientation, mental health, skin color, wealth, profession, etc.  I aimed to create a piece that brought attention to these tensions, and then applied a constraint to the wearer to the point of discomfort.

            My piece utilizes imagery and tactile qualities relating to tension on flesh.  The 3D printed metallic material represents societal views, while the silicone insert represents the individual person.  The insert is black to relate to stigma and is made of silicone to relate the texture to flesh.  The tension illustrated in the silicone is mimicked on the wearer’s finger.  I created a mechanism among the printed parts such that it can be adjusted to fit most size fingers.  I wanted the piece to be universal to all individual wearers and to the individual tensions related to societal constraints.  This piece demonstrates tension and discomfort in the presence of societal constrictions.

Conflict Diamonds Cast Series

I recently completed a three-part series of cast forms for a project related to conflict diamonds.  Below are a few images of the pieces as well as my artist statement:

This series consists of three wearable pieces that interact with the spaces between the wearer’s toes.  The space between one’s toes is sometimes utilized by slaves working in the river beds sifting for diamonds.  Their only hope for freedom from their oppression is to escape somehow and they will sometimes hide found rough diamonds between their toes in an attempt to thwart the searches made by their captors.  If they are caught trying to smuggle diamonds they are surely put to death, but the diamonds offer their only means of currency during an escape attempt.  Facing fear of death, the slaves attempt to smuggle out these rough diamonds as their only means of freedom.  Each of my pieces utilizes this location as a commentary on the fear and pain of this desperate attempt at freedom.

 

 The first piece depicts a large crystalline growth coming from between the wearer’s toes of their right foot.  It is weighty, uncomfortable, and very evident, as I imagine the slaves experience the tiny smuggled rough diamond between their toes.  This model speaks to the experience of the slave.

 

The second model mimics the same crystalline growth, but on a much smaller scale.  This piece is sculpted to fit perfectly under the toes of the wearer’s left foot and is completely invisible from the top of the foot.  This piece is secret to the wearer and represents the precious aspect of the diamond and is secret to the wearer.

 

 The third piece utilizes form and texture to reference the rivers these stones are found in.  It fits the wearer’s right foot and only the cubic zirconia is visible from the top of the foot.  The CZ is meant to represent the western view of a diamond, pristine and bright.  This is all that the public sees from the top of the foot, but the wearer is aware of the underside and its connection to the origin of the diamond.  This model pairs conflicting imagery and employs such a meaningful location to culminate the series.

Research Expo: 3D @ TU

Here is our booth at the Student Research Expo at Towson University on April 21st.

 The booth showcases student work in the Interdisciplinary Object Design major, relating to 3D printing.

 Above is work by Rachel Timmins, a graduate student at Towson.  She created a 5-piece broach series combing 3D printed pieces with traditional metal work, as well as resin.

These are my experiments with caged forms and dyeing printed pieces.

It was a really great collaborative experience.  Hopefully a sign of some great things to come!