Last week and this week were not my best ones. First off the sea urchins did not cast, or really they did but the shells were too thin to hold in metal and flaked and broke until there was nothing left but the the sprues (the wax wires).
Because the sea anemones were a complete fail I am having to repeat the assignment. So I’m doing something easy, quick and fun this time. I am casting puzzle pieces! I hope to make a pair of earrings and a set of cufflinks and studs, but we will see what happens.
They looked really cool all ready to cast like a puzzle piece tree!
On top of that project I am working on my final in casting. One of the main reason to cast is that making exact copies is easy with the use of a silicone mold. I have decided to make crosses for the confirmation class this year at my church (My sis will be one) plus a few extra to sell or whatever. I am hoping to have two final designs, one being small, which will go to the conformation class, and one larger that I made as a test, but looks really cool so I'm going to go ahead and cast it. I knew that it would be hard to make crosses because to make them look right they need to be exact. What I did not expect was that the waxes are delicate because the arms and top have to be added on to the bottom section making the middle fragile. This is causing a few problems; One) keeping them exact, and Two) I can't clean the wax and once I get the first metal copy I will have a lot of cleaning to do. *Sigh*
This project will be more complex than my other projects because there are some extra steps. Here they are along with dates of steps and when they need to be done.
One) make wax models - last week and this weekend Two) Invest wax models - this weekend (sunday) Three) cast wax models in brass - Tuesday (along with puzzle pieces in sterling silver) Four) Clean brass crosses - Tuesday/wednesday Five) Make silicone mold - Thursday Six) Make wax crosses using mold - next weekend Seven) cast wax models in Sterling Silver - Next tuesday Eight) clean Sterling Silver crosses - Next thursday/ weekend Nine) Put on chain and put in boxes - Last week of school
There is not a lot of room for error or delay in that schedule.
Here they are - Remember the is just a rough version of what the final project will be but you get the idea.
This last weekend as you all know was Easter, I did not have a great Easter. I woke up with a really bad sore throat, which developed into a head cold. It kept me in bed until Tuesday when I struggled out of bed for casting in the evening. This is the first time I have really gotten sick down here. It did not come at a great time as the last few weeks of school are all about planning and hard work. It put me about three days behind on my master plan so right now I am trying to get all caught up.
Last time on the Blog I said I would give a few shots of the Book project that was for 3D, so here they are.
The cover and the bookmark
One of seven pages - In my heart of hearts from hamlet.
Two of seven pages - the Green eyed monster from Othello
Three of seven pages - the print part of Brave new world from The Tempest
Things are getting really busy but on the good news front, I have a lead on some possible housing options. Knowing there are some options is a huge weight off my chest.
On Saturday me and a friend finally made it to the famed Berkeley Bowl! It was way cool, I regret that I did not get down there until now. Its just a really really great grocery store with a great everything. We saw some really cool things including a baby pineapple!
How cute is that!
At the end of the trip we both walked out with a full bag of food, and a good meal, as we ate at the deli. Here's a photo of everything I bought.
It includes - oranges, pears, a grapefruit, some good granola, bread, small cans of ginger ale, apple sauce, really good cinnamon, strawberries, some really good tea I have not been able to find in Seattle for the past year and some frozen buns with chicken and beef. It was a great trip. I doubt if I will get back there before I head back to Seattle but it's a definite highlight.