A month of work

So it has been a month since the last time I posted anything so I have some updates on old projects, info on new projects, and ideas of projects that will be coming up.

First of all, I gave Kevin the swords back and he loved them.  That makes me very happy knowing I can take something someone gave me and turn it into something better.  The projects for him have led me into projects of a similar nature for another friend.  I am currently in the process of making a pair of Sai for my friend Emily, for those of you who don't know what Sai are, think of the weapons that Raphael uses from Ninja Turtles.  These are being made from scratch though and will hopefully turn out as well as I want them to.

Second, a few weeks ago I was in the studio working on something when Evan came in and gave me a projects.  In a matter of three minutes he came in and handed me a melted filter and a piece of brass tube that was about 1 1/2" in diameter.  The filter for the casting machine has been melting because students don't know how to use it properly and he wanted me to fix it.  The replacement filters were to small and we needed one of the machines to work (at that moment they were both broken).  He said that if it was anyone else he wouldn't have even bothered asking but figured I might be able to come up with something.

After taking on the projects I studied the filter which is shown above, the vacuum pressure  combined with the heat from the metal flask warped the plastic filter until it closed itself off.  My idea to fix the problem was to cut the filter apart and see exactly how it was constructed.  I then spent about 2 hours and made a brand new filter out of brass tube and copper sheet.  This new filter which is pictured bellow should last for quite a while and if someone manages to melt it they shouldn't be using the machine in the first place because it means they have no clue what they are doing.

Third, I have started the process of making yet another Sonic Screwdriver.  This time however I am taking the toy screwdriver of the 11th Doctor and disassembling it.  This is just the top of the screwdriver that I have begun working on at this point.

My plan is to take the thing completely apart and then to cast the different parts out of either silver or copper.  I am hoping that I will then be able to reassemble it and that it will still function.

The last update is the book but that will wait for its own blog post because I have had quite a bit of progress on it.

Katana: Finished

My work on Kevin's Katana progressed through the end of last week.  The collar was secured to the tang with metal shims and the Tsuba put in place.  Instead of using the pegs and holes that were traditionally used, I used Epoxy to secure the handle.  Mainly because the hole drilled down the length would have caused problems with the pegs.  Now that the handle was attached to the blade, I needed to fabricate the rest of the metal fittings.

I started with the cap that would go onto the bottom of the handle.  A hammered piece of copper tubing was shaped to fit around the bottom of the handle and then soldered onto a flat piece of copper.  The extra copper was cut off and filed to leave a nice cap that was colored the same way as the Tsuba and again epoxied into place.

 Once the cap was secured on the handle, I began the wrapping.  This is probably the most time consuming part of making a handle for a Katana or one of the other Japanese swords.  The decorative knot used to tie it off is a pain to try and figure out.  Since I re-used the wrapping it came with I put strips of double sided tape down the sides of the handle to help hold it in place.  The cord is nylon and it slips on the smooth paint.  They would normally use leather or a flat braided cotton.

Now that the sword was done, I had to finish the scabbard.  I fabricated another collar that again had a flat piece soldered onto it.  This one though then got a grove the shape of the scabbard opening cut out of it so that the blade could slid through it.  Again it was epoxied in place.

 Since I used the original scabbard, the bottom had a hole in it from where the interior opening had continued.  To cover it, I simply made a shaped piece of copper that I finished like all the others and also epoxied on.

I gave the sword back to Kevin on Friday of last week and I am very pleased with how he reacted to it. I'm sure it will become a great wall hanging in his room.

Katana: Day 3

Work has continued on the Katana over the past week or so.  When I left off, I was in the process of making the new Tsuba or cross-guard.  So what I have done is cut the shape of the original Tsuba out of an ingot of copper.  Instead of having the intricate dragons like were on the plastic one, I have hand chiseled two lion heads into the surface of the Tsuba.  Kevin specifically asked for Lions so I found an image I liked and scaled it to fit the space I had.

 For the finish, I used a heating method that left the surface a red brown so dark that it is almost black.  I will clear coat it to prevent the finish from flaking off on anything and it will give it a nice gloss apposed to the matt it is currently at.

The next step was the scabbard, as known as the Saya in Japanese.  I had already cut it down to length so I removed the cord and re-painted it.  Instead of the ugly white they used, I painted it a blood red and clear coated it to give it a nice shine.  That way it would look more like a traditionally laqured scabbard.

 The cord at the top of the scabbard is called the Sageo and is tied in a decorative knot around the Kurikata (the knob on the side).  The only time you see it tied like this is when it is on display somewhere, if it were to be in use, the Sageo would be used to attach the sword to your waist.  I re-tyed the cord using the most commonly seen traditional knot used.  All of these terms and knots can be found on-line simply by searching for parts of a katana.

 From the scabbard I moved onto the handle known as the Tsuka.  Using my dremel, I cut the grove for the tang and re-glued the two halves of the handle back together.  I painted it the same as the scabbard and will re-tie the braid or Ito when I am ready to assemble the sword.

 The last thing I have done for the time being is add metal shims into the space between the tang and the  Habaki or blade collar.  Normally this collar is made to be the exact size of the blade but the company that made this obviously used a collar from a different sword so I had to properly space it out.

Finding Comfort in the pages of a book

From a very young age, my brother would find comfort and solitude in books.  By engrossing himself in the words written on a page, he could forget about everything that was happening in his life.  Everything and everyone that was bothering him would suddenly not matter anymore when he picked up a book.  Even to this day it is almost impossible to find him without a book close at hand.  Books and the world created in them, were his protective devise, they allowed him to defend himself from anything.

This being said, the projects I am working on this semester is his protective devise.  Like my insanely large hammer, I am building him an equally insanely large book.  In researching medieval manuscripts and tombs I came across this image from a blog describing the technical terms for book sizes.

This picture of a medieval portfolio gave me the idea of building Andrew a large book that would transform into a devise he could use to protect himself.  To that end I build a foam core prototype so I wouldn't waist material if the design wouldn't work.

 The prototype when closed measures 22"tall by 15 1/2" wide and is 3" thick.  The plan is for the finished piece to be coated in leather with tooled metal fittings on the spine, corners, and closures.  Underneath the leather I am going to have raised and lowered designs that the leather will be embossed into giving it depth and dimension.  Around the edge I am going to be placing sections of glued paper so that when it is close it looks exactly like a real book.  A tooled leather strap connected to two opposite corners will allow him to easily carry the book on a shoulder.  When the book is opened there will be two bolts with guides that slide across the spine and to the other side of the book cover.  These bolts are used to lock it open so it won't fold shut.  There will also be a handle allowing you to hold it in an upright position.  The placement of the handle leaves only one way to hold the book when open.  That is with it resting against your raised forearm in a vertical position.  With the size of the book (22" by 31" when open), this positioning makes it so that it can only be held in a defensive position covering the head and upper body.  Below is the progress I have made on the actual piece.

The cover is made from 16 gauge plate steel, the same type I used in making the hammer head.  I cut the pieces with a plasma torch and welded on a screen door piano hinge that allows it to lay flat when opened.  The hinge came pre drilled for screws so I simply welded in the screw holes to secure it to the steel plate.

The core of the book is welded from 1 1/2" steel flat stock.  I welded two pieces together into a 3" wide piece and used that to make a "C" shaped piece that I tack welded to one side of the book.  I then closed the book, flipped it over, and tack welded the other side onto the core.  This allowed me to be sure the two halves of the book would line up when closed.  After it was all welded, I ground off the tack welds holding the two core pieces together.  I now have one insanely big steel book waiting to have a handle and locking guides installed.

Tandgents

Last semester I went through my review to be admitted into the MFA program here at Wayne State.  My admissions committee made the unanimous decision to let me in the program.  Several of them though had some concerns about my work.  The main concern they had was that it seamed I had the corse of my work planned out for the rest of my career here.  I had the different outfits I wanted to do for different people, I knew what ones I wanted to do in which semester, and other stuff like that.  They wanted to be sure that if I found an idea that spoke to me, I would be willing to take it and see where it led me.  I assured them, that that is exactly how I do my work.  It is my opinion that you can only design work to a certain point, from there on the work will tell you how it wants you to do it.  If some kind of tangent comes around, you have to be willing to take it.

Less then a week after my review, I had such a tangent come around and I think it is looking to be a good direction for my work to go in.

In one of my individual studio meeting before my review, I was telling the faculty member about my hammer and the other large props I was going to be building.  When describing them, I dropped the word "Hero Weapon" and she asked to me explain what that meant.  In stage and film, the "Hero Weapon" is the weapon that will receive the most screen time.  That means it has to be the most detailed and best looking prop used.  Lauren was so interested in this idea, she asked me what the librarian's weapon would be.  I had my hammer, I was going to be making the giant spatula and whisk for Kevin, what kind of weapon would Andrew carry being the librarian.

This conversation led to think on what kind of weapon a librarian would carry.  People told me I should make a giant pin that would become a sword but I thought that was a little to obvious.

While thinking of this, I was having my reviews and individual meetings with visiting artists.  Every person I spoke to about my work, I asked about how to present it.  Since it is something that is supposed to be used, about the only thing we could come up with was some kind of presentation or performance.  I kept asking because the entire point of my work came about from not wanting to do a performance to be a character at a themed event.  This made me realize that my entire idea for the Steamlife work, came about from a need to feel comfortable and safe.

At this point the ideas in my head started to stumble over each other in their attempt to get to the front of my mind.  One of these ideas was actually a realization of something I already knew but hadn't thought of in connection to my work.  Since I was very young, I have used my work and art to feel better.  If I was angry or upset about something, if I needed cheering up, I would make things.  This realization made me realize that it was appropriate for my large prop to be a smith's hammer.  It is a tool used to create but the size it was built to suggests that it could be used to protect and defend as well.

It was at this realization that a tangent started to form for my work.  The problem I had with the steampunk costuming was that it required an explanation as to what exactly steampunk is and even then only a small percentage of people would get it.  If I focused on this idea of feeling safe and protected and the tools we use to accomplish it, I could still make my over sized props and get across the idea that originally inspired the steamlife concept but without the need for a performance of any kind.

All of this went through my mind constantly for about two weeks as I plotted and planned this new direction for my work.  I have started construction on the next piece in the series but I am going to hold off until next time to talk about it and show what I have done so far.

Ninja and Katana: Day 2

I have been continuing my work on both the Katana and the Ninja Set and it has been coming along nicely.

The next step in the Ninja set was to complete the sanding and filing on the handles.  Thanks to the handles being a thin plywood, the file cut through pretty quickly.  Once they were all done I used a dark stain to color them and finished with a clear lacquer to protect the finish.

 I originally planned on drilling the handles and using copper tubing to rivet the handles on but I found that the steel used to make the swords was very strong and i had a hard time even attempting to drill through them.  Instead, I used E6000 glue to adhere them to the steel.  E6000 is a very good and very strong multi purpose glue that will adhere to almost anything.

 The only problem with E6000 is it takes 24 hours to dry so I had to tape the handles in place and wait for them to finish.

 I would say the finished look it worth it though.  The over all weight and feel of the set is still pretty comfortable to use.  The wood handles are pretty close to the same weight as the cord handles that were on them.

My work on the Katana has gone away from what I originally planned, but I think it will make a better looking finished piece.  The next thing I worked on was cutting down the existing handle to a more appropriate length.  I decided on the length of the handle by measuring the scabbard both before and after i cut it so that the handle would have the same shrinkage ratio.

 After cutting it to length I cut it in half so that I can hallow out the space for the tang to be inserted.

 That led to the issue of the tang itself.  Like I said before, a Katana traditionally has a tapered tang that is inset into a grove in the handle.  The sword came with a round steel rod welded onto the bottom of the blade.  I designed a paper template that would fit on the end of the sword and be the shape of a more traditional tang.

 This was then traced on and cut out of a piece of 16 gauge steel.  I actually cut it out with a hand saw because I wanted it to be very precise.

 You can see how well it fits onto the bottom of the blade.  I then welded the tang in place and ground the weld down to the surface of the metal so that it would be flush with the surface of the blade.

 I now have a blade with a traditional Japanese style tang.

 I was going to be taking the plastic fittings that it came with and cast them out of copper.  Looking at it and everything else I need to do, I decided that that would just take too long so I am fabricating new fittings from scratch.  They are going to be a bit more simplistic but still keep with the look that Kevin was wanting for this piece.

In making the Tsuba, I traced the shape of the plastic one onto one of my copper ingots and have started cutting the shape out.  Once it is cut out I will make the grove for the tang and blade collar to be set into.  Instead of having the raised dragons circling the blade, I am going to chisel a tribal lion head onto either side of the blade.  It will be much more simplistic but still give it a very nice finished look.