Week 3

The Torus

A reverse shape never sounds easy to make! In this task, we were asked to produce a reverse curve aluminium piece. Compare to the process of shaping the aluminium bowl, one of the main differences is that I used the flat faced with straight pein hammer to shrink the aluminium instead of the radius mallet because the surface of the sheet is much smaller than the bowl.    

To shape an opposite curve on an aluminium sheet, we need a stump that has a negative surface as to allow space to shrink the aluminium plate (as shown in the following image).

By using the curved steel dolly, it helps to create a thin edge on two sides of the torus to add a little detail to the shape (as shown in the images below).    

Critical thinking- It was pretty hard to come out with a design using the torus, but I ended up figuring out that it could be fasten into a cone shape and to form as a column in an interior. The first image below shows the process of fixing the aluminium torus, while the second image below is a section render to show an interior space with the installed aluminium torus columns.

Week 2

The Bowl

Walking into studio without any prior knowledge about digital design and fabrication, I were curious yet fluster to hear that our first task was to shrink an aluminium sheet into a blow form. It sounded easy when the coordinator was demonstrating each step to the group. However, I regret having said that. Hitting the mallet to the aluminium sheet was hard; I could hardly hit on the correct spots of the aluminium sheet.

Here is an image to show some of the initial steps before shaping the aluminium sheet:

I began to shape the aluminium sheet gradually from the outer circle path to the center point. Putting a shot bag underneath the sheet allows more rooms to create negative space and to form a round surface.

These images below show different perspectives of my finished aluminium bowl. To result in a smooth and even appearance, I hit the aluminium plate with the radius end of the mallet to create a concave look and then use the rounded end to smoothen the aluminium.

Likewise, by using English wheel, it helps to create a polished finish. As shown in the below diagram, there's a thin gap between the anvil and the rolling wheel that helps to form smooth curves.

Critical thinking- Looking at this finished aluminium bowl, I realized that it might be fun to design a lampshade from the piece. So, here is my design of an aluminium desk lamp.