Workshop samples.

In todays workshop we experimented with different materials and pieces of equipment to see if we could use any of the techniques in our final piece. 

I started by using a hot wire to cut shapes out of blue foam. One wire was bent into a circular shape to enable me to carve shapes out of the foam, while the other was one long piece of wire which allowed me to cut large chunks out and create a waved effect shown in the photograph.

I then used a strip heater to heat sections of a strip of plastic which then allowed me to bend the plastic into different shapes. I also did this by holding a heat gun over a section of the plastic to bend a larger surface area.

When experimenting with metal I used a guillotine to use different size strips of metal. I then pulled them through a roller which created the curved effect. To experiment with the tightness of the bend, I adjusted the rollers and the closeness they were to each other, the further apart they were the less curved the metal would be. I also cut larger sections which I could then bend and manipulate using another piece of equipment. I placed the sheet of metal under a bar, locking it in place. I then pulled a leaver which would bend certain areas of the metal.

Using the pieces I experimented with, I then soldered them together. I used a piece of equipment that would send a pulse of electricity through the metal and solder them together. 

For my final experimentation I placed a piece of plastic over a piece of metal I had previously experimented on. Then using a hairdryer I heated the plastic up enough so it began to mould around the metal. I did this to create the effect of one shape moulding around another for final piece.