Machined

The next piece of equipment I was introduced to was the machining lathe.  Initially, I was a little fearful of this machine in which you use sharp tools to shave metal, is loud and requires a face shield during use to protect you from potentially hazardous flying pieces of metal and metal dust.  However, after multiple tutorials from both the professor and my fellow classmates, I relaxed into the process.

Our sample project was to turn a rod of tool steel into four different riveting tools and fabricate a holder for them. This was such a great way to get familiar with the equipment and feel as if I accomplished something.  I appreciated that professor Thurman created a sample project where the end goal was to have a wonderfully useful set of tools.

 

I chose to make my riveting tool pouch mainly out of leather with metal and bead accents.  By incorporating the metal into the pouch I created a situation where I used my new riveting tools right away.  The beaded element is covering a magnet which adheres to the steel tools creating the closure.

    Above you can see the four riveting tools, each one was cut to a different angle degree.   This set has become one of my most reached for tools any time I have a need for cold connections.

Once we completed the sample project, it was time to move on to the machining final project.  For this project we were to turn a piece of brass rod into five machined pieces.  Once the pieces were made we were to use them to create a cohesive piece.

I made many brass samples while I tried to figure out what to do with them.  Finally, I chose to use a combination of enamelled, foldformed leaves with my machined brass pieces to create the jewelry set pictured above.  While the brass pieces are not all identical, I feel that they create a sense of cohesion from their similar shapes and they way each one is used the same.  I used copper wire to create the chain and the vining tendrils.