THaddeus’s Mas.863 site
 


Name: Jim Gwinner
Age: 17
Birthday: November 28
School: Westside
Favorite vacation: Whistler
Favorite book: Skaters rule 
Favorite movie: Hit the dirt
Favorite quote: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetuer adipiscing. Warning About me relevant links
plaster.com
Keep out
 
Here’s what happened ...
I created a JPEG using Adobe Creative Studio and GraphicConverter. It used 5 different shades of gray, distributed percentwise equally from light to dark. The intent was to create a miniature model of a reflecting pool.
 
cad.py loaded the JPEG without a problem. I generated the toolpath and exported the RML file for the Modela mill.
 
I cut a suitably-sized chunk of purple wax using the bandsaw. If you get the speed exactly right (and use a blade that is sufficiently heavy-duty and not bent) then this operation is simple.
 
The Modela mill sculpted the inverse reflecting pool into the wax in under 25 minutes.
 
Casting the rubber was no problem, thanks to hints from Vanessa. After 24 hours it had set and could be peeled off and displayed. I cut off the extraneous material before filling the reflecting pool with water and ... reflecting.
 
The only problem: because the pool is quite shallow, it doesn’t hold more than a few drops of water. But for a first attempt I was fairly pleased. Plus, making it twice as deep would have doubled Modela milling time.
About this week
Title: Make a mould. Then use it to make a cast.
Date: Week of 20 Nov
Details: Portion a suitably sized chunk of wax. Use Modela mill to sculpt it into a mould. Make a rubber cast from it.
Tools used: cad.py 
What I learnt: The JPEG import capability of cad.py makes the workflow straightforward.