M E T A L !

In my last blog I discussed my glaze tests and the progress I have been making with my ceramics work. I have since received my biscuit fired salt cellar back from the kiln and it turned out great! Below is a photo:

Now, I don't have a whole lot more to share on this project just yet as the piece is currently sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting once again to be fired in the kiln as each of the separate compartments have been prepped with their respective glazes. However, while I can't share too much about that project I can talk about my latest project in the metal workshop!

In my metal workshop induction I learnt about many processes such as how to fold, bend and cut sheet metal. There are many health and safety measures to remember from how equipment should be operated and what clothes should be worn. In the workshop we typically have to wear protective gear like the gloves, boots and goggles provided so that we protect ourselves from the many harmful obstacles in the workshop.

When prepping sheet metal the deburrers are used to remove any sharp edges after the metal sheets have been cut. From there, odd-leg dividers, scribers and rulers can all be used to mark out which areas on a piece of metal should be cut or scored. Equally a centre-punch can be used to mark out points that need to be hole-punched or drilled. Standard joining techniques include using pop rivets in a rivet gun and spot-welding. Unfortunately other forms of welding are currently unavailable due ventilation issues in the workshop which does slightly limit what is capable within this project, I hope that in 2022 this issue is resolved.

Larger machines like the sheet metal roller and sheet metal folder are both really useful as they allow you to bend and fold metal, however they do have constraints. In particular, the roller doesn't allow you to create very tight curves in metal or small cylinders, so I have to resort to a mallet and mandrel if I want to create tighter rings.

As I have to make a surreal hand tool I have been looking at different hand tools that pique my interest. Currently I really like keys and handcuffs as I think they're really interesting objects with the abilities to restrain and release. I think looking at restraint and perhaps punishment, might be really useful as a starting point for my ideas. How this could translate into a surreal hand tool at this current juncture is unknown to me, but at least I have a starting point.

In class, we were tasked with creating handles for fruit and vegetables! This task was not only fun but has been really useful in helping me focus on what may make an object surreal or not. The handle above is for carrying a mushroom. The top part of the handle is a circle so that it fits within the central cavity within the mushroom that is usually a circle. The two pieces of card that connect this circular piece to the main handle not only create a secure set of supports to lift the mushroom, but they also allow the circle to sway slightly with the mushroom as it is carried. This strange wobbling effect is very surreal for the user and is actually a lot of fun! Who knew you could get such entertainment from something so simple?

The handle also has a functioning purpose beyond just carrying the mushroom! For people like me who are fussy eaters and don't like mushrooms and want nothing to do with them, this product is perfect. You can pass your mushroom to someone else without touching it! Now touching a mushroom might not seem like a big deal to most, but for some it can be a genuinely stressful experience! There is also the added bonus that this mushroom seriously smelt of fish, so I saved myself getting that smelliness all over my hands!

For my metal hand tool I need to find something that will make my tool surreal in concept and execution just like my mushroom handle. It might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever made but I am excited to continue to design it.

I am more and more drifting toward the idea of creating a key that cannot be turned! However, I think I want to tackle an issue instead with my product, like how some people don't snap their kitkats in half! What is wrong with you? There are some odd people out there, watch yourself folks!

- Samuel Sant