Figure 1: Wisconsin
I chose to plasma cut and finish Wisconsin. I chose Wisconsin for no particular reason — just because I thought no one else would.
Cutting the State
I used a feed rate of 70 on the plasma cutter since this rate seemed to give a clean cut on the line test for 1/4″ aluminum. In addition, it cut nicely when we tried it in class last week. This feed rate worked pretty well to cut Wisconsin, but one of my two cuts came out cleaner than the other. One Wisconsin came out with significant dross on the bottom, while the other had minimal dross. I decided to just keep these two cuts and use files to smooth out the rougher parts and remove dross as needed.
Figure 2: Dross Comparison
Post-Processing: Filing
I filed the dross away using a few small files. This left the back of the state pretty scratched up, but a lot cleaner looking than with the dross. I also filed and slightly rounded the edges to make it nicer to hold or handle.
Figure 3: Wisconsin, Post-filing
Post-Processing: Spray Painting
Figure 4: Rustoleum Antique Pewter Spray Paint
The last step I took to post process the state was to spray paint it. I chose a Rustoleum brand paint and primer called Antique Pewter. I decided to use this paint because I thought it would give the state a unique, textured look. I applied one coat, then waited 5 minutes before applying a second coat. After applying the second coat, it was clear that I didn’t do the best job. On one state (right), there was a clear streak between the lines of paint. The other state (left) also has a streak but it is more faint because I improved the alignment of the spray can.
Figure 5: Paint streak example
Final Product: Pewter Wisconsin
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the final look of my states. The antique pewter gives it a nice textured finish that looks like more than a simple paint job. The texture and metallic silver-grey color transform the aluminum to look like an antique piece of forged metal (sort of). The main thing I would improve on if I did this again is overall evenness in the paint job. The streak near the top of the state could have been avoided with a bit smoother blending between lines of paint.
Figure 6: Antique Pewter Wisconsin
