This week had (in my opinion) the most simply project. We were tasked with cutting out a metal diamond shape using the water jet cutter and adding an additional shape within the diamond. I chose to add an acorn image to mourn the end of the fall season 🙁

I combined my acorn shape and the diamond shape in adobe illustrator and with the help of a lab assistant went over to the water jet cutter. The process was relatively simply with the help of the lab assistant. They helped me set up the machine, the file, and even helped me pick a sheet a metal. The entire process went smoothly and I ended up with two identical, beautifully cut diamonds.

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This part of the project took a little more care. The edges of my diamond were relatively clean, so I chose to skip to sandblasting first. I decided to tape down my piece to a block of wood for each pass because I had a thin bar that needed support.

Afterwards, I spent time sanding both sides of both pieces going from 180 to 240 to 400 grit. I also focused on sanding the edges to get rid of the sharp edges. After the 400 grit, the diamonds were very pleasantly smooth.

Finally, after deciding that I didn’t like any of the paint options and preferred the look of the shiny metal, i chose to add a clear coat.