Plan:

I started this process by establishing my goals. I knew I wanted to create a 3D design out of my diamond. I wanted something that would stand up instead of lying flat. I also wanted to use as much of the diamond as possible. These desires lead me to decide to make a superman emblem design with a triangular base. I decided to add a goat and “J” design on the front because I planned to display the trinket in my floor lobby. I really wanted to use aluminum because I like the look of it more. There was no aluminum left, however, so I had to use steal. Consequently, I decided to spray paint the whole piece because I didn’t like the look of the steal.

Process:

I began this process by making my design in adobe illustrator. I used the diamond template and cut it to make the triangle and superman shape. I cut a line in the base and used that same line to cut the point off of the superman shape as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: First Draft of the Adobe Illustrator File

I then cut this file on thin aluminum. This cut failed because it ran into a previous cut, the superman part didn’t fit in the base, and the superman part got displaced after it was cut and then the water jet ran over it again.  I changed three components based on this failure. First, I was not going to be able to use aluminum because there was none available. Second, I realized I needed to pay attention to the width of the material if I wanted the superman piece to stand up in the base. Finally, I determined a thicker material would work better. The failed cut is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Failed First Cut

After this first cut, I choose a 1/4 inch steal piece to make my design. I made the necessary altercations and my final adobe file is shown below in figure 3.

Figure 3: Final Adobe Illustrator File for Water Jet Cut

Next, I cut out the pieces using the water jet cutter. Then to prep the steal for spray paint I used the sandblaster.  The sand-blasted pieces are pictured in figure 4.

Figure 4: Sand-Blasted Pieces

I then spray-painted one side of each piece. After that was dry I spray-painted the other side. Next, I cut out the goat and “J” letter using the vinyl cutter.  There was no space on any of the vinyl cutters to cut out the design, so I had to cut it on top of another cut. This made my sticker separate in weird places which made it more annoying to peel off and stick onto my piece. I just tried to arrange it the best I could. With the pieces stuck on I spray-painted over them. After it dried I peeled off the stickers. I then realized that some of the new colors had dripped onto the back (shown in figure 5), so I resprayed the back.

Figure 5: Messed Up Back of Design

Finally, it was done! the final product is pictured in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Final Product

Reflection:

I really liked this project! It was super fun to get creative with designs and colors. I didn’t really have any issues with the project which is probably due to the fact that I have experience with the water jet cutter. I think the hardest part was not overdoing it on the spray paint. It is so easy to put too much! I wish that I had been able to find an empty piece of vinyl because I think it would have made the goat look a lot better.

Cost Analysis:

1. 0.25-inch stainless steel – $36 (according to metaldepot.com)
2. Blue spraypaint – $6 (according to Lowe’s)
3. gold spraypaint – $6 (according to Lowe’s)
4. red spraypaint – $6 (according to Lowe’s)
5. green spraypaint – $6 (according to Lowe’s)
6. Hours of labor – $10 * 7 hours = $70

TOTAL: $24