This week, I  plasma-cut an aluminum diamond with the fire nation emblem from Avatar: The Last Airbender. First, I made the design on adobe illustrator. Then, I uploaded it to the plasma cutter computer and cut the design on a sheet of aluminum 4 times.

The path of the diamond was cut before the path of the fire emblem, which resulted in %50 of the cuts failing. When the diamond is fully cut out of the sheet, it tends to move. This results in either a sloppy and misaligned fire emblem or an aborted cut. Next, I filed the dross off of the diamonds. I also tried sanding briefly, but filing alone proved to be surprisingly effective. 

I then used the wirebrush in the machine shop. When I used it in the edges of the diamond, I realized it could have achieved what I did with a file faster. The effect it had on the face was similar to sandblasting.

Next, I sandblasted and polished the diamonds. Both processes had stunning results, especially considering  how fast it changed the overall look of the aluminum. 

Lastly, I applied 2 coats of red spray paint. To speed up the process, I used a heat gun. I was rather impatient and caused some rough patches, but overall the end product is smooth:
Cost breakdown:

5 hours of labor: $7.50 x 5 =$37.50

1 hour of plasma cutter use: $25

2 hours of sandblaster +machine shop use: $15 x 2=$30

aluminum sheet: $6.28

spray paint: $3.97

Total=$102.75