2D Modeling

I begin by placing my noun project kiwi bird™️ onto my diamond using Adobe Illustrator. The lab techs and I have some trouble making autopath work, so after a failed attempt I go back and cutout the kiwi from the diamond on the file.

Waterjet Cutting

I waterjet cut four identical copies, except they aren’t identical because I messed one up. Cool now I have a test piece.

Scrub Scrub

I sandpaper down the points to a touchable level of pointiness, then wirebrush the surface. I make a neat pattern by brushing parallel to the edges around the border and horizontal in the center (for my two favorite pieces). This is where I realize one of my cuts was very delicate, and it will break if I’m not gentle with it (the birds little foot).

Vinyl Cutting and spraypaint

I put my initials onto the diamond in Adobe Illustrator (for size reference), then save my initials separately and bring them to the vinyl cutter. I cut out my initials a few times. I first remove the actual lettering using my fingers. Next I use transfer paper to stick the negative onto my diamond (under my kiwi bird) and spray paint the negative. My first coat is thick, and after 25 minutes I add a light second coat. (My first time going through this step I really messed up. I thoroughly soaked my real parts in spray paint because I overcorrected and sprayed for too long after noticing gaps in my initials on the test part. I would have had to sandblast the entire piece in order to fix this mistake, ruining my desired look, so I instead went back to my metal sheet and quickly cut out two more diamonds. I then repeated all of the steps up to spray paint, being much more careful this time around. These new pieces are the ones I continued with from this step.)

Touch up

I like how the sand made marks on the back of my design when the piece was waterjet cut, so I finish up by cleaning off the back with some soap and water. Finally, I wire brush some minor paint mistakes.

Shmoney

Lets talk money

Labor = $15/hr x 11 hrs = $165 (I’m from New York so I’m giving myself a NY minimum wage)

Aluminum ~ $15 for a 12”x12”x1/2” sheet

Adobe Illustrator = $29.99 for one month

One Sheet of Adhesive Vinyl ~ $10

Two Hours of Waterjet Cutting Time (consumables cost only, but including time spent figuring out my file on the machine) ~ $40

Bribe to Use the Vinyl Cutter for 1.5 Hours (because I can’t find any official services to rent a vinyl cutter) ~ $50

Wire Brush = $1.50

Total ~ $261.49

(Total excludes Rice tuition)