The assignment for this project was to waterjet cut two diamonds with patterns in them. To choose the pattern I used to modify my diamonds, I went on the noun project and looked at various images until I found a dragon shape that I liked and thought was simple enough to easily cut on the waterjet. I then opened the diamond template file in illustrator and added my pattern to one of the diamonds. Then I selected a piece of 1/16 inch aluminum that had enough space left to fit two diamonds. I used the Protomax Layout and Make softwares to cut out the shape on the waterjet.
The machine left few manufacturing defects, so I filed the edges to make them smooth, and then moved on to other post-processing techniques. I wire brushed the entire surface of the diamond, and then vinyl cut a stencil for sandplasting and painting.
I sandblasted the edges of the diamond as well as the back, before deciding to sand the back because the sandblasting came out too rough for my liking.
I spray painted the area I had sandblasted on the front, before pulling off my vinyl sticker.
For the label, I wanted to do something a little cleaner than sharpie, so I used the fiber laser to engrave my name and the steps I had used on the back of the diamond.
The post-processing steps I ended up using were:
- File
- Wire brush
- Vinyl sticker
- Sandblast
- Spray paint
- Sand
- Laser engrave
I think it came out quite well, though in hindsight I could have saved some time by not sandblasting the backs of the diamonds.
Cost Estimate:
- Metal: 5$ for a 1/16″ thick aluminum sheet
- Waterjet garnet: On Omax’s website, it is $0.45 per pound, and since these cuts were short and the software estimate said “less than one pound”, I assumed this price is about $0.20.
- Labor: This project took me about 5 hours in total, at $15 an hour this comes out to $75
With these calculations, the price ends up at $80.20.
