Who’s a good dog? Ours. Kunde is the BEST dog. So, my first doodles for this project were of him. At first, I only sketched the face, trying to waste as little space as possible. Then, I realized that the leftover negative space could serve as an abstract chest and front legs. I planned to cut through and then attach the two parts with a magnet. However, when Grant agreed to donate his diamond and creativity to the task, we wound up with a much more dynamic finished project: well-placed slots and notches let us create a three-dimensional bobble-head sculpture.

Grant and I worked together to edit the tool path for the most efficient cuts, especially the single plasma-cut line that separates the head part from the chest/paws part. The main challenge we had in the plasma cutting portion of the project was fishing out the parts after they fell into the rusty water under the machine. We were amused at how many other folks’ lost parts we encountered before finally retrieving our own.

We used a combination of wire wheeling and angle grinding to remove the dross from each part. We used a magnetic vise to hold the flat parts down, and then we used a bench vise to hold the parts while cutting notches with a combination of hacksaw and various files. Grant sandblasted the parts so that we would have a nice blank canvas for the remaining finishing steps.

Initially, I liked the sandblasted finish, but I wanted a little more dimension and interest. So, back at home I used our Proxon rotary tool (it’s like a Dremel, but quieter), and several attachments (brass wire brush, engraving nib, and a grinding thingy) to add shine and subtle textures. The process was a lot like sketching with a pencil, adding contours with strokes of different styles and directions, like scumbling and cross-hatching. The brass wire brush imparted a warmer color, so I used it in places where Kunde has patches of brown fur.

Speaking of which… it’s time to conclude this blog and go pat that dog and kiss his fuzzy cheeks. Thanks for reading and viewing!