Introduction

For this project, we were tasked with making two identical, metal diamonds with a pattern in the middle using the water jet and at least three post-processing methods.

Step 1: Digital Design

I used Adobe Illustrator to make the design by overlaying the chi-rho logo in the middle of the given diamond pattern on the Canvas. I then exported the design as a .dxf and I was ready to use the water cutter.

Step 2: Water Jet Cutting

I uploaded the .dxf document into the waterjet and followed the instructions by the computer to cut out one of the diamonds as a test. It came out looking great, so I went ahead and made the other one without any trouble.

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Step 3: Sand Blasting

I hadn’t used the sand blaster before and I was interested to see what it would do to the metal. I was initially confused as to whether the sand was actually coming out because visually only compressed air came out. However, I kept the gun to the metal long enough for it to start turning the dark silver into a whiter, cleaner hue. I didn’t know it was supposed to change so drastically, so I thought I messed up, but after getting both of the pieces sand blasted I realized I like the clean version a lot more.

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Step 4: Powder Coating and Baking

After blasting the metal, I was ready to put some color on the pieces. I opted for black since I thought it would make powder coating imperfections less noticeable (it didn’t lol). Before going outside to set up, I preheat the oven to 400°F so it would be ready to bake the steel later. Alessa and I set up the powder coating station outside and helped each other keep a constant pressure on the air compressor before it broke later that afternoon. By the time we were done the oven was ready, and we put our pieces in for 20 minutes at 400°F. The coating came out really good, and I was honestly surprised. Sadly, however, there were blemishes on the edges of the black and I am still unsure as to how they came about. They were perfectly imperfect or something like that.

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Step 5: Vinyl Cutting and Spray Painting

As another post processing technique was needed and I wanted to learn how to make stickers, I opted to use to vinyl cutter. I cut out the vinyl to create a boarder around the diamond so I could spray paint the middle white. I left it out to dry over night, and it came out pretty nice. I think my only gripe with it is that the spray paint from the front left some residue on the back. I tried to keep this to a minimum by taping over the backside with painter’s tape.

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My final thoughts…

This was the first project where everything I used was new to me–except spray painting–so it was really rewarding seeing how I could learn and apply new skills quickly to create a product I’m proud of. I am looking forward to making more things with the water jet cutter in the future!

<–Clean work space

Cost Analysis

1/8″ Steel Sheet 13″x13″: $12.00 (amazon)

Spray Paint: $5.98 (walmart)

Vinyl Sticker Paper: $9.97 (amazon)

Water Jet Usage: ~$30 per hr for 1 hr

Labor: $15 per hour for 4hrs

Total: $117.95