This week, we used the plasma cutter and finishing techniques to create two metal diamonds. I cut out sharks in the center of my diamonds. This is what my diamonds looked like after plasma cutting at the TA session.
Since there was a lot of excess metal/dross from the plasma cutter, I used and angle grinder and metal file to smooth out both sides. This is what it looked like after angle grinding and filing.
Next, I sand-blasted both of my diamonds in the wet lab. My hand kept cramping when sand-blasting. Looking back, I probably should’ve tried to get a more even surface so the powder coat sat evenly. Here are my diamonds after sand-blasting.
Finally, to finish off my post-processing, I powder-coated both my diamonds with a pink shade. I set up my powder-coating station outside and tried to apply one even layer onto my metal. Then, I baked my diamonds in the oven according to the instructions on the bottle.
Lastly, I cleaned up my workspace. That concludes my metal-cutting assignment. Here is my finished product. Like mentioned earlier, I wish I had a more even sand-blasted layer so the powder coat sat evenly, but overall I love the color and the way it turned out.
Here is a picture of my clean workspace. I put all the equipment back in its place.
Overall, this project would have cost:
- 4 hours of labor x $15 = $60
- 24 x 36 in Steel Sheet from Home Depot = $15.93
- 1lb Pink Powder Coat = $19.86 from Prismatic Powders
- Tools (plasma cutter, angle grinder, metal file, etc.) are included with OEDK access
Total = $95.79
