For the Plasma cutter and post processing homework, we were tasked with using a diamond template to plasma cut a piece of metal then decorate it however we wanted.  Once I heard we were making diamonds I instantly knew I was going to make the Volcom logo. For those who have not met or seen me, most of my shirts and shorts are made by Volcom.

Plasma Cutting:

Initially I thought I would try to laser cut the logo keeping the black sections as positive and the white as the negative. To account for the black triangles with no connection to the rest of the part I would have to add in supporting rectangles.  I modified the logo in illustrator and thought it would look too different than the original so I decided on with just cutting the bottom off the diamond template then spray painting the rest of the pattern on. For some reason the plasma cutter would read my shape for first few seconds then it would disappear after preparing the file to cut. I adjusted the file in illustrator twice and the plasma cutter did not read it but after doing other work for 20 minutes and trying again, the plasma cutter read the file for some reason and I still don’t know why.

Eliminating Dross:

Since my diamonds were cut out of stainless steel, the were not magnetic and I could not use the angle grinder. I first tried to use the files in the basement but that took too long for how little progress it made.  After reading the instruction on the other diamonds downstairs,  I figured I would try use the wire brush wheel an it only needed a couple minutes to take the dross off both my diamonds.

Spray Painting the Logo:

My first idea for putting the logo on the diamond was to laser cut a stencil out of cardboard.  To make the stencil, I layered the logo onto the file of the diamond I plasma cut.

I first spray painted the diamonds black and after waiting an hour I put the stencil on top then spray painted the logo white.

This stencil failed because the paint bled under the stencil too much and the triangle that wasn’t connected to the rest of the cardboard flew off after the first coat of white paint.

To remedy this I used the vinyl cutter for the first time and made 4 stencils out of the vinyl stickers. I tried to  peel the stickers off by hand but it was very difficult to line up and it curled up and stuck to my hand. I managed to get it on my black spray painted diamond and add a coat of white. After waiting an hour I peeled off the sticker and the result was not ideal.

I put the sticker on after only letting the black paint dry for 1 hour so part of that layer of paint peeled off with the sticker. Also I chipped off some of the paint when trying to get my fingernail under the sticker to peel off the floating triangle.

With the insights I gained from my previous attempts, I made sure to let my diamonds dry overnight after spray painting them. Then I used transfer paper to peel off the components of the stencil I needed. Once it was on the transfer paper I lined it up with the diamond, pressed down for a minute, then peeled off the transfer paper carefully to keep it stuck on the diamonds.

 

Finally I spray paint the diamonds white and after waiting another day, I peeled off the stickers and it looked exactly like what I hoped it would be. The lines were much cleaner than the cardboard attempt and all the paint stayed on after I peeled the stickers off.

After this I sprayed them with a clear coat and labeled my process on the back of one of them.

This was the most rewarding project for me since it turned out how I wanted it to and while was frustrating at times, the challenges never felt impossible to overcome.

Cost analysis: 

Labor: 6 Hours x $15/hour = $90

Materials:

(1) 12″x12″ sheet of aluminum: $6.06

(3) cans of spray paint:  $2.94

(4) Vinyl Stickers: $1.50

Machine time:

1 day rental of plasma cutter: $55

Wire Brush Wheel: $3

Total: $158.5

Overall the cost of materials was not very expensive and the cost could hav been brought down significantly if I could have found a plasma cutter to rent by the hour, rather than the day.

 

https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/aluminum/0-04-aluminum-sheet-clear-5005-anodized/pid/23889?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl4uApIqq5QIVS9bACh0-iA-6EAQYASABEgKiivD_BwE

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Spray-Paint/Blacks/N-5yc1vZapz5Z1z1409i

https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/items/1452/plasma-cutters/