INTRODUCTION

hello. today, we will not be funny. we will not attempt to make anything in the oedk.

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PSYCH, YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET RID OF US THAT EASILY HAHAHAHAHAHAH ur funny

For our final project (yes, I know, sad that there will be no more peak funny blogs), we were tasked with creating a chess piece out of a cast mold. This may seem like a lot of work (and it was), but we loved doing it, honestly. We had lots of laughs and fun on the way to finishing, and it was a great way to finish the class.

BIG STEP 1: GATE 1

Step 1: An Unexpected Visitor

The first step for the chess piece was to decide what we were going to make as our chess piece. To do this, we needed to browse Thingiverse and find a file that we could use. We looked for a long time until we stumbled upon something mysterious, something beautiful, something…wizardly. Yes, we found a file named “tiny wizard”. But to us, he was Gandore Dumbledalf. From the moment we set our eyes on him, we knew: he was the one.

 

Step 2: We Met Mr. Dumbledalf

The next step in the process was to scale the file and 3D print it to get an idea for the size of the chess piece and have it be the correct size as well. We went to the OEDK computer, uploaded the file to BambuSlicer, scaled him to a reasonable size, then sent him to print. A day later, we opened the door to the printer to the most beautiful sight: Mr. Dumbledalf in the (PLA) flesh. We were truly blessed and excited when Dr. Wettergreen said that we could keep him and that he was the right size.

BIG STEP 2: GATE 2

Step 1: We Cut Mr. Dumbledalf In Half (And Other Parts of Him)

For Gate 2, we needed to have the 3D printed half of Mr. Dumbledalf with air vents (so he can breathe, duh). To start this process, we (rather unfortunately), had to cut off one of his hands along with his staff so it would be possible to use him as a chess piece. We fired up a slicer called MeshMixer and did the amputation.

We then moved to cutting him in half, with the purpose of 3D printing the positive space cast of the complicated side of Dumbledalf, then CNC-ing the less complicated side. After some fighting with MeshMixer (and each other), we found half of him and, yes, cut him in half. We saved the two halves and exported them to SolidWorks so we could add the bases to each.

Step 2: We Put Mr. Dumbledalf in Carbonate

The next step in the process was to put the sawed-in-half Dumbledalfs onto a sheet of material in SolidWorks. This way, we could get molds with pegs so that the halves would fit together when we tried to eventually mold him. We took a gander to the computer lab and fired up the old SolidWorks. We found the files given to us from Dr. Wettergreen on Canvas and created an assembly in SolidWorks where we mated the flat part of Dumbledore to the sheet of material. Then, for the half that we were going to 3D print, we added air vents to the sides to allow air to get out of the mold. 

Step 3: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets Printed

Once finished with SolidWorks, we exported the 3D print side as an stl and sliced and sent it to a 3D printer. Then, one hour later, we had a Mr. Dumbledore half on a slab with air vents and pegs. The next day in class, Dr. Wettergreen recommended that we reprint the piece with larger pegs and slightly adjusted air holes (so that the mold liquid wouldn’t run out and the air would actually escape.) We made the adjustments and then sent it again.

Step 4: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets Printed (Again)

Another hour later, and Mr. Dumbledore 2.0 (front half) walked out of the 3D printer (we grabbed him from the printing bed). After we removed the skirt from the base of the piece, we showed Dr. Wettergreen again, and the only adjustment we needed to make was that we had messed up on the air vent connection to the hat, in that it wasn’t touching. So, back to the computer lab.

 

Step 5: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets Printed (Again Again)

In the computer lab, we fixed our error, and once again exported an stl. We went to the OEDK computer, sliced the file and exported it to a Bambu printer. The next day we came back to the OEDK and found Dumbledalf, new and improved, laying in the finished prints bin. He was happy to see us, and we were happy too. Dr. Wettergreen was also happy with what we had done and we got the green light to move ahead with making the mold for Dumbledalf’s front half.

Step 6: Mr. Dumbledalf Gets Covered in Goo

To mold Dumbledalf, we needed to use a material that would mold around the 3D printed part and then would solidify once it sat. First though, we needed to build up a perimeter around the piece so that the silicone mix would not pour out. We used cardboard, hot glue, and tape to keep the silicone all together. For the molding material, we decided to use a silicone mixture, so we mixed the silicone and the activator, combined it, and then poured all over the mold. We made sure to pour it in the corner so that would minimize the number of air bubbles we have. Once this was done, we let the mold sit for a day, and when we came back, we pulled off the mold and it was beautiful. We were ready for the next step!

A Study in Wizardry continues in Mina’s blog post, A Study in Wizardry: Part 2.