MODEL MAKING SESSION 2- For this session it was time to begin working with metal. The metal which we were using was Aluminium, the properties of Aluminium are that it is a low density and soft metal, this then allows for it to be manipulated easily, using the correct equipment. In this workshop we were introduced to cutting metal, bending metal (straight and curved), sand blasting metal and also how to drill through it. These techniques will come in handy when wanting to change the form of the Aluminium for a design purpose.
CUTTING ALUMINIUM
To start off with we wanted to cut the Aluminium into sections, to begin doing this we needed to mark a line of where we wanted the cut to be. There are two ways of doing this, one being use a pen/pencil, however this does not allow for accuracy because the mark may be thicker than expected and you won’t know where to place the cut within it. The other option for marking your piece of Aluminium is to use a Engineer Scriber, this is used to create a thin, hardly noticeable line on the metal, this helps for accuracy as well as also not damaging the metal.
Once you have your marks its time to begin cutting, again there are two options for this. One you can use metal cutters and cut through by hand, this is a less accurate way of cutting the metal but may be used for small sections. Otherwise the best machinery for the best accuracy would be the Metal Guillotine, this works by clamping the metal with a ram and then the blade comes down and shears the material. To use this you need to make sure you have lined up the metal in the correct position of the blade, the next step is simple, apply your weight using your foot on the leaver and push down. This can cause a safety risk, before pushing down make sure your other foot is not underneath or anyone else’s foot, this will prevent any damage to yourself or others.
BENDING ALUMINIUM
When bending Aluminium you need to use the bending/folding machine, this works by clamping your metal in place and bending up the excess metal, this will bend on your chosen line, at the angle which you have also chosen. If you want to bend an angle on the same piece of metal but can’t fit it in the machine you can do this by hand. To bend by hand you need to use a bending clamp which will hold the metal and then place this in a vice which will hold your work, this then allows you to bend the angle you are needing, however this may require some extra help, ask a friend or teacher to apply pressure from the opposite side that you are pulling on and this will allow for your angle to be created a lot easier.
ROLL BENDING
The roll bender allows for you to create curves into your metal work, this can be used to create a cylinder or tubing. If you want to create a spiral from your metal then you need to insert it at an angle. This can be very effective when creating a design.
SANDING ALUMINIUM
When manipulating metal it can end up having rough edges which can cut you, to avoid this from happening all you need to do is simply sand these off. You can use a file or sand paper, either will do the trick, you just need to run the file or sandpaper along the rough edge once or twice and this should do the job. if you want to round off an edge on your design it would be best to use a disk sander (more information HERE)
SANDBLASTING ALUMINIUM
Sandblasting is a process where sand/glass beads are shot at a high speed through a machine across the surface of hard materials such as metal or glass. It smoothes out the surface and can be used to clean materials. In this session we had to masking tape off the sections which we didn’t want to sandblast, these stay shiny whilst the rest becomes matte from where the sand has blasted it. This can be used to add a design to a surface or even just texture, it is a very effective technique.
Peta-Louise Krog 