DRAFT INTERDISCIPLINARY SKIN

Prior to creation of my final interdisciplinary skin, a draft was to be made in order to test and gain an understanding of how to mimic some of the movements of the skin. The profile of the skin is defined by the central curve of the handle with 'flaps' on both sides which bend upward, forming the tray of shovel. The chosen side to be modeled was to be the side which would sit on top of the shovel.

Sketch of metal shape process

In order to gain an understanding for the bends, curves and overall movements required to create the skin, a simple sketch was drawn to provide a visual explanation. Furthermore, by visually mapping out the movements required, guide lines were able to be drawn on the sheet metal, allowing for an easier task of metal shaping and removing any chances of guesswork and inaccuracies.

Guidelines and arrows to mark required movements in metal sheet

The most difficult portion of the skin to replicate would undoubtedly be the central curve where the handle meets the shovel blade, and this is where the draft would begin. In order to create a 'dip' in the aluminium metal sheet, a set of lines were drawn to mark out the ends of the curve and using the large end of a wooden bossing mallet on the sandbag, a the skin was hit repeatedly creating a 'dent' in its skin. By creating a slight dip in the shape of the metal sheet, it was able to be transferred over to an anvil in order to further the dip and shape it into the desired curve.

Curved anvil to mimic central curve of shape

Beating metal around anvil to mould curve

Curve fits shape quite accurately

By hitting the metal sheet against the curve of the anvil, a nice curve was able to be made. However, this proved to be the incorrect method and time for this action. By moulding the curve prior to creating the bends in the shape for the shovel tray, it became impossible to fit the sheet into the metal bending brake. Additionally, even though the central curve of the shape looked to be identical that which was able to be reproduced using the anvil, it was ultimately the incorrect procedure to create the profile of the shape, as it was slightly larger than the template curve. By using an anvil that was the same size as the curve of the shape, it actually created a 'stretched' face to the metal sheet. Once stretched, if not exact to size it would be nearly impossible to reduce/shrink to stretched face to correct size, made worse by the intricacy of the curve.

Ultimately, due to the incorrect order of tasks and misuse of tools in order to achieve desired changes to the sheet metal, the draft was scrapped and a new skin was fabricated.