teaser

sorry i haven't been updating too often. it's been a crazy two weeks, and the bespoke project is finally complete! i'll take good photos and actually do a full post about it, but for right now, here are a few photos to keep you interested.

yanko

yanko design is a website that i go to daily. it's an industrial design site that designers, artists, and students alike are able to post their newest ideas, concepts, and projects for the public to see. its a great influence on me, and i to see what's all happening in the design world around me. check it out and maybe add it to your bookmarks next to notcot

sloss

every 2 years there is a national conference on cast iron art held at sloss furnaces in birmingham, alabama. what's a cast iron conference? well artists, and schools are invited to come together to basically celebrate the art of casting iron. last april, i went for the first time and it was amazing. it wasn't my first iron pour, but an iron pour at such a historical, beautiful, and staggeringly massive place was unbelieveable. i helped in fabricating a 9' cupola furnace, and then drove it down in pieces with a big caravan. there was a large group (about 20 or so) people from wisconsin alone. we then were able to set up the cupola in the sloss shed, just a few feet form where the actual 64' blast furnace let out it's molten iron. we also got to camp out in the sloss grounds and got to walk around the 137 year old furnaces and buildings. if you believe the ghost stories about the place, it's a much bigger adventure.

i just learned that there's a documentary on sloss furnaces that is coming out next year from alabama public television. what's really cool is that aptv was filming at the conference, and the whole group from wisconsin is in it. if you click on this link [ sloss ] and watch the trailor, you can actually see me and the whole group from wisconsin [2:06 mins into it if your too impatient]. the slide show at the bottom of this post is from the aptv: sloss website. just a sample of the beauty and incredible feat of engineering it took to create such a place.

bespoke backpack

this is my design for the bespoke project. i have some sort of pack rat backpack problem. i carry around way too many things, yet somehow i never take them out because, "what if i need this?" and more often than not, someone will ask if anyone has a [insert random object here, i.e. bandage, sharpie, deck of playing cards] and i am able to whip said item out. then they usually look at me with an expression that's a mixture of amazement, and semi-creeped out.

here's a list i've compiled of the items to be found in my bag and any given point in time:

-one pack of playing cards, compass, moleskine sketchbook, macbook, laptop charger, ipod and headphones, ipod connector, coffee thermos, one rubber eraser, one gum eraser, one mechanical pencil, .5 refillable lead, three pens, one regular sharpie, one king size sharpie, lighter, random bolts, random objects found on ground, gauze and medical tape, floss, chapstick, razor knife, ceramic cutting pen, gerber all-in-one tool, two flashdrives, small paperback book, check book, extra kryptonite bike lock key, deoderant, ibuprofein, rear bike light, undevelpoed film, and tool pouch.

as if that's not enough, here are the contents of my tool pouch:

-phillips screwdriver, flashlight, small brass hammer with unscrewable screwdriver handle, needle nose pliars, regualr pliars, large pliars, cresent wrench, 15mm wrench, red and black electrical tape, more floss, sharpie, pencil, eraser, small metal ruler, three different files, small jeweler files, small carving knife, four sets of nuts and bolts, bandaids, ear plugs, safety glasses, roll of wire, small level, clay/wax tools, toothbrush (not for brushing teeth), bicycle tire lever, chain tool, allen key set, and a one inch paint brush.

i want a backpack able to carry all my random items around. organized, and in sight so i don't have to dig in a pouch or pocket to find them. another major factor in this design would have to be comfort. my current bag does not have any padding on the back and although the strap has wonderful padding, it still cuts into my shoulder.
i started by playing around with different designs in my head, hard shell, soft shell, what fabric, what materials, etc. i kept coming back to this hexagon pattern, and it stuck so i went full scale model with it.


it was actually quite fun arranging and rearranging the shapes until i was happy with a certain pattern. after studying my own bag and pointing out it's own faults, i finally landed on what i thought was a good start.

John Welden

this is an engagement ring created by John Welden for his future wife. this struck me, not only as a new take on an engagement ring, but also as a great example of mechanical craftsmanship.

Welden stated his finance wanted a simple engagement ring without any stones. using CAD to draw up different designs, he was able draft one unique yet simple. he chose to make a ring that housed a hidden diamond. the diamond could be seen by pulling the ring apart.

the minuscule ring closes with a tight seal to safely secure the diamond. Welden used titanium and stainless steel to create this ring, at a size of 4.5!

in my book, John Welden is a true craftsman, only with true design and careful precision was he able to create this mechanical marvel.