Posts filed under 'Let's Talk'
October 29th, 2006
I have noticed in the last week or so that the website, blogtopsites has been down. My question is, is it because of a change in server or has it been removed altogether. The site is unique in the fact that you can track the amount of traffic that comes to your blog over a one week period giving you a numerical number for the position in that said category. In other words, Metamorphosis was tracking at number 60 to 65 over the week period out of an estimated 400 blogs in the category of Automotive Blogs. Most people wanting to find out about a certain subject will visit this site, making it important to strive for a top 50 placement at least in a hope of finding regular traffic. The top 50 being the first page of this website.
I find it interesting as this gives me an incentive to try and produce more postings with quality information. This in turn will help my readership to grow, resulting in a higher placement in the blog top sites.
I have noticed on the site Problogger which normally tracks at number one for internet blogs, that the link is down proving there must be a problem. If anyone does have an idea as to what’s going on, post a comment to resolve my curiosity.
September 24th, 2006
Another successful “Group Writing Project” comes to an end at Problogger and it’s time to list what I think has been the most beneficial to my growth as a blogger. That doesn’t mean that the ones that didn’t make my list were not worthy but the ones that did meet my criterion for the “Best” are the ones that I have listed.
This list of 343 submissions surpasses the last mass writing project and to be honest it has taken a lot of time to read everyones post and more, which leads me in having to backtrack and read quite a few of the posts again, just to refreshen my mind after information overload.
My thoughts on this project leads me to list first the posts that are outside the normal scope of what Problogger is about, those posts that have nothing to do with internet marketing and making money online. They are the ones that I enjoyed the most in this group writing project. They were the ones who spoke about their hobbies, their families or day to day experiences.
- How to be a parent and still have fun.
A charming post on how to relax a little with your two year old. I can relate to that having two young children myself. Everything was doable when we had one but now it is a challenge with both, as the eldest one now does not take naps and it is all go from morning till night.
- How to save money at the grocery store.
In these times where every penny counts Shannon passes on her tips on reducing your grocery bill. Our household uses these coupons on specific items but I’m sure if we tried there would be a lot more savings to be had. Our primary goal is to save on good cuts of meat when they are on special. Buy in bulk and freezer wrap for those occasions when you have a large dinner party, hence reducing the cost.
- Position your fish tank for properity and growth.
This is a post that states all the obvious failings of many aquariums and the corrections. The idea of having a great living window in your own home can be very appealing with the right know how. Nice post with a Feng Shui twist.
- Teaching your children how to save.
I like this post a lot especially as I have small children. It is always hard to determine the best course to take when teaching savings and I think this is a great start, savings and spending money gives the best of both worlds.
- 7 comments on kayak photography; how did you shoot it?
A good tutorial on visualizing the image without the camera and not to be afraid of taking numerous shots to get the picture. It doesn’t have to be a professional camera to do the job but your willingness to learn your camera and what it can do.
Although I have only chosen five, there are plenty more that could easily have fit the bill. In this group writing project there are no losers only winners and with that I’ll look forward to the next one. Great job everybody!!!
August 29th, 2006
In a previous post on “What splines are best” I was hoping to get a response from the modeling fraternity to see what the material of choice was but with dismal results. Not one opinion, I can only assume that the majority of modelers no longer care or use the spline as a means of ensuring a quality surface, maybe the digital world has taken over and it’s just the case of scraping out the mill marks and calling it a day. Even so I’m sure that many modelers do use splines for controlling the surface and with that I will share my findings with using carbon fiber.
Since that posting our studio has made numerous carbon fiber splines with great success, gone are the twists in the spline that you associate with wood, now we have the option of using the straight carbon fibers. This success did not come overnight though, it took several attempts to get the right amount of resin to carbon fiber, the thickness was also a factor. With carbon fiber it tends to be more rigid than the regular wooden spline so a thickness of 6.0mm in wood is more flexible than a carbon fiber at 6.0mm. To get the same sort of feeling we found that the thickness would have to be reduced by 1.0-1.5mm for the same length and width on the carbon fiber spline.
The cloth that we were using had a thickness of approximately 0.012″ therefore twelve layers would give you a 4.0mm spline including resin, fifteen layers a 6.0mm spline and so on. These sizes are not exact but it will give you the general idea.
To ensure uniformity and flatness, the surface plate was used as a base for the resin lay-up, with spacers to control thickness. The first operation is to paste wax the plate and buff out to reduce the amount of grab the resin will have to the surface plate. On top of the lay-up a 6.0mm Plexiglas® sheet was placed together with a large Norton angle plate to flatten the the layers of the fiber glass to the desired thickness. The whole process required team participation to ensure minimal mess, laying down the carbon fiber with two people reduces twist in the weave and minimizes loose strands. The wet resin is worked into the cloth to eliminate any air bubbles or air pockets that will spoil the aesthetic look of the finished sheet, care has to be taken to place the Plexiglas® onto the spacers without introducing any air while the Norton angle plate is placed on top to squeeze out any excess resin until the Plexiglas® actually beds down onto the spacers.
The curing process is overnight and only the next day will tell if the surface is free from any air intrusions. The additional precaution at the setup stage will eliminate a lot of unwanted surface blemish giving a glass like finished surface. Luckily for us the outcome was successful, giving us a sheet 1650.0 mm x 300.0 mm x 4.0 mm in size, enough for four 800.0 mm x 75.0 mm, two 600.00 mm x 50.0 mm, one 1600.00 mm x 90.0 mm and one 400.0 mm x 50.0 mm carbon fiber splines.
You may well ask, “How do you cut up the sheet.” The answer is simply on a bandsaw but remember to use safety precautions such as dust masks, extraction system and safety glasses. These items are a must to keep the fine particles to a minimum. The bandsaw blade should only be used for this one task as the saw set will quickly be removed with this type of material, cut slowly and let the saw do the work and do not power push it through. Time taken cutting the material will reduce the amount of finish work later. Once the splines have been cut to width and length the edges can be flattened by using long board self adhesive sheets stuck to the surface plate. If the bandsaw cuts are such that there is minimal work to attain a completely flat edge then 120 grit is sufficient to finish the spline, if there is more than a little work, use a more aggressive grit such as 80 and then finish off with the 120. Sand the edge of the spline on the longboards using a bracket to keep the edge at ninety degrees to get the best results.
In a nutshell that is the easiest way to make your carbon fiber splines with minimal equipment. I found that they were very uniform in thickness and cut the hard clay easily. The only thing I found a little disconcerting was the weave, it’s very strange on the eyes when checking the surface for hollows compared to a wooden spline. The checked effect of the weave and the high gloss of the resin is a total reversal compared to the wood, it’s something you have to get use to I guess.
What do you think? Leave a comment or participate in the poll.
August 16th, 2006
Darren Rowse of Problogger sets the group writing project for this week as being, lists. It just so happens that it fits in nicely with the information that I would like to portray on this weblog. In essence, to compliment my claysculptors website by offering information to clay modelers/sculptors who need a central resources site for reviews on available modeling tools or how modeling tools perform in real world applications, couple this with material reviews, how do I topics and industry news, it should make for some informative reading.
With that in mind where would I start for this group writing project. The first thing that comes to mind is you cannot start any model or sculpture without a basic set of modeling tools. Anyone first starting out is always eager to scrape on the clay and try to create a smooth acceptable surface, so let’s start with a list of Industrial Clay Tool suppliers.
This first list will contain websites and individual people who are known to the modeling community for supplying these specialized tools at great prices, quality of workmanship and availability. I have tried to cover the entire globe by including suppliers from America, Europe and Australia, that way anyone interested in purchasing tools for their own use will be able to contact the nearest supplier to themselves to reduce the shipping cost. This list is far from complete but it does cover what I would call, “The standard for hand modeling tools.” Each of these individual sites will offer more than the suggested industrial tools so in addition, these links will also offer a mountain of invaluable information.
- Chavant
Chavant has been a supplier of premium modeling clays since 1892 when the original formula was developed by a French chemist. Today we find there are numerous grades of clay ranging from Fine Arts to Industrial Clay. Each of these clays can differ in hardness to suit your particular application. To compliment their modeling clays they also have available different size rakes and wire tools with a minimalist set of steels, all at a reasonable price. These can be purchased as a set or individually.
- Kemper tools
Kemper tools have been suppling specialized tools to the ceramic arts for over 50 years. They are renown for developing new tools to met the demands of sculptors and artists, with the majority of these tools being available through art supply warehouses. The more industrial type tools such as rakes and wires are readily available through an online catalog. I have not personally seen the industrial tools available at any of my local art suppliers.
- kolb
Kolb is a reknown German supplier of modeling materials for over 100 years and has been a long time leader in supplying industrial clays to many of the European studios, couple this with their outstanding tool selection it makes it a go-to site for tool purchasing. Many of the tools can be purchased individually or as a full set complete with carrying case. The tool selection varies from wiretools to rakes, individual steels, acrylic or aluminum radius kits and texture rollers. To purchase these tools it would appear that you have to download the form and fax your order through.
- Styling Clay International
Styling Clay International produces Chavant Hard Styling Clays and distributes them throughout Europe and the Middle East. To support the clays they have available the same tools as presented by Chavant but purchased in GBP.
- Cerra Modeling Tools
Cerra Modeling Tools are produced in Victoria, Australia and are manufactured from high tensile steel with injection molded graphite polymer handles making them extremely durable, light weight and solvent proof. All available tools are based upon industry standards which include rakes, wires, finishers, angle tools and acrylic curves. All purchases are by fax or email with a six weeks delivery from time of ordering. Tools that are in stock will be dispatched on receipt of payment.
- Kochi Corporation
Kochi Corporation is based in Torrance, California and is a major supplier to the West Coast studios of modeling tools and equipment, Japanese tooling board, rice paper tapes, design stationary, modeling films and sheets. Here you will find an assortment of modeling tools from major independant companies. Ordering is by way of a downloadable PDF form that is then faxed back to the home office with product requirement information.
- Randy J Hilliker
Sculpture tools by Randy J Hilliker is a small independent toolmaker who makes tools on demand at prices that are hard to beat. The selection available is confined to finishers, wires, rakes and steels. Although the overall appearance is not as good as the commercially produced sculpting tool the actual application is probably better due to experience of the manufacturer. Handles can be purchased in exotic timbers and are not the generic shape as typically associated with the mass market manufacturers.
- Modelling Tools
Modelling Tools are based in Germany and appear to be an outlet for Cerra Modeling Tools. They have the same basic selection as Cerra with the addition of carbon splines, shutline tools and an adjustable mouse. There are various methods of payment, including credit cards, paypal, wire transfer or business check. No doubt the quality of the tools is first rate covered by a twelve month manufacturer’s warranty.
As I said previously this is by no means a complete list, it only deals in websites that have the ability to be viewed in English. Any websites that also provide the same type of modeling tools associated with Industrial Sculpting and can be translated to an English text I would be very interested to be made aware of. I know there are several very good Japanese suppliers but because of the language barrier there is no way of posting the links. Even so all of the associated links should be able to supply any newcomer with the necessary equipment to start their career in clay modeling.
June 2nd, 2006
Over the last few months there has been considerable discussion as to what splines are best, well actually since the Christmas break. This all stems from the clay being that much harder than I can remember, I don’t quite know if the formula has changed slightly due to the fact that the majority of the studios are milling most of their full size models from the get go but it is taking its toll on the wooden splines. Like most people in the industry my splines are on the old side having been made years ago from laminated beech or maple to ensure some sort of stability in the various climates around the world.
I have numerous types of splines ranging from solid wood that have been ripped on the table saw and planed and sanded to a smooth finish, to laminated that are also planed and sanded. I also have plexiglass splines as well which work equally as good as the wooden ones.
With the plexiglass spline, unless it is of a dark material it is often difficult to see if there are any holes in the surface when looking under the spline because of the clear color. You have to rely on the marks made by the spline instead, like I said the more desirable plexiglass is of the darker variety.
Of late the material of choice has become carbon fiber, with its superior strength and light weight it is easier to carry from job to job especially if you are a contract modeler. The difference being, it is not so easy to make and buying carbon fiber splines from the few tool suppliers that carry them is extremely expensive. The drive to find a better spline to deal with the harder clay is interesting, but what I find hard to understand is the clay difference especially as it is the same brand and type. Is it the lack of oils due to the oil prices or is it being driven by the automotive companies and their desire to mill the models. The clay is also proving difficult to stick to itself, a problem that did not exist six months ago. Anyway that is another discussion.
Another method of making splines that I have seen is with Formica. This thin man made material was used to cover counter tops and with a thickness of 1/32″ or 1.0 mm, it is laminated together to produce the thicknesses you require. For best results vac bagging to a surface plate gave a uniform thickness with flatness. It would be interesting to see by a modelers standpoint as to what he or she uses on a regular basis.
January 1st, 2006
Welcome to Metamorphosis, here I will be talking about the transformation of a block of modeling clay into a sleek futuristic design, that is, your design. The purpose behind this blog is to provide you with the answers that will help you to successfully build your model from a sketch to a three dimensional object.
Now, using this blog as a medium for you to add your views, comment or such it should pave the way for you to gain a successful result with minimal stress. Couple this with my website Clay, Application to Refinement we should be able to accomplish a very acceptable end result, with you being the recipient of free and valuable information, that you can then take forward to a successful career in automotive design or clay modeling.
Participation is the key so don’t be shy!!!
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