Gothic Chair repair

 I do this not because it is easy, but because I thought it would be easy.

If I'm being honest I knew this was going to be challenging. I traced, scanned and imported the outline of the back into Vectorworks and cleaned up all the lines before exporting the dxf file to Alphacam to apply the toolpaths. I glued up the new material from Quarter sawn White Oak and cut out the bulk on a CR Onsrud panel pro router. There was a bit more post processing than a had wanted but I was able to achieve the look ii wanted with a few hours and a carving chisel. I added some Gilsonite tinter to the varathane walnut stain to really darken the grain lines. In the end I'm pretty happy with the results of remaking this broken back on this chair for a friend.

As I received it

Lots of tool pathing.

Medieval Cast Pewter belt

I had wanted to create a medieval style plaque belt for my wife for some time and finally talked my self out of all my excuses.

I wanted the belt to reflect elements of her registered SCA heraldry, shown below but not be an exact copy. 

I decided to cast the plaques in pewter since the material and equipment was relatively inexpensive.

About $80.00 for the casting furnace and I recommend getting the Lyman Casting Dipper to make your life easier.

Next, I designed the part in SolidWorks exactly as I wanted, then printed the STL file on my Creality 3D printer using PLA plastic. This provided me with the positive image, including a sprue, needed to create the high-temperature silicone mold.

With a bit of rubber cement, I secured the part to a smooth surface. Then, using Mold Max™ 60, a high-temperature silicone, along with some reusable mold forms that  I 3D-printed from an online design, I poured the catalyzed silicone to create the mold. in two operations to create a front and back.

I ended up using a pair of soapstone blocks that I had to clamp on either side of the silicone mold to act as a heat sink but could still only cast 6-8 at a time before needing to allow the mold to cool.

After some clean up and polishing i mixed a clear slow curing epoxy resin that I added some liquid pigments to. this needed about 24 hrs to cure. 

Once the plaques were complete I used the posts to attach them to a leather belt that I lined with felt after all the setting was done. For the closure I used a 1 1/2" removable pin hinge and riveted the two haves to the leather.

It weighs in at 2lbs 15 oz which makes the belt hang just as I hoped. 

14C Leather Pouch

 The pattern was from dark horse workshop with a few modifications. The front illumination is from the Codex Manesse with a modification to the centerpiece. It now says Honi soit qui mal y pense” (“Shame to him who thinks evil of it) the motto of the garter knights created by Edward III. The pattern and front elimination were cut on my creality falcon 5 watt laser and most of the leather dyeing I do in Ziploc bags with fiebings alcohol-based dyes that I dilute with rubbing alcohol about 20%. Ultimately this pouch will be my ransom for the Road to Rouen event.

Belt Tips

I wanted to design some belt tips for the Barony of the Cleftlands. I designed this in Solidworks then 3D print it to use that as a positive creating my mold and sand casting. The original concept was to cast them in bronze but I was a little nervous about how well everything would flow out so
I decided to do a proof of concept with pewter. I created a high temp silicone mold and tested the concept. It's far from perfect obviously so there's going to be a bit of post-process to work with however I'm not entirely displeased. There was one air pocket that left me with a void but it was a pretty easy fix to solder. Next I epoxy filled and tada. after that I felt better about sand casting in Bronze. Again over all Iam pleased with the result.

 

Gothic Revival Tables

 Made a set of Gothic revival tables out of red oak for a friend. The legs were inspired stool auctioned at Christies. I imported a picture of the leg into Vectorworks and traced the outling before bringing it into Alphacam to add the toolpaths. I wasnt ready to get into the level of carving needed for the rose detail to I ordered those from an online company and added them later. Still a bit of post processing to do with a chisel to prep. I added a cross brace on the underside of the tops with a dovetail slot and capped the ends. This allows for the expansion and contration of the large top without warping.