There is no doubt that last Fabrication class was overwhelming, yet very interesting and inspiring as the same time. I can't remember how many different kinds of wood we went over, and other types of materials used in fabrication. I was information overloaded, however, it confirmed my realization from a long time ago that a good understanding of materials and their characteristics helps choose the perfect material for the right thing you make. The assignment of this week asks for the making of something from 2 different materials and that they would be held together by a fastener of our choice.
Inspiration
I wanted to make something simple, made of two materials and using nails as a connecting component. I immediately thought of making a piece of string art.
Materials
The Making
1. Print out a stencil of the intended shape and hammer nails on the surface in the shape of the image
2.Remove the stencil
3. Start creating the shape or pattern with string
That was my very first piece of string art. I also have never used embroidery floss as a material to make something. As far as nails, I've only used them to hang stuff up. It was fun making a piece of decorative art with some simple materials and learn about them.
- I had to look up and decided how long and thick the nails needed to be.
- The type of string was also important. Thin thread would probably not have the strength for this purpose.
- The type of surface, in this case, was pine wood, which was very easy to hammer down those iron nails. The wood did not break, but held the nails deep and strong.
That was a simple project that taught some basic choices of materials. As the complication of the project increases, or the purpose of a project becomes more specific, choices of materials would need to be considered carefully in order to be fit for purpose and help last the object a long lifespan.