Da Vinci Accordion Project

Industrial Design Fundamentals Assignment:
1. Design a wooden toy inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci.
2. Make a model of your toy.

Visual Reference Board:
Bellow Prototypes:
I found this site useful in coming up with my method for building the bellows.
Here are my first bellow prototypes. For these ones I used an x-acto to cut out the trapezoids from poster board and masking tape and fishing line to connect them together.I switch to a thicker chipboard for the final set of bellows:


Cutting fabric to cover the bellows:
Glueing the fabric on the bellows was the longest part of the process and was the most frustrating and sticky. I used a whole bottle of Elmer's glue so it ended up being really strong.

Here is a video showing the bellow action. I was kind of disappointed because the bellows ended up stretching less and less with each layer of fabric.

One bellow finished:
Chipboard mockup of body:
Two bellows done:
I cut a bunch of plywood to the profile of my keyboard and glued them together to make a mold:
Then I laminated 3 pieces of thin veneer together and stuck them in the the vacuum bag on top of my mold. I will use this to cut out my keys.
The wood for my keyboard didn't quite take the full contour of the mold so I had to adjusted the end piece of the keyboard casing to match the new key profile.
Here I've put together the keyboard and bass button casings and I have the bellows and unfinished keyboard resting in place. The edges of the casing are burnt because I cut out the wood on the laser cutter. On the keyboard I've masked off where I need to cut the wholes for the black keys. I've also got my unfinished sound ports resting on top.
I sanded off the burned edges and gave the casings a rich bombay mahogany stain. I finished it off with two coats of high gloss polyurithane.The white keys stay their natural color and only need 2 coats of high gloss polyurithane finish.
I modeled the sound ports out of a non-hardening wax-based modeling clay called plastaline. Then I spray painted them gold.
This photo depicts a cross section of the keyboard action. I used fabric for the hinge and red foam to spring the depressed keys back. The dark keys are stationary for this model.

Cream & Sugar Set

Industrial Design Fundamentals Assignment:
1. Design a pair of cream and sugar containers.
2. Maintain a "family" resemblance.
3. Base the design off an aesthetic influence.

Visual Reference Board: Art Deco

Design:
I experimented with building my form to reflect various art deco patterns. I eventually settle on a design that uses art deco style hoops to allow the cream to nest on top of the sugar bowl.




Construction:
I begin with a sold chunk of blue foam.I carve out 2 different models
I go with the second model because it has a slimmer foot print that would fit better on most tables. While building the second model I discovered that I could get smoother cuts with the band saw than the hot wire cutter so my second model also had better overall craft.I paint a thick coat of plaster, wait for it to dry, and sand for several hours.
I use the band saw to cut a shelf out of clear acrylic that mimics the design of my sugar set. I use a heating strip to bend it 90 degrees.I use the shelf to present my design during the class critique.
Final Prototype: