Computer
Adobe illustrator
Fusion 360
CNC
Picture frame
Wood glue
Epoxy
Mica powder
Sand paper
Wood oil
I knew that I wanted to make a sign for my family with a H for Hilliard. when I first started sketching out my ideas, I was thinking of just doing a simple block letter H but it looked very boring, so I looked at other options. I looked for a elegant cursive H and once I found one that I thought fit I set it aside. I then put the image in to adobe illustrator and started to trace it using the curvature tool. It took a while to get the H to look right and have a nice shape.
Once I was done tracing it in Adobe Illustrator, I exported it as a dxf to fusion 360. I then extruded it so it become 3D and created the 2D couture. I then created a tool path and selected the bit and made sure it was the right size by simulating the CNC cutting the . This is so the CNC knows where to cut.
The last step before cutting it out on the CNC, I had to glue two peices of wood together, I clapped the wood together and let it dry over night.
For the next step, I put tape on the back on my piece of wood. I also put tape on the CNC then glued my peice of wood with the tape down onto the CNC. Once it was dry, I started setting up the X, Y, and Z axies on the computer. Once these were all set, I started the job. Once the CNC was done cutting out, I took the H off the CNC and stated sanding down the rough edged. I then sanded the top down so the glue was not visible.
To make sure the epoxy would not leak out of the frame, I sealed the inside of the frame with calk. I then glued the H down and put a heavy piece of glass on top so the H would stay in place. Once it was dry, I oiled the H. This was a crusial part becasue it made the H look so much nicer. The next step was to mix and put color in the epoxy. I figured out how much to make and then mixed that amount in a container. Once this was mixed, I added mica powder. I added light blue and a little dark blue to give it more dimensions. I made sure the frame was level so the epoxy would dry level. The last step was to pop some of the bubbles that were in the epoxy. I used a blow torch and used short bursts to pop the bubbles.
I really enjoed this project. It took a long time to conplete, but I really enjoyed the final project. My favorite part was the epoxy, I really liked how many colors I could mix, and I'm glad that I choose to do blue. A few things that went well was cutting out the H on the CNC. It ended up looking really nice and I liked all the curves and loops that were in it. I also think the epoxy looks very good and it went well. Some things that could have went better, was getting it done faster and just being more productive. Overall I liked this project and I like how the end result looks.