Thanks to the large MakerSpace on Carnegie Mellon's campus, I was able to expose myself to numerous manufacturing/prototyping methods through their courses and other activities. By my senior year, I spent a large portion of my time in the MakerSpace working on projects for both classes and personal.
MakerSpace courses I completed include:
CNC Machining
Metalworking-Machine Shop
Woodworking
Welding
FabLab (Laser cutters & 3D printers)
Metal Jewelry
I designed a welded decorative stand. I created a CAD model in SolidWorks that I used to create a plywood prototype of the stand and templates to use on the sheet metal when plasma cutting. I then TIG welded the pieces together and sandblasted the stand until all scratches and welding mars were not visible to give it a cleaner matte look.
Another welding project was a steel pencil holder. This was machined and welded to the specifications of engineering drawings given to me by my instructor.
I used nickel sheets and paper templates that I designed to cut out layers of petals and curve them into stackable sets. Each set of three layers had to be uniquely formed so that those layers came into contact at the center. I then soldered the layers together using an acetylene torch and pliers to hold the layers steady. A stud backing and jump rings were then soldered onto the back of the flower. I then cut and formed a leaf for each flower and attached it to the jump ring chains. I then cleaned and polished the earrings using a pickle solution and polymer clay buffing.
I created a brass bezel set cabochon pendant that features a rope detailed border and textured backing. I then gave the setting a liver of sulfur patina and polished to highlight the texture and detailing.