Arctiidae Mirror
A Polytemporal ObjectPocket mirrors designed to last forever- carrying on the life of the endangered Tiger Moth species by which they are inspired. Three were produced; one to sell, one to gift, and one to keep and pass down.
I chose the Tiger Moth for the distinct heart-shaped pattern on its lower wings, which were a surprising graphic element to find in nature. From one side you can see the heart pattern from its wings; from the other, you can see the shape of the moth when its wings are closed.
Sold @ Contemporary Craft’s Annual Live Auction for 165% of its starting bid
Duration
3 Weeks, Fall 2023Course
Experimental FormMaterials
Walnut, Aromatic Cedar, 6061 Aluminum, Epoxy, Round Mirrors, Rust Stain, Danish OilTools
Water-Jet Cutter, Laser-Cutter, Planer, Horizontal Drum Sander, Oscillating Spindle Sander, Drill Sander, Disc Sander, SandpaperMetal-Working
Wood-Working
Rapid Prototyping
Design for Production
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6879c9d4c24c641c801dc04128cb4fefcd9c20fa645215ea3ee8bde1cc5e3d3f/IMG_8845.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d47e751b176297c0e7621c220113ad700f9ca7b34f2d9a4946ccdb2658d2ac33/ezgif.com-gif-maker.gif)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c0e8422527b738b27e02b7353aeefa0d47172d899b13b87536daad3dc989f1ca/Frame-2-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/29cd3d47a2b1fe5308dedd3a5fabb96f170d97f80ea58e86500c186596109f41/Slide-16_9---7.jpg)
Sketching and Early Prototyping
I considered making other objects such as a bowls or necklaces. Because I had been drawn to the Tiger Moth for such a graphic element, I chose a thin, round mirror as the simple form would allow emphasis of a 2-dimensional design.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eba9f73762a21d32fe624746785f35ad9ca3e272ded7d11f5783de30a5ce6e9e/Untitled_Artwork-7-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/74a7aae84a473d287fdd88b97315ae702095c2f5dd797f1632f5abaa4f6e7806/Untitled_Artwork-11-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7255e1e056f9632db531a3b8244225797a63341e9d9909c059483de6bc8dbcbd/IMG_2234-1-1.jpg)
Final Concept and Preliminary Fabrication Plan
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a4ebcf1b41cf89a450486995989642661c91bd5ebd45a66d3141125da03ccaf2/Untitled_Artwork-4.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c45524e8dba1329772f9247bcb08d351211edc1dd290e07e5d464fadf0316803/IMG_2226-1.jpg)
Finalizing the Graphic
I explored between the spectrum of organic/hand-drawn/abstracted and literal/vectorized. I decided on a simpler graphic because I felt it would be more timeless, universal, and better highlight the materiality of the object.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0e30181be024cef7766e574d41d40b04c2f161f282daa99c0ba90f8363d29205/Untitled_Artwork-9-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e83dcf00a16ba1d9f34fb07144443082f8599bfb171d1c2954ac83065ae104e1/IMG_0911-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/24ec087623ee8f9b3f7cc086da0a5112435f42fc7d1e2283c97c1a286161ad12/IMG_0910-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8999bf8a346933836b16fcf4ebd4585a600254876723a5c91307370631ea2bd1/Screen-Shot-2022-11-02-at-10.36-1.jpg)
Laser and Water-Jet Cutting
I learned to use the water-jet cutter for the first time to get my aluminum pieces.
After joining and planing the walnut and aromatic cedar down to the desired depths, I tested different scales of my Illustrator graphic on the walnut to see which fit best into the aluminum (between 100% and 101% scale, I found that 100.7% had the best fit.)
After gathering all the different components, I epoxied everything together with some silver pigment to help fill in any remaining gaps between the aluminum.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/39eea98aa3542bdb617c1f7137047df88052b32f8c41446fde86ecd4d9004e23/IMG_1103-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7ad0b89dc55ea24524eadd38a7b0b18c40388defe3fad4b26cb4aedc2981f722/IMG_2236-1-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/818aaffd24c6051a26b84d6acfb7ad46dea65a0ffd8bd92ac4f2a2b2cadf8ac9/IMG_1120-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dd8c4ac0d76e1f70327858f41e57c666033e25b970b11c47609124dde35562fa/IMG_1121-2-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/78ed4a92fbf5717315461dda3be15ab072776e54f10b857a9ee7bc42ed0f8828/IMG_1126-2-1.jpg)
Shaping, Method 1
After getting the walnut and aluminum down to the same depth and removing the excess epoxy on the horizontal drum sander, I began dome-ing the object on the oscillating spindle sander, rotating the mirror as evenly as possible to sand down the edge.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cd91ed1b3f98580430ff11452bbf53fd0651c9fcac71b06caeb82a5c7e254b64/IMG_1190-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/84c569c48d70343e9d63d2652cf43d45ee96d1d2e6777e89793485858e04a495/IMG_1194-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec37e0ff99643b384fb9d6275deb300f42418c13c8eec854c17aca538291705e/ezgif.com-gif-maker-3.gif)
Shaping, Method 2
However, this process was slow, difficult to streamline, and had a large margin for human inconsistency. After another look at my fabrication plan, we developed a work-around fabrication method of spinning the mirrors themselves using drill sanding bits on the disc sander.
“Hacking” the machinery and tools and combining them in an unconventional way to achieve a unique making process was one of the most memorable and valuable parts of this project!
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f1e65998625a516dff26028762ad3985a84ff6d7b91dc46016c895e578ba979b/IMG_2041-1-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5cc2fbd9d44d1d27b9583e4c6afafd444690e5f4ce8644959bb7a297172a9d05/IMG_2141-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/90ccde6acb601fa0693ee4cf760524ec2f75cd336b76a3e6733d8566f8cc7ae3/ezgif.com-gif-maker-4.gif)
Sanding, Finishing, Assembly
I created jigs to sand off any remaining epoxy and to fit the mirror rounds; and rotationally sanded the aluminum to get the final polish.
The walnut was stained using rust water, and I oiled everything together before gluing in the mirrors.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e3b5c544c6ca8b95ffeb5e7f73e93a2407cf42311bb47a73b6573bd02ef544c/IMG_2056-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/60bc396ecdeddd61cab611003db2fae6b90fc7bb224f9cd098c1972d9dabc79b/IMG_2055-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a7eb68887c8fed9fd32245810991db0be73ff7e2a75f170fd3955841b22c4c70/IMG_2034-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/243873e7d054b8972d6bb71eb48464e0cef81b323cb2964e0e7bbd82b1dee0dd/IMG_2179-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c82906040dfd3908c35ab2729713233d0de6b4009af0b96b6e875d34a081ff3d/IMG_2182-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/41da351785bc1203209174ff5123d75ddf9bc0d52fb4dd886ae28869327fdb8a/IMG_2235-1-1.jpg)