9. Textile as scaffold

This week we learned about technical textiles, textiles scaffolds, composites and more. Several techniques and applications were examined including: using fabric as a formwork with casting, crystallization, wood-textile/resin-textile composites and leather molding. The two techniques I was most interested in were textile based composites and growing crystals on a mesh.

Composites

By definition, a composite is a material that is made up of at least two different materials with varying physical and chemical properties that when combined, forms a new material that is stronger and has enhanced properties.

Source: Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook: Materials and Mechanical Design, Volume 1, Third Edition

Below are examples of composites that we encounter everyday:

Assignment

Using the techniques introduced this week, explore and experiment with at least two techniques. For this assignment, I chose to make a wood-textile composite and to grow magnesium sulfate crystals on a crocheted brass mesh.

Wood Textile

Materials:

  • Wood Veneer
  • Spray Adhesive
  • Low Tack Tape or Contact Paper
  • Tweezers
  • Medium weight fabric/ leather
  • Squeegee
  • Laser Cutter

For my design, I used geometric and abstract lines in the style of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. I used Adobe Illustrator to create my lines and to prepare my file for laser cutting.

To prepare my wood veneer for laser cutting, I taped one side of the wood with low tack contact paper. This side will be the right side of the wood. This is to ensure that my pieces do not fly away as I am laser cutting. It was also best to laser cut with a piece of cardboard or cardstock behind the veneer wood. I chose to work on a small scale (~10 cm x 10 cm) for a few reasons. For one, all of the materials I used were salvaged scraps or samples. Secondly, I am interested in applying these techniques into my creative practice, and right now I am designing and fabricating small accessories. I am curious to see if I can eventually apply this technique to make earrings.

Laser settings:Epilog Fusion M2, CO2, 75 watts. Vector 30% speed 100% power, 10% frequency. No air assist was used to prevent my pieces from flying away.

After laser cutting my design, I used tweezers to remove the parts of the design that I did not need while keeping the structure and configuration of the design in tact. I then used spray adhesive on the wood design and carefully placed my fabric substrate on top. I used small plastic squeegee to smooth the textile and to remove air bubbles. I then slowly peeled the contact paper and removed the excess adhesive. Once my textile was free of the contact paper and adhesive I placed my sample under a stack of books (clamping works too) until dry.

Below are my final swatches. For my fabric/subtrate I used denim and leather. For my wood I used walnut and mahogany veneer samples I found while thirfting through second hand art supplies.

I also tried to make a wood-textile composite by using wood as my substrate using the same technique outlined above. It was semi successful. I had some bleeding of the adhesive (I used Gorilla Glue this time) onto the wood in the negative space of the design. This requires further development.

Crystallization

For this assignment I attempted to make crystals grow on a crocheted brass mesh using magnesium sulfate, better known as epsom salt.

Materials:

  • Epsom Salt
  • Water
  • Jar
  • Crochet hook
  • Brass wire 24 ga
  • Electric tea kettle
  • Measuring cup

Procedure:

I prepared my brass wire by crocheting it in the round using the single crochet stitch. I crocheted until my brass disk was ~8 cm in diameter. To prepare my saturated solution of magnesium sulfate I heated up 1 cup of water using an electic kettle and added it to a glass mason jar. Using a 1:1 ratio of water and epsom salt, I added 1 cup of epsom salt to the mason jar.

Results:

After 24 hours, I only saw minimal crystral growth. I think this can be attributed to two causes. One reason, I did not rapidly cool the solution to encourage rapid crystal growth. Additionally, my solution wasn't quite a super saturated one as I had to add more water to sumberge my wire mesh.

Future Things and Explorations

I have some thoughts about making fabric composites that I want to experiment with. For one, I want to be able to fuse many layers of denim or canvas together using a double sided iron fusible interfaceing (and resin if necessaary) and then CNC mill a 3D structure. Additionally, I recently discovered a dissolable fusible interfacing that is used in embroidery. I am interested in using this material as a temporary matrix to create a fiber composite made from wool, thread, and brass wire.

via GIPHY

Other Fabricademy Happenings

Formlabs Field Trip

This past week we had an opportunity to visit Formlabs, a 3D printer company based in the Boston area. Formlabs 3D printers uses stereolithography, an additive manufacturing process that uses resin or sintering powder to create 3D objects whereby each layer is cured via a laser. We were given a tour of the facilities and an opportunity to chat with a couple employees. It was great to see what technology and innovation is happening right in our backyard!

Files

~coming soon~