Groove Mechanic » casting http://groovemechanic.net Tech. Music. Toys... they're all the same Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:35:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Avocado Scoop http://groovemechanic.net/2008/12/avocadoscoop/ http://groovemechanic.net/2008/12/avocadoscoop/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:47:13 +0000 abel http://abelallison.com/wp/?p=8

Avocado Scoop

The Avocado Scoop is a new take on slicing avocados.  Its purpose is to both scoop and cut slices at the same time.  The scoop is made out of cast aluminum.  To use, the user holds the scoop at the narrow end and scoops into the fruit sideways, using the teeth in the scoop to cuts slices as it travels through.

The finished product! An early prototype of the teeth to make sure they would cut Another tooth prototype Early wireframe models to experiment with different scoop shapes. It was important to test the scoop's path of travel through the avocado to make sure it was not awkward. A plaster mold of an actual avocado for testing purposes. First wooden form. This was meant to be a rough prototype to see what problems arise when making the form. One grip prototype. This one was dumped. A second grip idea. This one led to the final design. The idea is for the handle to fill your palm. The second wooden form was much more involved. I began by hollowing out the inner shape using a fordome tool. I used a contour gauge to check my curves. I then cut the top-view outline using a bandsaw and disc-sander. Afterwards, I milled slots for the teeth in the top, as shown. The teeth were made form small blocks of wood sanded on the drum-sander. I used bondo to fill the gaps in the teeth. Once it dried, I sanded it down by hand to get nice fillets. Once the bondo was done, I finally formed the outside shape of the scoop using various sanders, followed by hand-sanding. After sanding, I applied thin layers of shellac to give a nice finish and shine. The scoop pattern sitting in the drag (the bottom half). The wood piece is removed to become a runner for the metal to flow into The cope right after pulling. We were extremely lucky to have it look this good on the first go. Once it's out, you have to be extremely careful with it. Heidi and My flasks on the line ready to be poured. It took a while to get to this point. The McCords are using their crane to lift the crucible with the now molten aluminum. This is what the cast looks like right after pouring After casting, it turned out the scoop was way too thick, so I took it to a mill to thin it down. I had to get creative with the fixturing since the scoop has such an organic shape. It was not pretty after milling, but I managed to smooth it back out using the belt-sander next. The final shot! mill1_crop ]]> http://groovemechanic.net/2008/12/avocadoscoop/feed/ 0