Violin Desk Toy Progress

The violin is still on schedule and should be completed on the 25th. I expect that there will need to be some adjustments made, however most of the parts have been completed and the aesthetic covering copper piece is still in tact. There are still a few things that I need in order to complete the project. I will need the right size nuts and bolts for the bearings, paint, and possibly more wood that can be used for the counterbalance. I am planning on making a homedepot run later this week after the main body is assembled. This would allow me to effectively know how much wood I will need for counterbalancing. Now I will go into each section and describe the progress for each part

Violin stand:

As can be seen above, I was able to find some pieces of wood. currently I am attaching screws and will have the base completed by Tuesday. The only process that will still need to be done to these would be to cover them with paint.

Violin base plate:

The plan for this is to determine the best positioning for the bearing connections. After this is done and they are attached, I will need to attach the aesthetic copper piece to it. Possible work on the copper piece is possible, however there are concerns that are addressed in the concerns section. Further work will be necessary in attaching weight (especially to the base of the frame) to this side without compromising any of the aesthetics will be key. This can be achieved by placing this counterbalance on the back and disguising it with a wood color.

Violin head:

The plan for the head is to make sure theres enough clearance for complete rotation once the copper is connected to the baseplate. All of these pieces are essentially completed. This subassembly only needs to be joined to the actual connection board. This board will need to be adjusted to make sure the arm will have enough clearance to revolve around the first pendulum arm. More work will be putting more holes in the head of the piece in order to make room for the violin pegs. Luckily, I already have these pegs because of the previous violin project so this is not anticipated to have any difficulties.

Aesthetics piece:

For the copper piece that I have created with all the aesthetics on it, I had an idea in order to make the cats and vines pop out more. This plan involves using vinegar to illicit a chemical reaction to discolor the copper to turn bluish. I would have done this to all of the design elements in order to make them pop out, however, now that time is drawing near, and I do not have enough time to etch out another copper piece, I fear that this process will be too risky and I might have to so some drawing with marker over the pieces in order to make them pop out. This would still be in theme with the aesthetics however, not entirely what I was envisioning.

Concerns:

My main concern currently is that the wood that I used to make the head is a lot heavier and I will need to manufacture some counterweights for the violin base. This operation will take a lot of time especially in order to be able to fully operate. Although this is not needed for the class, I feel like the free movement is essential to the artistic process.