Upcycle Progress Update 1

This week I acquired almost all of the materials necessary to create my ring and hook game. It has been challenging to find materials that match the Japandi aesthetic for all elements of the game. For example, the hooks and rings will have to be metal because that is the material available to me. On the bright side, I was able to find some reasonably high quality pieces of scrap wood with exposed ripple patterns. One of my pod members has offered to let me use his wood stain so the patterns will appear vibrant on the final product.

The parts I currently have include:

1. Two metal hooks from the ITLL 24-hour space
2. Two options for springs from which I can harvest rings. Also from ITLL 24-hour space
3. Various thread colors for the swinging string from my moms sewing kit
4. Wood for the three structure pieces and the scoring board from ITLL scrap wood bin

The parts I still need to obtain:

1. Wood stain from team member
2. Scoring rock
3. Wood glue / wood screws to assemble the structure

My quest to find a suitable rock to be used on the scoring board is still in progress. I have found a couple candidates that are the correct size and shape, however, they don’t match the tones of the wood so I will continue the search. This has been difficult because the streams are freezing due to the fact that it is currently winter in Colorado.

I plan to manufacture the wood pieces for the main structure of the game in the ITLL woodshop. This will involve multiple cuts on the band saw and creating fillets on the sander. The fillets are important because they will help maintain the Japandi aesthetic of the piece. When making holes for the fasteners I will make counterbores so the screw heads are hidden. This will also serve to give the final product a clean and minimal look. The scoring board will be more challenging to manufacture. I need to drill several deep pockets for the scoring rock to sit in. This could be accomplished in one of two ways. First, I could program the CNC mill and use an end-mill bit to create perfect pockets. The other option is to use a hole saw and cut to the appropriate depth before chiseling out the remaining material. I am not sure which will be more time consuming though I think programming the mill will yield a better final surface finish and result.

I plan to manufacture the three structure wood pieces on Friday. This will give me a good idea of how long it will take to manufacture and assemble the remainder of the game. I have plenty of scrap to work with so if I try something and don’t like the way it looks I will be able to try again without too much loss.

Overall I am optimistic that I will be able to produce a functioning ring and hook game that mostly follows the Japandi aesthetic. I am excited for the critiques where I will show my work off to my peers and challenge them all to a ring and hook duel.