Final Project: Updates!

I'm back with some updates for my Final Project. Previously, the pyramids were made from resin triangles which were attached to form the structure. The problem was there were gaps in between the plates. I tried to fill them with resin, but that resulted in a textured surface. So I decided to make solid resin cast pyramids instead. Below are the masters for the solid pyramids. They are made from a mounting board base coated in automotive putty and glazing putty. The one on the left is the raw master, with the sanded one at right.

These are the completed pyramid masters. The dents left by the automotive putty were filled in using glazing putty. The master was then sanded using 240 grit sandpaper. This was then wet sanded using 1000 grit sandpaper to achieve the surface seen below.

The masters were then attached to a mounting board base and retaining walls were set up to prevent the silicone rubber molding material from flowing out. This also produced a strong and stable free-standing mold that could be used more effectively.

This is the mold, awaiting curing. The silicone rubber was mixed in small batches (about 2 tablespoon fulls per batch) and poured onto the master until they are totally covered. I used about 500g of silicone rubber for this.

Once the rubber had cured, the mold was pulled out from the master and this is how it looks like. I placed small beads that represented risk (dice), perseverance (tortoise) and achievement (star) in each of the three-sided pyramids. The pic below shows the LED being propped for casting. To achieve a "floating" effect with the beads, my other half told me to pour in a bit of resin, let it cure and drop the bead in it. This was then topped up with more resin that completely covered the LED. The four-sided pyramids only contained LEDs, so there was no need for the two-stage casting. A small piece of PVC sheet was also placed at one of the corners to act as a hinge.

After the 9 pyramids have been casted, it was time to put them together. The four-sided pyramids were each attached to two 3-sided pyramids... err... tetrahedrons. The two terminal pyramids have one hinge each to be attached to the central pyramid. The design mimics the craft board mock-up that I made earlier.

This is how the final shape of the structure looks like. This is the raw stage, and it still needs to be trimmed and then the LED terminals need to be connected. My other half helped me with the wiring. =)

This is the structure after it has been trimmed. It is now similar to the initial mock-up in form and function. The trimming was done using a dremel tool with a rotary cutter. The edges were then smoothed out using a polishing bit. You can also see the Mandalorian dagger that my other half has been working on in the background!

I used a total of 1 kg of silicone rubber, plus another kg of resin on this project. Not to mention dozens of LEDs! Now, all that's left is to connect the terminals and watch it glow!