Monday, March 8, 2010

Harness and Frame

Low Temp Setting Thermoplastic Harness and Wood Latice


It’s been quite some time since my last post. I’ve been exceedingly busy working on two commission pieces and putting together a portfolio for this year’s USITT conference. Progress on the wings commission has been steadily paced. I’ve completed all the necessary calculations for the harness, frame and cable system that will be used to open and close the wings. Construction of these components is now underway and should be completed in the next couple weeks.

I’ve decided to use a low-temperature setting thermoplastic for the harness this time. There are a number of advantages to using this material instead of fiber-glass. First, it is very easy to work with and fast setting which saves a tremendous amount of time. Second, it is more cost effective. Third, In the event that it does not fit the wearer comfortably it can easily be heated and reformed by the wearer at any time. Usually I would want to do a life casting of the wearer and form the harness in that mold. In this case I can not do a custom fit so it is nice to use a material that the wearer can adjust themselves if need be.

3 comments:

  1. I think this was a really smart decision to use the thermoplastic. I didn't know that there ever was a low-temperature variety!

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  2. The wings are absolutely amazing!

    I missed the earlier post about why someone commissioned them. I wonder where they will show up. What a beautiful sight/site that would be!

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  3. Thank you! ^_^
    to be honest, I don't know exactly why this piece was commissioned either. I do know that they are part of a larger costume and I would speculate that the buyer plans to wear them at some sort of convention. Whatever the reason, I was happy to make them and hope to make more.

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