While trying to find ideas online of what kind of project i would like to do, i decided to go onto aesdes.org to find some inspiration. I had stumbled upon Chris Gibbs upcycle final report and i thought it was very cool. Their project was a Litchenberg Fractal Vinyl Frame. Ive seen this be done before on YouTube videos and I have always found it cool and satisfying to watch, but I never put too much thought of doing it myself. Now i have the option to do it for myself and as a project for the class. I have a lot of scrap wood left after doing a home project and they would be the perfect size to build a wall decoration with. As of now I am thinking of doing a sculpture of Kirby riding on a star, an image of this can be seen down below. I plan on having the lighting design produced to cover the star and outline Kirby as well. This sculpture part of the project might change depending on the sizes of wood i am able to get out of the scraps i find laying around and the size limitations of the machines in the Makerspace at the Idea Forge.
To do this project i will need to use a Litchenberg machine that is practically a transformer that outputs 10,000 volts. This machine is what will help get that lighting bolt affect throughout the wood pieces. I also plan on using a wood burning pen to get the smaller details within the sculpture. I am also of thinking of filling in the burned cracks within the star with a yellow epoxy resin, this will be based on how much time i have left before having to turn it in.
I chose to do this as my upcycle project because i like the aesthetic of the finished product. I also think this would be a fun project to do with wood because I have realized that a lot of people tend to just throw out scrap pieces of wood instead of recycling them if the wood is untreated. Ive done a bit of research on how to safely do this and it does not seem to complicated to make sure I am safe through out the process. The finished piece will resemble the rustic aesthetic with a more modern twist. It should be an interesting project once finished.
References:
Coolneon, Coolneon Litchenberg Machine Kit, Amazon, Accessed 6 February, 2023. <amazon.com/Coolneon-Litchenberg-Machine-Kit>
SE Store, SE Wood Burning Pen – WP30, Amazon, Accessed 6 February, 2023. <https://www.amazon.com/SE-WP30-7-3-Wood-Burning/dp/B000JT3EZA>
Warp Star, Wikirby, Accessed 6 February, 2023. <https://wikirby.com/wiki/Warp_Star>
3 Comments. Leave new
This project sounds like a lot of fun and super hands-on. I’m sure you will learn a lot along the way as it seems like there is definitely some googling to do with a project such as this.
I’ve seen this aesthetic before and think it is super cool! The organic shapes that are left as a result are very unique and have a great look. Definitely an interesting project. Does CU have a Lichtenberg machine? I have also heard this process is incredibly dangerous due to the extremely high voltage needed. Do you know if voltage is a function of the length of the wood, or do you use a set amount regardless?
This sounds like a really cool idea! I have also seen wood burning videos and I was always fascinated by the process, so good luck! Do you think you’ll be taking any woodworking workshops before jumping into the project? I know you mentioned having leftover wood from another project, so maybe you’ll be just fine haha