challenge

For the past week or more I  have been pondering my Super Bowl Challenge 2010 designed. While taking a breather from do analysis at work or while driving home, the ideas have been running through the brain.

One night this week, while watching the TV, I found my self playing with paper. I am folding, curving, cutting and I came up with a design that fits into my current thread of learning - what happens with different shapes of copper when you raise them.

I took my folded paper into my husbands office and asked him what the thought. We both saw a flower or a origami crane depending on how you looked at it. I was happy with it and now had my design idea.

I was going to raise a triangular piece of copper. I would use a equilateral triangle. This type of triangle is one where each angle is 60 degrees; as all the angles in a triangle always add up to 180 degrees. Trust me on this if you don’t remember your geometry lessons.  Using an equilateral triangle also meant that all sides would be the same length.  I had not decided if I would have a flat or a rounded bottom. That would happen as I was working with the copper.

This morning I was up at 8 am and tracing my triangle on the copper. Because of the size of my copper sheet I had to first cut it down to size. The length of each side of the triangle was about 6.25 inches. Several saw blades later, it was cut out.

Time to set up the T-stake, get the hammers and anneal the copper.   It was now around noon and I was presented with a dish of scrambled eggs for lunch! (He is such a sweetie!)

I traced a small circle in the middle and took out my sinking hammer and sandbag and sunk the center. The bottom would be round.  Over the next two hours I was able to do two sets of raising and annealing.

Before I started the third set of raising, I felt the bottom needed some bouging. I took out a 2.5″ diameter wood ball I have and……

WHAM - the blood was everywhere.  I had hit my right thumb and it did not hurt YET. I have no idea where my mind had gone cause I was certain that my fingers were not on the top of the copper. But some how that leather mallet with a lead insert came down, right on the edge of the nail and it pinched the skin at the tip of the finger.  HELP!!.. HELP!!  As I wrapped my thumb in a paper towel and went in to the kitchen.  Out came the hydrogen peroxide, Band-Aids, Neosporin, and soap. Even washing it hurt ;=(((

So at half time the Quarterback is out with injuries and is sitting on the bench with a large dram of Scotch [It does have medicinal qualities].   I think tomorrow I will be able to finish it and then I will post my pictures.

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Over at Hammermarks (opens in a new window), Wendy has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged us (her readers) join her in making a super bowl, on or for Super-Bowl Sunday [That would be February 7, 2010].

I think this is a great idea, and I have decided to join in on the fun.

Now I have to think of something that challenges ME!

Should I :

Make Tear Drop 2: - I think that might be cheating; but to see if I could make another in a smaller size would be a challenge.

Sink a simple bowl: - I have done these in various sizes starting from a 1″ disk to a 5″ disk, should I go for a larger size?

Raise a bowl: I have done one simple bowl and then I did a tray (which Deb says is truely wonderful job) - maybe I could add a curve to the body mid-height

Raise a Pint:  Actually I think raising a copper pint, along the lines of a traditional glass pint, would be appropriate, then I could drink a beer or other wonderful libation out of it.  Hmmm, would I or even, could I get it certified as a true Imperial Pint???

Off to do some research on the dimensions of a pint glass. Get that beer cold and ready!

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