SPD 240

Design for
Manufacture
Exploring Spoons

Freya Wiedemann
Figures
FANDOM.COM. n.d. Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus [Online Image]. Fandom.com. Available at: https://animals-and-creatures-that-lived-in-
prehistory.fandom.com/wiki/Blue_Crab_Callinectes_sapidus.

FERN AND FELT. n.d. Dried Flowers for Crafts [Online image]. Etsy. Available at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/771417207/dried-flowers-for-
crafts-real-daisies.

FITZPATRICK, Alex. n.d. DECODING ARCHAEOLOGY: DOGS, NOT DINOS! THE TRUTH about ZOOARCHAEOLOGY [Online Image]. Dig It Scotland.
Available at: https://www.digitscotland.com/dogs-not-dinos-the-truth-about-zooarchaeology/.

HOUSE OF PLANTS. 2023. Fishbone Cactus [Online image]. House of Plants. Available at: https://www.houseofplants.co.uk/products/epiphyllum-
anguliger.

KORNBERG, Dianne. n.d. Exercice de Style [Online image]. Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/639440847106380760/.

MASELLA, Luigi. n.d. Into Your Moan Greeting Card [Online Image]. Photos. Available at: https://photos.com/featured/into-your-moan-luigi-
masella.html?product=greeting-card.

RAZ MAKER. 2020. Handmade Tableware and Jewellery Made in Cornwall [Online image]. Raz Maker. Available at: https://razmaker.uk/.

REDDY, Mark. n.d. Mark Reddy [Online image]. Mark Reddy. Available at: https://www.markreddy.co.uk/works.

RUUD, Stian Korntved . 2015. LESSONS LEARNED from HAND CARVING 365 WOODEN SPOONS: THE DAILY SPOON by STIAN KORNTVED RUUD
[Online Image]. This is Mold. Available at: https://thisismold.com/object/tableware/lessons-learned-from-hand-carving-365-wooden-spoons-
the-daily-spoon-by-stian-korntved-ruud.

SAMPSON, Sophie. n.d. Flying Things [Online Image]. Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/31666003608494252/.

VALERIYA. n.d. Set of 10 Extra-Long 14’’-21’’ Driftwood Branches with Character, Genuine Driftwood for DIY/Wall/Interior/Garden Décor [Online
image]. Etsy. Available at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1259155690/set-of-10-extra-long-14-21-driftwood.

VEIT, Gabi. n.d. Gabi Veit [Online image]. Artaurea. Available at: https://artaurea.com/profiles/veit-gabi-2/.

01
 Contents

1 Figures
10 Manufacturing Processes
24 Spoon Making Processes

2 Contents

18 Ideation
112 Conclusion and further development/reflection

4 Gantt chart

20 Biomimicry

6 Project and time management

8 Statement of intent and report summary

22 Visual reference/ inspiration

02 03
 Gantt chart Week 1
( Jan 23 –
Week 2
( Jan 30 -
Week 3
( Feb 6 –
Week 4
( Feb 13 –
Week 5
( Feb 20 –
Week 6
( Feb 27 -
Week 7
( March 6
Week 8
( March 13 –
Week 9
( March 20 –
Week 10
( March 27 –
Week 11
( April 17 –
Week 12
( April 24 –
Week 13
( May 1 –
Week 14
( May 5 –
Module Brief:
Jan 27 ) Feb 3 ) Feb 10 ) Feb 17 ) Feb 24 ) March 3 ) – Mar 10 ) Mar 17 ) Mar 24 ) Mar 31 ) April 21 ) April 28 ) May 5 ) May 9)
You will be working individually to experiment digital prototyping process that challenges the traditional way
Module Introduction
of manufacturing. You will ideate on different versions using different techniques. Select one of these themes:

Workshop Inductions • A MATERIAL: metal, wood, plastic, alternative sustainable material…

• Or a FORM: symbolic, biomimicry…
Sketching • Or a REDESIGN: one element of an object or a single object…

You are asked to investigate one of these themes and to test different traditional technical processes. You should
Identify Direction
approach prototyping by hand, 2d-3d process, 3d printing or milling and explore the manufacturing limits and
potential through quick/sand/investment casting, or other form of moulding as the basis of your project. You will
Lathe develop a refined prototyping process, accommodating development through tests, experimentation, physicals and
digital models alongside 3D visualization techniques. You will explores these technical processes over the module.
Investment Casting
You will self-manage your project outcome intention and direction in the defined parameters of the project:
- When choosing the material theme, identify and assess the possibility and challenge how it behave or what is
Pewter Casting possible with each traditional technique to make a unique process.
- When selecting the form theme, look at specific form and how each technique could help to recreate a shape,
the potential alteration to consider or challenge using the techniques to create a unique form.
Carving
- When looking at the redesign of one element compare how each technique will modify the design of the object and
which one creates a unique product design opportunity.
Sourcing Materials
Reflect about the reproduction and duplication of the process- an integral part of the design. Integrating production
Milling and manufacturing is a key element of success. In terms of cost but also in terms of sustainability: material selection
and consumption, machining time, gray energy, volume of offcuts, end of use; are fundamental to the product life
cycle. You will use digital, 2D 3D model evaluation to understand the potential of moulding, casting, for one-off
Fine Metalworking
commissions and mass production. Challenge the technical specialisms, project definition; use your creativity, your
3d digitals skills; to make the design, the sustainability and production work together. With story-telling, technical
Finalizing Prototypes cross-fertilization, create outcomes which communicate your approaches, process to an audience. This should
create new avenue for manufacturing and market opportunity.
Review Process

Assessed Project Management Prototyping Communication

Design Report
Learning Outcomes: Learning Outcome 1 Learning Outcome 7 Learning Outcome 8

04 05
 Project Management Time Management

These calendars show my 230 and

240 module meetings. I have outlined
important dates that will help me keep
on track in the timeline of this project.
These are (in order):
Throughout this project I will Metal scrap
Wood spoon 1
Inv. cast rnd 2

Beginning of 240 module- January 23rd

Lathe spoon

address multiple methods Inv. cast rnd 1

of project management, Reading week- February 11th to 19th

including: sourcing Wood spoon 2 Metal scrap 2 Milled&Carved Shell pewter 1 Easter break- April 1st to 16th
Pewter try 1

materials, contacting End of 240 module- May 12th

external companies for
additional materials or Bone spoon

help, planning many

different manufacturing
methods within different
workshop facilities
inside and outside of the Shell pewter rnd2
university, booking out the Shell pewter rnd3

photo room, and more. Mill+Pewter

To the right is a calendar Driftwood+metal

breakdown of when I Mussel+pewter

started to manufacture
each spoon.

06 07
 Statement of Intent
I will be exploring the form of spoons throughout this project, experimenting
with different manufacturing processes and analyzing their strengths
and weaknesses. I will come out of the project with multiple mini spoon
collections, which will be cohesive yet individually unique. I will attempt to
combine the art and connection of traditional handcraft to the efficiency of
digital manufacturing, combining multiple processes where possible, and
pushing the limits of how to manufacture and what a spoon really is. Free
form one off creation will be explored, as well as digital batch methods.
08
Report Summary
In this report I will be exploring the making of spoons through
different manufacturing processes to achieve a variety of different
spoons. I will combine multiple methods and experiment with the
limitations and potential for each process. The sustainability and
emotional durability and longevity of the products will be taken
into account in the making process, mainly relating to biomimicry.
09
 Pewter Casting Induction
Pewter is an alloy with tin, antimony, copper,
bismuth, and sometimes silver. It is a very soft
metal with a low melting point. It is relatively easy
to work with but has limitations, some of which
are listed below.
PROS
• Affordable (no special equipment)
• Quick to work with
• Good for small single piece items
• Energy efficient (low melting point)
10
Basic process of pewter casting:
CONS
• Low monetary value
• Easy to scratch/ dent
• Must work quickly to limit cooling
• Not great for crisp/ detailed designs
Make polystyrene model and Bury in sand with the sprue top Melt pewter, making sure to evenly
masking tape a sprue to it. out. Ensure sand is settled fully. heat it throughout and not let cool.
Pour hot pewter over the top of Quench in cold water with
the sprue, wait for it to cool. tongs once cooled. Clean up.
11
 Investment Casting Induction Basic process of Investment casting:
PROS
Investment casting is an industrial process that produces • Extremely detailed and accurate
accurate metal castings of masters made from wax, • Complex shapes
organic materials, or other similar materials. The steps of • Size variation
the specific process used at Falmouth University are shown • Material variability
to the right. Generally, a master is created and surrounded
by plaster or another refractory material, which is then CONS
heated up to a high temperature, melting the wax or • Expensive, especially in low volume
organic material away and leaving an exact negative of • Complex process, many steps
it, which molten metal is then poured into. This leaves a • Labor intensive because of above
precise metal version of the original model that was cast. • Very specialized equipment

Create the pattern, usually with “Sprue up” the pattern onto a Dip the covered sprue into plaster
wax. Industrially this would be tree like sprue by burning wax until there is enough thickness in
done by machine, at uni by hand. onto it with hot tools. Cover. the plaster walls. Let dry.

Place into the autoclave, shown Still in autoclave, it’s turned and Once cooled, break off the
to the right, to dissolve the wax the space where the wax was is surrounding plaster, cut the casts
at extremely high temperatures. filled with molten metal. Let cool. from the sprue, and clean up

12 13
 Fine Metals Main tools used:

The fine metals workshop at Falmouth has been a PROS

space that I have been wanting to use more since
I discovered it last year, and I thought this would
be the perfect project to utilize it. With a new
technician, Raz, in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
and Lisa in on Mondays, I have been able to learn
a variety of skills including silver soldering, making
chains, stone setting, viking weaving, jewlery
making, riveting, texturing, piercing, and more.
• Wide variety of skills to learn
• Can utilize many scrap pieces leftover
• Produces long-lasting products
CONS
• Generally for smaller scale work
• Takes long time to master the craft Dremel Tin Snips Spring Divider Micro Torch
• Expensive if using actual precious metals

Coping Saw Solder Pliers Borax Cone and Dish

Emery Paper Files Hammers Dot Punch

14 15
 Lathe Induction
A lathe is a machine that is mainly used for
shaping wood or metal. It rotates at a high
speed, and tools are used to reduce the
material being spun on one axis. It can be
used to perform operations such as cutting,
sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation,
facing, and turning, mainly producing
cylindrical shapes. Because of the high
speed turning it requires skilled workers
but also produces precise products.
16
PROS
• Efficient- high speed & accuracy
• Increased safety
• Precise/ accurate cuts
CONS
• Highly skilled operators required
• Limited shapes able to be produced
• High machine maintenance and costs
Lathe Diagram:
The material is placed between these two
machine pieces and tightened, which allows it
to spin very fast with light pressure from a tool.
Tools such as these The arrow below shows the direction it spins.
below are used to reduce
the material being spun.
17
 Ideation

18 19
 Biomimicry Round(ish) things in nature- spoon cup inspiration Long/straight things in nature- handle inspiration

20 21
 Inspiration
Daily Spoon by Stian Korntved Ruud
The above spoons are only 18 of 365 spoons that Stian Korntved
Ruud created for his Daily Spoons project. He hand-carved one
spoon a day using only traditional hand tools for an entire year,
ending up with 365 unique spoons. He used different types of wood
from all over the world, and aimed to explore and challenge the
aesthetics and functionality of spoons.
22
Mark Reddy
English designer-maker Mark Reddy makes spoons that embody an
intriguing narrative. His main focus is carving “humble” green wood
spoon from local Somerset trees. He also only uses traditional hand-
carving tools. He is enthralled by “the quest of beauty in form through
utility of design,” and aims to exemplify love and understanding of
his materials and the knowledge of the tools and their use.
Raz Maker
Raz is a new technician in the Falmouth University fine metals
workshop. She specializes in making spoons from scrap metals,
and was able to teach me many strategies for how to do this,
including silver soldering methods and riveting. In addition to being
a technician, she runs a business selling spoons and some simple
jewelry, both online and in some stores around the Falmouth area.
Gabi Veit
Gabi Veit is a designer maker from South Tyrol, Italy. She specializes
in jewelry and spoons- inspired by the plants, rocks, and natural
surroundings of her home. She challenges the meaning of what a
spoon is, casts in silver and oxidized silver. She refers to her spoons
as “creatures”, saying “I love the simple and infinitely rich design of
the spoon. They are all over the world, everyone uses them to eat.”
23
 Spoon
Making
Processes
24 25
 Lathe Spoon
1 2 3 7
The second spoon made was on the lathe. For this spoon,
the wood was sourced directly from the workshops
and therefore had a fault in it, as it was a piece of old
pallet scrap wood. For this reason, it snapped while it
was being made and was unable to be finished. To the
right are images and descriptions of most of the steps.

1 Initial drawing done in order to figure out best

dimensions for the specific piece of wood used

2 Technician Ravi helping fit the wood into the

lathe in its raw form and giving an induction

3 Planing down the piece of wood to remove

excess so that it spins and lathes smoothly

4 5 6
4 Beginning to lathe the edges off, turning on
the machine and running the tool back & forth

5
Starting to use different tools to practice
different types of reduction on the wood

6
Continuing to reduce to the shape of the spoon
blank, removing wood slowly and carefully

7
The spoon blank once it was nearly finished
and snapped because of the wood rot

26 27
 Scrap Metal Spoon
The first step is to use a
compass to inscribe a circle
into the scrap metal- in this
case copper- and then use a
coping saw to cut out the circle
(on the outside of the line).
28
Use a dapping block and
punches (shown above) and
a leather mallet, and slowly
hammer the metal until it is
round, being sure to move it
around to make it even.
Use files to clean off sharp
edges from the now-round
spoon cup. Once this is done,
remove the file marks by
putting it face down on emery
paper and doing a figure 8.
For the handle, bend a wire
into desired shape, annealing
if necessary. Then file and
hammer the ends where it
will meet the spoon. Texture
the hammer on an anvil.
Bend the handle so it is flush
to the cup, taking time as it
is important for silver solder
to have direct contact. Then
place flux and a few bits of
solder where they meet.
Carefully use a torch to heat
the whole spoon. Once it’s
cherry red, focus into the place
where the solder is, keeping
the heat on the place where
the solder should move.
Quench the solder, dry the
spoon, and make sure it is
secure. Repeat until fused.
Finally, use a dremel to get
out any deep marks and to
polish the spoon to final form.
29
 In context

30 31
 Pewter Spoon 1
The first step to creating a pewter cast with this
method is to make a polystyrene model. This one
was created using a hot wire cutter, as shown
above. This was difficult, especially to scoop out the
cup part. Therefore, the final spoon is very rough.
32
Above is the final polyester spoon to
cast. It has a gem found on the beach
trapped in handle with masking tape,
which doesn’t melt because of pewter’s
low melting temperature, which is ideal.
Above are two photos of the sprue attached to this spoon to allow the pewter to This shows the top of the sprue poking The above image illustrates the final
flow through the sand when cast. This sprue placement is not ideal- it is too small to out of the sand to be pewter cast. Once casting, which failed. The failure was
allow a large flow of pewter and is not placed correctly. A better placement would this is buried and the sand is settled, it because of the sprue placement and
be from the center of the handle or from the top of the handle. Both of those options is time to heat the pewter and pour it in. size, as described to the left. A second
allow for pewter to flow from small to large necessity, not using/ cooling too much. Once cooled it should be quenched. attempt is shown on the next page.
33
 Pewter Spoon 2
This second attempt of the pewter
spoon

After pouring the pewter, it is left to

cool for a few minutes then picked up
with tongs and quenched. Below is the
second iteration while still on the sprue.
To the right is the cut down version.

Once the model and sprue are masking

taped together, they are buried in sand,
which is packed down by picking up
and hitting the box of sand on the table.
Once the sand is firm, a metal barrier
circle is placed on it to stop the pewter
from running once poured.

To solve the issues of the last attempt, the Above is the barrier and sand box once
second iteration sprue connects in two the pewter was poured. This shows that
places. This way the pewter flows into the the barrier stops the pewter from going
spoon from both ends. This spoon and everywehre, therefore forcing it to have
sprue were made with a hot wire cutter. more downward pressure.
34 35
36 37
 Carved Wood Spoon 1- Part 1
This is the first of three wooden carved spoons I made.
This one was made usingonly hand tools. I started by
drawing a shape and starting to carve out the cup.
38
I then cut out the spoon using the guidelines that I
had drawn. I used a coping saw to saw this line,
so it ended up quite wobbly and not very straight.
This carving of the cup of the spoon was done by Continue to the next page to see the next steps taken.
putting the piece of wood, birch, into a vice. Birch is
not known as a good wood for carving as it is tough,
and this specific piece had been weathered for a
while. I received it from the workshops scraps.
39
 Carved Wood Spoon 1- Part 2
5 6

5 Carving out the cup of the spoon more with a

hook knife, a special tool used for spoons.

6 Beginning to straighten the handle of the

spoon using the tools to the right.

7 Continuing to work the cup and the handle of

the spoon, slowly reducing it to smooth.

7
Tools to the right, top to bottom:

Chisel
Spokeshave
Hob knobber drawknife
Dual bevel drawknife
Western traditional drawknife

40 41
42 43
 Sourcing Materials- Nature Walk

In order to find materials that I could use for

casting, I went on a 6.53 mile long walk to get
inspired by nature and select some organic matter
to bring back and figure out how to use. Some of
the nature objects shown to the right were then
used for casting biomimicry spoons. During this
walk, my aim was to fully set my mind to observing
my surroundings, paying specific attention to
round-ish or long handle-like materials. This walk
became almost a sort of meditiation when I was
able to completely remove all distractions and
tap into the beautiful natural sorroundings that
we are lucky to have in Falmouth.

44 45
 Investment Cast Bronze Spoons 1 - 4
For my first round of investment casting I decided to make biomimicry
spoons. For these spoons I used the nature from the walk that I showed
on the page above. I made three forest/ twig/ land inspired ones, one
with a twig handle and petal cup and two with twig handles and wax
cups. For the fourth spoon, I used a limpet for the cup and wax for
the handle, adding a small embellishment to the end of the handle.

Below is a silicon mould that Tom had available in the workshops

from a previous project. This way, there is less waste, as I did not
have to create my own silicone mould and could instead use one
or multiple that were already available. Below on the left shows the
empty mould, which is shown on the right filled with hot wax. Once
the wax has cooled in a layer around the edges but not fully in the
center, the remaining wax can be poured out to make a cup shape.

Above is the empty silicone mould, a limpet
that I found myself (not the one that was used
for the mould), and the beginnings of a handle
made out of mouldable wax. This wax becomes
very easy to use once it has been warmed with
the hands and worked a bit to soften.
46
Above is the fire/ gas setup in the workshops
that are used to heat and pour wax, as well
as heat tools if necessary (to sprue up, for
example). When using this flame, the fan in the
wokrshops must be on to ensure fumes don’t
affect students who are at work.
47
 Investment Cast Bronze Spoons 1 - 4
To the right are the four spoons in the first
round of investment casting before being To the left is a
cast. These are completely made of found photo of the casting
organic matter and mouldable casting wax. immediately after
Above shows a few of the other objects I had the plaster was
from my walk that I was deciding between taken off before
using. To the right show these four spoons being cleaned up.
on the sprue from several different angles to
show how they were each connected onto the
sprue. To the far right are two photos of the
spoons after being cast. These

To the right is a photo

of the casting after it
had been rinsed off and
dried up to clean the
plaster, which should
always be cleaned wet if
possible to limit harmful
dust.

48 49
 Investment Cast Bronze Spoons 1 - 4

Using post-processing techniques in the fine metals workshop,

two of the spoons were selected to be polished and finished.
This was done using emery paper, a dremel witha copper wire
brush on it, and various sides and roughnesses of files. The
files were mainly used to get the extra leftover sprue parts off.

50 51
52 53
54 55
 Investment Cast Spoons Before and After Casting

56 57
 Scandinavian Wood Spoon
This spoon is inspired by a traditional scandinavian design,
which includes a ridge on the back of the spoon from the
handle to the cup for strength and longevity. For this spoon,
I used only tradtiional techniiques and hand tools. I began
cutting down the general shape from a drawing on a piece
of wood that technician John had as scrap.
58
The next step after carefully using the axe to get the general
shape of the spoon was to use whittling knives, which it was
necessary to frequently sharpen for safety reasons, and
begin to chip away at the leftover wood on the outside of
the drawn outline. This was difficult, as this wood had been
weathered for a long time and was not the best for carving.
Before carving away the outsides of the lines, the remaining
log on the end of the spoon was cut off to make it easier to
work with the wood. To the right are images of the spoon to
the extent that it was finished at the end of this project. It is
not fully finalized, but I hope to finish carving and finishing
it after this project ends.
59
60 61
 Milled & Carved Spoon
For this spoon, I combined digital
manufacturing and handmaking
processes to create a milled spoon
blank to carve by hand. This would
make the process quicker and easier.
The first step was CAD, which I used
rhino for. I used the sketch command
so I could make more organic shapes.
62
Once I had selected a shape to
mill, I exported the CAD file as .stl
and programmed it into the milling
machine. For the wood I chose alder
wood, as it is known to carve well,
and milling technician Mark had a
leftover block of it that was exactly
the correct size for my spoon.
Above is an image of the mill while
it was processing my milling cut.
While programming it, I made both
a rough cut and finishing cut method
and grouped them together so they
would run one after another without
having to reprogram the machine.
This was a simple non-flip cut.
Because of the simplicity of this
design, as well as the fact that it
did not need to be flip-cut, this mill
cut only took about 2.5 hours to
complete. When the spoon was done
milling, I vacuum cleaned the mill
and unstuck the spoon from the mill
to begin to carve by hand.
Above is the spoon once out of the
mill and vacuumed. There was a
very thin piece of wood connecting
the border/excess wood from the
spoon itself, which I needed to cut
off. For this, I used a band saw and
then was able to scrape the rest off
while carving with the carving knife.
The image on the top above shows
the “final” spoon, to the extent of how
it was finished for this project. In the
future I would make sure to consider
more about how the carving will go
when milling a spoon blank, as it
was difficult to carve all of the small
curves, as well as get into the cup.
63
 Milled & Carved Spoon CAD

64 65
66 67
 Investment Cast Bronze Spoons 5 - 10 Once the casting had been
done, which took an extra
week because casting
Using a variety of tools and materials, such as butterknives technician Tom was not
and scraper tools, a burner, modeling wax, found in one Friday- when he
organic materials, and more, I made a second round usually casts- it was time
of investment casting with five new spoon designs, to rinse and brush the
shown below. The seaweed spoon (far left), I spliced plaster off the tree. Then I
two pieces together with wax, for the two snail shell took it into the fine metals
spoons (second and third from left), I made wax workshop, cut the spoons
shells to cast, which I show the process off the sprue, and polished
of to the right. For the bamboo and finished them, just as
spoon, I wax-connected two with the first batch (with
bamboo leaves to a stalk, the dremel and polishing
and for the far right spoon, motor and files and emery
I braided some twigs and paper.
connected/ wrapped ivy
around it, then made
a wax cup.

Because shells are too strong to dissolve in investment casting, in order to make snail
shells to cast, I had to use a different mthod than just connecting the organic matter. I
pressed the shells into some clay, then carefully removed them in order to not disturb
the imprint that I had just made. After this, I heated up some wax- not too hot, because
it can dissolve the clay and ruin the imprint- and poured a bit into each indent. once the
wax in immediate contact with the clay cooled a bit and created somehwat of a shell, the
remaining hot wax in the center could be poured out, leaving a spoon cup-like shape.

68 69
 Before and After Casting

Below are images of each of the spoons from the second round of investment casting before vs
after they were cast. Unfortunately, the bamboo spoon did not work, as the leaves burned away
because they were too thin. Additionally, the ivy on the braided twig spoon was thin as well, so
only some came out and some only partially worked. The rest of the spoons were great successes.

70 71
72 73
74 75
 Project Management- Sourcing Materials- Bones

Once I began down the path of biomimicry and traditional craft methods, such as carving,
as well as exploring many different materials, I decided that I wanted to try to source
some bones to carve with. After some secondary research, I learned that a cows cannon
bone, or other large beef leg bones, are best for carving because of their size.

First I walked to the butcher in Falmouth Town and asked them if they possibly had any
bones that I could have for my project. They said that unfortunately they did not have any
that would be large enough for what I need. Next, I called some local slaughterhouess, but
both said that they don’t give bones away/ sell them.

I looked online for farms in the falmouth area with sustainable values and send the below
email (or a slight variation of it) to seven local/ nearby farms. Four of them got back to me,
and Homage to the Bovine was the most convenient for pickup. I went to the Tregew Food
Barn shortly after the communication and they gave me the bones there.

76 77
 1 2 3
Bone Spoon

When I sourced the bones, the most difficult part of working with them was cleaning them.
I got them with meat still on the bones and marrow in, so I had to do a lengthy cleaning
process that involved scraping and soaking the bones three different times, leaving them
in the soak for 24 hours. 7
Despite the above, I really enjoyed working with bone as a material. It was fun to work
with something that the technicians didnt have much experience with either, so we were
able to do some experimenting, trying to steam bend it, testing out which tools work
best, etc. I am happy with how the spoon came out, though it is not the final version, I will
continue to work on it. I hope to work more with bone in the future.

1 Beginning to clean the bone by scraping it

2 Drawing a line on the bone to hacksaw it 4 5 6

3 The sliver of bone I cut out to be the spoon

4 Beginning to file the sharp edges in the vice

5 Using the bandsaw to shape the spoon

6 Continuing to file & dremel the bone → spoon

7 Shown with the bone it came from behind

78 79
80 81
 Pewter Shell Spoon 1

This spoon is the first time I

worked with pewter. Despite
being unpredictable, it was
incredibly fun to work with,
leading me to make many
more afterwards to create
a collection of shell pewter
spoons. To the right are the
steps I took to make this spoon,
and the far right is a final image
of the spoon (which I will still The first step was to laser cut Using the template to cut Above is the foam spoon Use masking tape to secure Close the gap at the front
finalize more after this project). a template to use for the hot the polystyrene into a spoon sandwiched between the shell to handle with enough and secure on the sprue with
wire cutter to cut polystyrene shape to hold the shell other foam that was cut off space to grip the shell masking tape

Bury the shell with the sprue Place a barrier around the Pull the spoon out of the sand Cut the spoon off the sprue Continue to file down the Use a brush and water to
poking out, pack sand down sprue, heat and pour the with tongs as to not burn and begin to clean masking spoon and clean it up to a scrub off all of the sand that
by tapping box pewter in, and wait to cool yourself, quench in water tape off and file down nicer/ desired finish stuck into the pewter

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 Pewter Shell Spoon Attempt Round 2

To the left are the four spoon Above are the sprues of these
handles that I made by hand by spoons shown poking out through
carving polystyrene with ax xacto the sand with their barriers, ready
knife. Above are them in the sand. to be poured over.

This
spoon
Below is an image of me doing the Below are what the sprues looked is the only
pewter casting with my PPE on. like after they were cast. one out of the
four that worked. This
is believed by technician
Owain and I to be because we did
not use enough pewter, the pewter
cooled too much, and the sprues
were not large enough or placed
correctly.
For the next round of pewter spoons I made four spoons, deciding that
instead of having a pewter rim that encapsulates the whole shell and
is a bit in the way, I would drill holes in the shells so that the pewter
could go through the holes and grip them in that way. This is done with
technician Lisa’s trick of submerging the shells in water as you drill holes,
as otherwise they would shatter or break as they are being worked.

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 Pewter Shell Spoon Attempt Round 3

Above are the spoons shown These barriers were placed Above are the failed pieces Once the pewter has been
in the packed sand ready to around the sprues for each from the last cast to re-burn heated and poured, the sand
These are the three be barriered and cast. spoon to help the pewter flow. after being sandblasted. box looked like the above.
spoons in this next pewter
casting round. I made
these handles by hand Again, only one spoon in the As I was filing and finishing Technician John helped me Once we had re-glued the
too and sanded them this round worked. Below are the the spoon that did work, I glue it back together using spoon, it had to sit over night.
time for a better finish. two spoons that did not work. accidetnally dropped it. epoxy resin glue It was friday so it was 72 hours.

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 Driftwood & Metal Spoon

1 Measure the diameter of the driftwood stick with a piece of

masking tape and cut out a piece of metal slightly larger. Anneal.

2 Wrap it around the driftwood and begin to scrape it so it fits flush

to the wood and will be tight on there.

3 Masking tape the metal together so that you can use a coping saw
to cut it and it will be the same line on both pieces.

4 Make a circle the same size as the round end of the stick and metal
cap. Silver solder together.

5 Place a smaller piece of copper wire inside a larger one. Hammer to

desired thickness and file the end to be round. 1 2 3 4 5
11
6 Place the wire on the spoon at the derised position and scrape so it
sits flush together. This is impoirtant for a good solder.
6 7 8 9 10
7 Place it in soldering area. Put flux on wire and cup and wiggle. heat
the flux, then 3 balls of solder. Place on the heated flux.

8 Once the solder balls are heated, place a bit more flux and heat the
whole area, then focus in on where you want the oslder to move to

9 Once the cap and the spoon end are both soldered, they should
have the same finish on them from the heat.

10 Drill a hole into the cap with a drill bit slightly smaller than the wire
size using a dremel. File to size to fit the wire snugly.

11 Exploded isometric of the spoon parts.

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 Driftwood Spoon

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 Pewter Shell Spoon Attempt Round 4- CAD & Milling
For this spoon I decided to combine pewter casting with milling.
Because pewter is unpredictable and often doesnt work, I
thought it wouldn’t be worth it to continue spending so much
time hand carving polystyrene handles- which is already hard
and finicky and fragile and often break. Instead, I decided to
make a CAD handle and see how the finish was printing on
packgin polyester, then print more if it was good to have multiple
test pieces for pewter casting in case some failed.
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Below is the CAD file that I created, version 1 on
the left and the final used version on the right.
I shortened it both in the y and z axis, as the
polystyrene I had was a limited thickness, as it was
from leftover packaging boxes in the workshops.
Additionally, the shorter/slightly smaller version
looked more proportionate to the estimated size
of shells that I would be working with.
For the first test I only milled one handle.
This way I could ensure it would be worth it
before using more material unnecessarily,
by checking the size comparison, the finish/
smoothness, the time it took, etc. It worked
out very well and the finish was extremely
smooth to the point that it didnt seem like
polystyrene as much as they usually do with
the texture. After I confirmed this, I began a
second piece with four handles on it, giving
me a total of five identical handels at the
end to pewter cast with.
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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Technical Drawing
A 79.78 A

B B

6.43
C 106.26 C

D D

15
E E

Dept. Technical reference Created by Approved by

Freya Wiedemann 5/12/2023

Document type Document status

Title DWG No.

F Mill Handle F

Scale 1.5 @ A3 Rev. Date of issue Sheet

1/1
100 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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 Pewter Shell Spoon Attempt Round 4
With the five handles I sprued up three different
versions of similar spoons with similar shells, trying
different methods of spruing to test which would be
best. Unfortunately, I only had time to tst one of the
iterations, the one shown to the right. For this one,
I embedded sea glass into the handle, then made
a sprue with six connections to make up for the
interruption of the flow by the seaglass.

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 Mussel and Pewter Spoon

This spoon was very simple to make, as I only

needed to pack down some moulding sand
into a box and make a shape that I liked for the
handle.

I used a very small crucible and only put in a

tiny bit at a time in order to make sure the flow
of the pewter was controlled. I did multiple
passes, and the pewter simply melted together
to form one handle.

If I had more time to experiment with this free

form way of making pewter objects/ spoons,
I would’ve loved to try to place some tiny
seaglass/ gemstones into the handle to set
them in before it cooled. For that I would likely
need helper with me to assist.

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 Conclusion
I am delighted with the outcome of this project, as I love the process of creating and
the workshops are my favorite place to be at Falmouth University. I feel confident
in my choice of choosing to explore many different spoons and processes and
experimentations rather than focusing on only a few and finalizing the spoons to a
more polished finish, as I will always have more time after the project to finalize the
spoons to a level I am more proud of.
I have learned a lot about manufacturing processes, especially the differences
between industrial and one- off traditional handcraft, which is what I am mainly
interested in. The intersection of the two is very intriguing to me, and I hope to continue
to explore that, as well.
It was interesting to work with many different materials and explore what the meaning
of form and the word spoon is. It has given me a deeper insight into an everday
object that is used by everyone around the world, and has opened my eyes to the
possibilities of creating art and being inspired by nature in everyday life.
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Further Development/Reflection
I have multiple spoons that I began and did not finish, such as the two above. I would
have loved to have more time to make these actually become spoons, but as I said in
the conclusion, I am happy with the choice I made to explore more processes during
the duration of the project and leave the finishing/polishing until after the project.
If I had more time, here are a few more things I would have explored:
• More free form pewter pouring over objects to create shapes
• Spoons made out of sheet pewter
• More potential bone spoons, possibly trying to combine it with pewter for an
interesting combination of metal and organic matter
• Ceramic spoons
• Working with crab shells in casting, investment or pewter
• Experimenting with milling other kinds of foam than just polystyrene and seeing if
the amount of pewter and size of the sprue can make up for the extra foam density,
but which would give a much smoother finish and require less post-processing.
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