march 2010 Artefact; stage 7

Today Is the final day that we have to finish and prepare our presentation for the Junior School.

Firstly I assessed what needed to be done today before we presented to

the junior school and work on a presentation when presenting our artifact.

The only thing left to do on the box is make handles and dust the box.

By making the handles it makes it easier for people to carry and move around. I considered

different ways that we could make the handles.

* Create them inside the box - this idea was impractical.

* carve into the woods on the side to make a curve where you can carry the box - this idea was good however, we had already put the box together and painted it - we should have thought about this in the early stages of making our

box.

* Finally, making string handles and drilling holes in the side of the box to attach it to. We are going to go with this idea because this is the best idea and most practical.

Drilling holes into the sides of the box was already done so that we could just cut the string equally, platt it then tie knots inside the box and glue it for extra strength.

After doing this I got a paper-towel and wiped down the box because it was dusty. I cannot empty the inside the knots are drying so this will

have to be done later.

After the glue dried I hovered the insides of the box and made sure it was clean and ready to hand over to our client later on.

Then, we went to Sarisbury junior school to hand over the artifact. firstly, we had to present it to the client and members of their school council and they asked questions.

I introduced who we were and said what we made and presented the chest to them. i explained the processes we went through to achieve this outcome and showed them the pictures of each stage we went through. After doing this they asked us questions further about how we made it? did it take long? And did we fin it hard to make it.

This artifact module has been a success. I have learned to use wood technology tools such as the scroll saw, something which I struggled with during the fist few weeks and I can now cut something out well. Also I have developed my communication skills, i can now generate good ideas in a group and not be afraid to tell them and i am also able to make goals and time deadlines successfully. Every week i made a new goal for the day, setting myself a task which had to be completed and i can now keep to this schedule and am able to make a plan, showing what i will be doing and achieving every week.

Today i think that I have worked well towards my goal and have worked well in a team and think that my strengths today are working well towards a tight deadline. However, an improvement would be that I can be more independent with what I am doing at times. A goal which I said that I needed to improve on during another stage was my presenting skills. Today i think i have improved and am now able to make a confident presentation to my client.

I also think that I have worked independently asking for minimal help. I think that i have improved my skills to be able to work independently because i am now confident to work alone to produce something good and i can now ask a minimal amount of questions to reach my goal if i do research myself and concentrate further on the product I am doing.

Throughout this project I think that I have worked consistently well towards my goals which i set each week so that I knew what I needed to work towards and why I needed to reach that specific outcome. I also think that I have developed my skills to work independantly knowing I had a time limit and also I have gained more confidence and skills when presenting to my group or a client. I think that these are important to have because it means I am able to communicate well and i can work on my own well.

PLATS

that I have done today:

* CT5 Because I tried alternative solutions to make the handles.

* RL3 Because I reviewed my process and said my outcome of today.

* TW5 Because I have presented my work to the junior school with confidence.

* RL5 Because I evaluated the experiences i have had creating my artifact and I now know what I can do in the future - learning from the mistakes I have made this time.

january 2010 artefact stage 3; presentation

For this stage I am going to be exploring different types of chests and how they are used. I think I am going to find this stage harder because a treasure chest hasn't developed over time.

Firstly I researched on the internet a traditional treasure chest:

Evidence of treasure chests was found in the 1500's. A treasure

chest was originally associated w

ith pirates. During quick getaways they had to get rid of their stolen treasure and hide it so it would not be found. They were traditionally made of wood and nailed shut and then buried. They the

n made a treasure map so they could re-locate where it had been hidden or buried. It was also made popular with famous novels such as "treasure island."

People that found the chest's said they were found to be functional and 'glimmering' They were often elaborately decorated and held coins and other treasures. In addition chest's that have been found are missing one big part of the myth - there were no hinges or padlocks, which create the image of a treasure chest used in history and storybooks.

Then the classic treasure chest developed in the 1800's to a storage trunk. Originally they were used by people when traveling (like a suitcase.) Their basic shape and design was a rectangular box covered in

thick canvas and or metal strips. Some were covered with metal trimmings and then sometime with paper until the late 1800's when the manufacturers lined it with cloth As the 19th century unfolded, they became more elaborate and had large locks where the lid and then box end met

. The trunks were mainly made of pine - popular woods. Theys embossed with patterns. However some historians think that the Egyption's used these. The interiors of the trunks were li

nes

required many hours of hard work to make. Some people used them as tables with stora

ge. One type of trunk is the true streamer trunk. It is half the

height of a normal trunk and were mainly used in voyages; everything needed during a voyage was packed into them.

Then trunks developed so that the lid of the trunk is raised and a tray is also in the box. also, a metal frame is hinged to the boxed so you can lift it. The tray can usually be lifted out of the frame if wanted. There are also drawers - and interlock is attached during transport they do not open.

Another type of trunk is the dresser trunk. These type of trunks were quite elaborate and were almost as big as wardrobes. Some even had mirrors in, it didn't break because it was a polished metal.

The processed involved in the creation of each of these chest are all similar. They would have to use saws, something which would not be very high-tech and developed when these types of chests were built in the 1500's - 1800's. Also they would only be made by using hand tools because, again they do not have the technology like we have today. They would be individually made so they would have taken a long time to make and people would have them made for a specific purpose. Different techniques and skills have

been used on each chest, they will a

ll be different because different cultures and people will make them differently. For example a Spanish made chest would maybe be more decorative and ornate, however an English made chest may be more simple and basically decorated because that is the culture/ fashion at this time.

Even though wood is widely available the types of wood which would be specifically in demand like maple would be harder to get. The carpenter would have to import the wood, which in earlier times it would be extremely difficult and very expensive. The carpenter would have a restricted variety of wood they would be available to choose for how

ever, if they were impossible to import th

e wood it would make the chest expensive, making the type of people able to afford the chest during the earlier times would be wealthy and able to pay whatever.

Present day treasure chests;

Building a treasure chest today is easy, simple and something which you can do yourself. With developed technology and machines making cutting, sawing and sanding an easier task making a treasure chest is no longer something only carpenters and people of this trade can do. This website shows the process you would do to make a treasure chest. It is explained simply and easy to follow instructions... http://www.binkyswoodworking.com/PiratesChest.php

Materials are widely available today, you can for example go into a hardware store and buy wood, with a ride range of variety and accessories available within the store or on the internet, easy to access and get hold of. In addition, the price is reasonable whereas making a

chest in the earlier days was an expensive task.

Treasure chests and trunks are not really used in the present day. Suitcases and storage boxes have replaced the authentic style. Materials like plastic and metal have are now the most popular material to used for making storage spaces. Chest of drawers are the close

st thing we still have which we used in daily life. They are still made with wood and some are handcrafted still however they are mainly mass produced in factories and are all the same, this

is able to happen because of our technology and the large demand for storage space, the drawers are mainly used in our homes and bedrooms.

However today they can be made more contemporary, in many different

colours and styles.

March 2010 Artefact; stage 7

Today I am hoping to finish sticking on the gems and attach the lock and padlock.

I am going to do this by using the Makita drill to

put holes where the lock will be attached to the box.

Firstly we mixed up the strong glue that we used last time to stick the gems on.

Then as Sian stuck the gems on i put masking tape over the gems because we are sticking the gems onto the side of the box, we didn't want the gems to slide down

and leave a glue mark. the one thing that we could have changed about doing this was spacing the gems out more because after

doing one and a half sides we had ran out of

gems so we had to used the pale blues and pinks

which we weren't going to include onto the box previously.

After doing this we had to return and do our blogs because the drill wasn't charged.

Then we went to Fareham college to do a workshop with the actor from the show we saw the previous week - Mount Everest

expedition. (we went to the

ashcroft art center to see a play about the 3 main explorers and the many other people on the expedition. They did this through different scales and using puppets at times. i thought that this was going to

be boring and not to my interest, however when I watched it I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was funny and interesting and I would go and see it again!)

We had to create a story for our show. This entailed;

*making a name for our company

*creating the scene

*the audience the show is for

adventures there were going to be

*making a presentation to the group.

- Our idea was 'when the teacher leaves the room....'

Our show was for children aged 11-15 and we had the idea that when the teacher leaves the room the children will get up to all sorts such as going to a theme park, crashing into a fast food place, going to a zoo and stealing a penguin. I generated a lot of ideas into the group and when presenting this I talked about the audience our show was for and also I answered the questions the group had about our show. I think that my group worked well because we all pitched ideas and created a good poster presenting our ideas. Something which I need to improve on is my presenting skills, I ned to develop them and be confident when showing my ideas n a group.

Today the PLTS that I have achieved are;

* CT1 Because I contributed good ideas to my group for my show

* TW6 Because I gave feedback to all my groups and gave good feedback and constructive criticism.

* RL4 Because I received some feedback and took it as positive.

march 2010 Artefact; stage 7

Today we are doing a practical day. My goal is that today the lid will be on the box and sanded, also put the fabric on the inside and stick the gems onto the outside.

Firstly we made measurements on where the lid will be cut of. We used the jigsaw to cut the lid off - we then have to reattach the lid after sanding it and attaching the hinges tot he box. I sanded the lid and box to make sure there weren't any splinters which could be a he

alth and danger hazard for the junior school.

After this we had to bent the hinges - this was really hard. in the end we decided to use a hammer to mould the hinge to the box's shape. Then we made holes in the box so they lined up with the hinges holes. We used the drill to do this. Then we attached the hinge to the box by using rivets and

a rivet gun its quicker than using screws they are extremely

strong and they leave no sharp edges that could potentially harm the junior school children.

Then we got PVA glue for the inside of the lid to bond together in the curve and any gaps there were in the slats. We didn't do this on the outside because it

would have looked messy and unprofessional.

After today the purple velvet was attached inside. This was done by using a staple gun. This stage went wrong, firstly when it was first attached to the box it was not straight and did not fit well inside the box, after taking out all the staples, by attaching an extra bit of velvet before putting the larger part of the velvet into the box it made sure that it fitted properly. Then we re-attached the larger piece of velvet using the staple gun.

Today i have learned to use new tools like the rivet gun and also i have learned from a mistake made today. The velvet inside was now attached however I don't think it looked very neat and tidy, also using a different tool to attach the velvet would have looked neater, the staples would not have been visible and this would have made it look better. Another way we could have attached it was by glueing it, this might have been messy, ruining the velvet and also not very strong. Another way wold be using tacks to attach it, however this would have taken a long time.

PLT'S that I have got today:

* CT4 because I re-assessed on what tools to use

* TW6 because I helped Sian and told her what she could do to improve how she was doing something.

* SM3 because I organized when we were going to achieve our goals today.

march 2010 Artefact; stage 7

Today we are going to Porchester school for a workshop from the set designer of Paper Birds - the play which we are going to see tonight.

Firstly when we arrived on the mini-bus we were introduced to the woman and she explained who she was and got us all to say what we know about set design. (i know because of the workshop we had in the previous weeks.)

After we did this we did an exercise where we had to describe suitcases to describe and make a scene. We had to describe the scenes and atmosphere and the type of character that would go with this setting. Then we got into groups and made suitcase settings of our own. Fir

stly we did scary, wardrobe and a minster. then we imagined a tramp, cold and dark and a shelter. our final suitcase idea was the jungle, lively and a explorer. After we th

ought of these we had to draw them how we would want them to look.

We had to

think about how they would open, how they would be decorated, any features there was and how the person would fit into this scene. i thought that our ideas were creative and when they were drawn they looked effective and well designed.

After we did this we went for a meal at the Harvester, this was really fun. After the meal we went to see the Paper Birds production. This

was about sex trafficking. I didn't enjoy this because it was very

graphic and too detailed. however it did have a big impact on me

and made me realize that this was happening everywhere and frequently.

Today I also think i have developed my skills to present my ideas to a group of people, i am more confident talking and explaining my idea whereas before i spoke quietly and was unable to extend explaining my ideas during a presentation.

today i think that i have achieved my:

* TW1 because I co-operated with my group to make our suitcases as our goal.

* CT1 because I generated some ideas in the group discussion.

* RL6 because I presented our ideas to the whole group.