Mossy business
On the 31st of January, after some research into how to harvest moss safely, respectfully towards nature and the lived environment, and efficiently, (with the help of websites such as this one), I gathered my tools, and went on a short walk into town.
My first stop led me to the small uphill walkway with the wall, where I first was inspired by the moss.
I put on some disposable gloves, prepared the old plastic spatula, as well as the plastic box, and carefully collected some moss, making sure I left plenty more to allow it to thrive.
Then I decided to try somewhere else – one of my favorite places in my town is called The Haining. It is a gorgeous estate with a mansion, a large lake and a stunning forest surrounding it. The walkway around the lake is freely accessible to the public, and I had a feeling I might find what I was looking for there.
Not only did I find some moss, but it was also of a different species to what I harvested before.
While I was there, I also collected some lovely pieces of rocks, in case I decided to make a terrarium scene involving them.
On my way home I found yet another wall with a third type, so I quickly got to work and filled the rest of my container.
Before my second meeting at SDX, I took stock of all the materials which were available to me at the time, and then I decided to make my first prototype.
As I was limited to what I had (such as the few dozen miniature glass bottles with cork stoppers, as well as nearly 1000 earring hooks), I created a very simple earring, which does not speak to my design abilities. But it was more a quick experiment – how much of the moss fits into the tiny jar (very little), how difficult is it to make it look attractive (very – most of the piece of moss was the bottom dirty root part, as opposed to the pretty green), and what else I could fit inside it (nothing – the moss probably took up more space than it should have).
The end result was sobering, and I went back to the “drawing board” – further research was required.
I then found out about preserved moss.
This is a very simple, eco-friendly process, where we use glycerin to soak the moss in. The water content gets removed and replaced by glycerol. Through this the moss, although no longer alive, will keep its beautiful green hues and springy nature for up to 10 years. It requires no watering or enclosure, it will not dry out, and it will still provide similar mental and aesthetic benefits. There are a lot more directions I could take this way.
Here are some wonderful ideas I found on the internet:
Combining preserved moss with what I can create using my 3D printer and laser cutter, my goal is to design something beautiful, unique and useful, but which has the unique selling point of being environmentally friendly and which raises awareness to global issues such as global warming, species extinctions, and excessive pollution.
Upon my second SDX meeting, I was advised not to stray too far from the original terrarium idea, and the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with this. Having no living entities inside the product means I do not need to have it fully enclosed. I could put LED lights inside it for more aesthetic value, and the front could be open to allow the inner space to be used for things such as holding jewellery or a photograph.
The possibilities are nearly endless, but that in itself is a curse – I am very aware of the limited time I have to finish this project, and I must reign in my perfectionist nature. The important thing is to learn throughout the process. The creation of something which can be sold for a profit is not a priority.
Next order of business: finding a large enough table to fit the 70×70 cm laser enclosure on, purchasing an extractor fan, building the laser and testing it, as well as creating my own brand identity.
February 5th
After purchasing 2 pieces of 405 x 810 mm x 5 mm plywood from B&Q to put on top of the table I had in my room, I needed to do a little reorganizing to fit everything in.
I fastened the plywood to the table with 3M double-sided foam sticky pads as a temporary solution (the plywood is slightly warped, but I am hoping the weight of the laser cutter will keep it stable enough) and I was finally ready to assemble the laser cutter.
I also purchased an exhaust fan and ducting to allow the smoke out of the room, as well as an air pump intended for aquariums to use as an air assist, to create cleaner cuts.
Assembly was difficult but the first test engraving was very successful.
Although I led the air out the window through the ducting and I was using an enclosure, there was still significant smoke, even with a small engraving job. This means I will have to be very careful when creating my product. Another thing to be careful of is always wearing the safety goggles – it is easy to forget, but the 20W laser beam is extremely dangerous.
I had a quick jab at finding a logo for my personal brand. The way I first approached it was to combine my nickname (Krissy S, which stands Shelly, an English translation of my Hungarian surname) and the urgency of the climate crisis.
My partner mentioned KrissyS already looks somewhat like “crisis”, so this is what I came up with:
This is in no way the final version of the logo, as it is very busy and may be confusing to customers, but it is a start in the direction I would like to go.
As I was researching phrases such as a “world turtle”,
and certain places (like waterfalls and lakes in Hungary, because I am from Hungary, as well as Scotland, and the Amazon jungle, pictured on the right),
I stumbled upon this beautiful image of the San Rafael waterfall in Ecuador. “Oriente, Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest is home to truly astounding biodiversity“.
The benefit of choosing this location to depict in the diorama is manifold. The waterfall is in the Amazon rainforest, which is of extreme importance to the Earth’s climate, and could act as a reminder and a message to take steps to preserve it.
The greenness and “fresh” look of the moss, as well as the waterfall (if I am able to create it realistically while using eco-friendly processes and materials), will provide a positive effect on cognitive function, stress levels, and emotional well-being. The preserved moss will also help to draw moisture and airborne particles (including dust) out of the air.
The shape of the area is perfect for an open mossy scene with a lake and a waterfall, and the lake could be great for a bowl to place small things such as jewellery or coins.
Although I could not find a topographic map, I started to create one for laser 3mm laser-cut plywood layers, to achieve a similar effect to these creations I found on the internet.
I currently have not found a better way to source plywood other than this Amazon link of 10 pcs of A4 birch plywood sheets which are seconds in production (with certain defects) for a slightly lower price of £14.60.
My preference would be to find offcuts from a local source to minimize emissions and waste, and I am still looking into this.
Once all safety measures were in place, I created the first 5 test laser cut pieces using the laser cutter, with the below-mentioned settings.
Here are the test cuts:
Unsurprisingly, the 3mm plywood which came with the machine, and the settings 3mm basswood plywood in the xTool Creative Space program gave the best results.