Product and Project description

The heart of my project has been about the wastage of functional objects. Individuals are thought to have potential, is this the same for products? Is there a limit to an objects potential?

Why are some functioning objects thrown away if they still work? For the items like plastic bottles, which fall under "post-consumer waste", it seems wastage to an certain extent is inevitable. We are exposed to copious amounts of plastic bottle waste every day, surely we cannot save every single bottle?

No, but we can do our bit. Phoenix works as a decanter and as a second-life route for plastic bottles, but it also acts a statement for our current ecological situation. We make too much and we waste too much. We need to use what we have now to its full potential.

VRAY renders

Below are several VRAY renders of my final Rhino file. All the colours shown compliment the design and if the product would go to market, I would make the different colour choices available to the customer.

Vibrant colours - green, red, blue, yellow, pink.

This blue is quite close to the colour I actually sprayed my final model. I think the blue helps strengthen the imagery of water (bottle).

In context - round the kitchen/dining table

In context - round the kitchen/dining table. The chrome finish works well with the overal form of the product.

The name Phoenix suggestes the red colour should be used, and it can be but other colour choices are optional also, giving the customer choice.

Manufacture 2

A thin layer of carbody filler on the internal spout wall should make it reasonably waterproof once the two sides are glued together.

Once glued, the spout needed quite a bit of rebuilding - apply progressive layers of carbodyfiller to achieve a hard, smooth surface.

Sanding - after the majority of the filler has been filed off (to save time and energy), use a reasonably rough grade of sandpaper to take off the excess.

I needed to repeat the filling and sanding process several times to build up a smooth layer.

Start using finer sandpaper, once all the excess filler has been removed. This will start to produce a smoother surface the finer the sandpaper you use.

After several coats of high-build primer, and some very fine sanding using a high grade piece of steel wool, the surface is ready to spray.

The discs require some preliminary sanding with a high grade piece of wet & dry sandpaper.

Once the sanding is finished, the surface is ready to spray. For the discs I chose a light blue to compliment the dark blue of the model.

Build up coats of spraypaint thinly - they dry quicker and produce a more even coverage, there is also less chance of the paint dripping.

In between coats of spraypaint, a very light sand with a pice of 1500 grade wet & dry sandpaper should remove any imperfections.

The result is a smooth, even paintjob and a model that I am proud of (which is drying upside-down in the photo).

Manufacture 1

Using the 1:1 scale drawing to make sure the block of wood is large enough. Need 3 blocks - two halves that make up 1 full model and then another half to show the internal spout.

The discs that house the bottles should slot into the hole once both sides have been cut and glued.

The right inside on the CNC machine. One inside took around 30 mins to complete.

The CNC machine cutting the side profile outline for the right side of the model.

The right outside - the outside of the model takes much longer to machine because of the amount of material that must be removed. To make sure the model was secure when on the CNC machine, several screws held the model to the white board beneath.

Once the CNC machining was completed, there was a fair bit of work to be done to the surface of the model - filling, sanding and priming.

The discs do not fit into the hole exactly - it would be best to sand the wood to make the hole larger rather than trying to sand the disc to make it smaller.

Using a rounded file will make the hole slightly larger to house the disc.

The small block that was left by the CNC machine to allow a screw to hold the model in place intersects the spout - the inside must be chiselled out to allow water to pass through the spout.

When setting up the CNC machine to complete the outside, it was difficult to allign the second file with the one that had already been completed. This resulted in the spout wall thickness being slightly smaller than intended - I therefore needed to glue the thin spout to prevent any major breakages during the finishing stage.

Rhino 3D modelling

1:1 scale drawing - able to trace round the outline in rhino.

After a considerable amount of time and help, the model was completed. The spout joins to the base unit cleanly and the lip at the rear is just the right size to get a comfortable grip.

The discs that house the different sized bottles can all slot into the hole in the model. The grooves ensure the disc remains stationary when screwing and unscrewing the bottle.

These discs will be made using the Rapid Prototyping machine - advantages include the relatively low cost for small items, can make an object as many times as you want using a specific rhino file, its ability to make decent threads.

Redesign - sketching 2

The form without the handle is much more visually pleasing. Not only does it make the piece less cluttered but it also gives it a certain 'balance' - the spout is matched by the bottle, and the bottle is matched by the spout.

The only difficulty is working out the angle at which the bottle will rest - this then has an affect on the spout as it is equally matched with the bottle. If the bottle is too upright, forthe water to pour the spout must be at quite a low angle, which then messes up the stability of the object. The object may tip both forward and backwards, depending on whether the bottle is full of liquid or not. If, when the bottle is full, the object stands steady, it is likely to topple forwards when the bottle is empty - this could be a storage feature (lying down takes up less space).

The angle of the bottle in this sketch is far too low - the bottle must rest closer to the centre line/point of the object.

Simple curves - sketch 3D to see how the spout will look - does it taper towards the end?

The contrast between the negative space at the back and the flat curve at the front is interesting. The colours and materials used reminds me of Alessi kitchenware.

The spout curves upwards really nicely on this design, though remember to keep the water level in the bottle at the same height as the spout - otherwise spillages may occur.


Almost the final shape - The bottle is resting a little too low and will put too much weight on the rear of the object. The spout is also too close to the centre of the object - again, messing with the stability.

Redesign - sketching

The design of the object in the previous post had been with me a long time, I think I was drawn to it and didn't really push the shape further once I had designed that one. After some careful consideration and a few encouraging talks from my peers, I decided to spend a few days sketching the form and smoothing out any design faults.

Much nicer shape - good, vibrant colours also. The detail of the grip is a consideration - will the final be made from plastic, will it be rotationally moulded (process used for watering cans), and will it have any features such as grip?

A little too much like a watering can - the curves of the spout, handle and holder don't work together.

Much better, spout and handle point in same direction - 'leaning back' look is pleasing.

Developed shape - more curves than the previous form.

More like an attachment - simplified handle. Interesting ridging detail on the side of the base unit - would look great in chrome.

Almost wishbone-shaped, with a slight twist. The object may be slighty top-heavy - making it more likely to topple over (develop the shape to prevent this)

Lip at the back makes a simplified handle - saves doubling up (bottle is already one).