Lantern of Souls
Sep 2021
ME 103: Product Realization: Designing and Making
A decorative and functional lighting piece inspired by a League of Legends character, Thresh.
Processes: waterjet cutting, TIG welding, bead blast finish, spray paint.
Thresh is a character from League of Legends (a team-based video game), who torments people by hooking people with his chained scythe and ripping their souls out. He keeps their souls in a glowing green lantern. I created his lantern in ME 103.
Prototype
I started by gathering cardstock from cereal boxes, creating four identical pieces. My vision was the user would carry the lantern using a ring, and the cable threads through holes at the top.
Computer Aided Design
Operations Sequence
1. Start with rectangular aluminum sheet metal, cut to size.
2. Waterjet cut 4x of the top, middle, and bottom components.
3. Bend sheet metal along bend lines using the sheet metal brake.
4. Bead blast the parts to prevent rust, and for a nice finish.
5. TIG weld each component together. But practice a lot beforehand, because I only have one try!
6. Sand the rough edges down and bead blast again. Then use spray paint + primer.
7. Test different lighting orientations. Cover with frosted acrylic, laser cut to size.
8. Done! From conception to finish, this project took me about 80 hours, and gave me a great understanding on the craftsmanship and patience required to manufacture products.
