Senior Project Comes to an End

Senior project was all around successful. I finished with a total of 4 sets of fins, or 12 fins. I plan on continuing with the production of making fins as I move into the summer. Without the resources that Proctor has provided me in the past three weeks, I am confident that the work I have accomplished will have a very strong impact on how I will go about working when I return home. Now that I have a solid idea of how to make the fins, I can refine my original business proposal and eventually kickstart JAC. Fins, and who knows, it could be successful or be a total failure. Looking back on the three weeks I had spent working with HDPE plastic, I have definitely strengthened my passion for business and surfing. Growing up I was always told to do something that I love when I get older, and hopefully JAC. Fins can progress and I can truly say that I do something that I love. Senior project has allowed me to turn an idea into reality. I understand that I can not drop everything and pursue JAC. Fins, but there is potential for me to continue chipping away at starting a real business. I am glad that I was able to experience failure while I was a Proctor and use the hundreds of resources that are available to me to strengthen JAC. Fins. The support from teachers and friends is something I will never forget. So many of my friends at Proctor, who surf, have asked if they could get some fins. I would need up to two months to make enough fins to give to my friends. I am excited to see where JAC. Fins will end up after this summer. Senior project has provided me with more than I could ask for. I wish it didn’t have to end but, I have to move on, and I couldn’t think of a better way to leave Proctor than discovering a new passion of mine.

Midweek Rundown

On Monday I processed some more plastic. I also found some more material that I cut up and use. With that plastic I made two more blanks. Yesterday I made a third blank out of the plastic that was left over after I cut out fins from the two blanks I made on Monday. As the plastic cooled down in the press, I grabbed some lunch and came back to cut out another fin. The color of some of the fins I made that day were more of a solid white, as the plastic that I had found and cut up on monday was white. It is hard to control the placement of the colors when trying to make a design. When pressing down the melted plastic the colors are pressed in different ways, changing the designs that I had anticipated. Thursday will be a very productive day as I plan to be working the entire day. So if anyone is interested in stopping by the metalworking/woodworking feel free to drop on by.

Week 2

This past week went by too quickly. I did not get as much progress done as I hoped. Even though I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to reach my goals at the end of the week, I am still pleased with how the fins are turning out. Each fin that I make gets better. I have not changed much in the process of making the fins but, the experiences I have been through while making the fins only make them better. On Thursday I had taken a picture of some of the fins I have made and shared it on Snapchat. I was not expecting such a large reaction to the fins, as I had multiple people show interest. The fins have not been tested yet but, I plan on giving some to some friends who will be a valuable asset to me, as in return for fins I will be provided feedback. It is people like my friends who have helped me with so many different ideas for the progression of JAC. Fins. One brainstorm idea that I had with my roommate this week was one to help me in the future. So if someone were to damage a fin, that customer would be able to send back the broken/damaged fin, and in return they would get a hefty discount on another fin. The benefit of having the fins set back in is that they can be used to make more fins. Each week I learn something new, whether it be an idea or an experience of failure. Next week I am teaming up with Jack and Connor and will present our JAC. Fins business proposal on the 17th. The future of JAC. Fins looks bright and I look forward to what each day brings. 

Fins & Barbershop tools

Cut up a lot more plastic today, enough to make my hand and arm sore. The colors of the plastic are pretty cool and I am looking forward to making fins out of it. The plastic that I cut up was from 3 milk cartons, an orange juice container, a cleaning spray bottle, a shampoo bottle, and two laundry detergent containers. I was also given another barbershop task from Junior. He asked me if I could also create apiece to hold a single blade razor for shaving. It is a tougher task, but I am willing to take it on and do my best.

Where Will JAC. Fins End Up?

Today I finished working with Junior on apiece that he will use to help cut hair on a perfect curve. With a slight change from fins, I have plenty of plastic ready to go for tomorrow.  With some things to work on, I hope to get several blank sheets made, even though it will be a short Wednesday.  I was also asked to present the JAC. Fins business plan with my former Social Entrepreneurship classmates Jack and Connor in the upcoming innovation day. JAC. Fins continues to be improving and with each improvement I become more curious as to where JAC. Fins will end up in the future.

Even More Changes

I am pleased with where I am going into the rest of the week. I finished the last fin of my first set, and have plenty of plastic to work with. There is more for me to explore while making fins. The different color HDPE plastics can create a very unique marbling, and I would like to be able to work with the plastic and alter the marbling. This would be very valuable, as I would be able to make custom colored fins, making the fins more appealing to the surfer.  I learn something new every day, and I hope that by Wednesday I have a good idea of how to work with different colored HDPE plastics to make different designs in  the fins.

The First Week

This week has been a huge learning experience for me. With research and some failed attempts, I was able to put together a method on how to produce fins.  I   learned that it takes some patience to mold the plastic, as I don’t want to burn the plastic. It’s all worth the wait to me. The process might not be all that efficient, but the uniqueness of the fins sets them apart form others. The only problem I have is collecting the plastic. One fin uses a lot of plastic, and having to make sure I won’t run out means I’m constantly on the search.  After this week, I hope to go into this week with a goal of making two more sets of fins.  Last week was a time for me to learn how exactly to work with HDPE plastic. As I move forward and continue to produce more fins, I plan on making the process even better. I am hoping that I can process more plastic at once, letting me cut out two fins at a time rather than one. If I plan on fixing the way I am currently processing the HDPE plastic, I will have to go through another learning experience. This means I must prepaid for failure, and learn from it like I had before. There is a lot for me to work on heading into this week. My ultimate goal at this point is to efficiently produce fins, and to reduce the environmental impacts while making the fins. I am excited to continue working and discover new ways to work with HDPE plastics.

The Process of Making a Fin

 

Today I was able to successfully produce a surfboard fin.  I have gotten the process to a place where I feel comfortable producing multiple fins.  There are 4 major steps that I need to take when making each fin. Those steps are, collecting, cutting, cooking and more cutting. To make the fins I need to collect the HDPE plastic. Things like shampoo bottles and milk containers are a commonly made out of HDPE plastic.

 

Once the plastic is collected, I then cut the containers down into smaller pieces to make the molding process easier.

 

The cut up plastic then makes its way into an older convection toaster oven where it is then melted. In the future I hope to replace the toaster with a solar oven to make the process more Eco-friendly.

 

The plastic comes out of the toaster in a putty like consistency. While the plastic is still mold-able, it is placed in the wooden press that I made and is clamped down to create a solid flat square.

 

  Once cooled, I am able to cut out the shape of the fin. After I cut out the fin, the excess plastic is saved to be used again, and then I sand down the sides, giving the fin its hydrodynamic shape. Now that I have a process that works well for me, I hope to make several more fins and continue to find ways to make an even more Eco-friendly fin.

More Than Surfboar Fins

I have been introduced to a few ideas that have been sparked because of JAC. Fins. Fins are not the only things that can be made out of HDPE plastic, leaving me with a few new opportunities to turn recycled plastic into a useful product. I have talked to several people about making fins for other water sports, such as wakeboarding, kite surfing, and the idea of even making a kayak out of plastic. The most interesting, out of the blue, idea that I have heard was from my dorm parent Junior. He picked up a surfboard fin and told me he could use something like this to help him cut hair.  As well as fins, I will be working with Junior to help create him an alignment piece for cutting sideburns on a perfect curve.  I am excited to create another product that can be used for something like cutting hair; it’s a completely different than surfing, but it is just the beginning of using recycled HDPE plastic.

Learning Curve

Business has been an interest of mine for a while, and this past fall I had the opportunity to take Social Entrepreneurship. For our final projects we were assigned to design an idea for a business. I wanted to do something that I was interested in, something that I really cared about, but nothing was coming to mind. As I struggled to come up with ideas, I found myself watching random Youtube videos, and I saw a video that said, “Recommended for you” and it was a surfing video. That was when it hit me. Why not create a business that uses recycled plastics to create surfing products. The idea of creating surfing products was further narrowed down to just surf fins. With several days of research and experimentation, I developed a prototype fin. The final product exceeded my expectations. I did not plan on going further with the idea of a plastic surfboard fin, but after hearing from several students, saying that they would use a set of the fins, I knew that there was potential for something more than just an idea. The fins are made out of the number 2 recyclable plastic, high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Working with HPDE plastic has been a learning process. With several flaws in my prototype fin, I look to better the quality of the surfboard fin. Not only am I focusing on the quality of the fin, but the process of how the fin is molded, cut, and shaped.  Rather than using just an electrical heat source, I am planning to work with Alan McIntyer and his E block class and make a solar oven to mold the plastic. Power tool will also be replaced, giving me a final product that has not required any fossil fuels to make.  Today I worked with some of the HDPE plastics I have collected, and attempted at creating a sheet of plastic that I could cut a fin out of.  I failed, but that opened up several new ways to mold the plastic. I built a wooden press that will flatten out the HDPE plastic into a rectangle. The issue with the rectangle is the excess work needed to cut and shape a fin. With several different ideas on how to mold the plastic into the shape of a fin, I must research and experiment on the different methods to find the most efficient and ecofriendly way.  Learning from my failure today has prepared me for tomorrow, as I hope to make my second HDPE surfboard fin.