As you know in maker every year we have our blue sky exhibition. Long story short, there’s a lot more to it and a lot more that goes on behind the scenes. Today I will take you deep into the abyss that is blue sky. Now if you don’t already know what blue sky is then I will explain it to you right now. Blue sky is a Unit in maker where we have to solve a problem by creating, designing, and presenting an idea/product/design that solves that problem. There are many stages to completing a blue sky project. This year we followed that guidelines of the L.A.U.N.C.H cycle.
Once Ms. Willemse announced that we would be starting our blue sky project I almost immediately knew what problem I was going to solve. I wanted to solve a problem that involved one of my passions. One problem that is constantly in my mind is rips and holes in skateboard shoes. This is because when you do certain tricks on a skateboard (particularly ones that you need to flick your foot on the board in order to do) the grip tape will rub against your shoes which will eventually wear down the fabric and cause rips and holes in the shoes. I knew that this was a problem that I could solve so I got to work with blueprints and concepts. My idea was to create a rubberized stick on patch that would crease with the shoe and prevent rips, it could also be used to cover up existing holes so you don’t rip your socks.
After I had finished the blueprints I got to work on gathering materials. First I purchased a can of Flex Seal which is a spray on liquid Tupper compound. I sprayed it on a pair of old skate shoes to I could test its durability. The testing went great, the compound worked great and felt just like the rubber on the shoes. It held up really well and I knew this was what I would use to create my product. The next step for me was to fond out what would stick on to the shoes and not rip off over time. I did some research and found my best option, the worlds strongest tape, T-Rex Tape. I also purchased sticker backing so you would be able to use the product whenever, wherever. Now that I had all of my materials I started work on creating a physical prototype. I put the T-Rex Tape on the sticker backing and sprayed 2 coats of Flex Seal on it. Once it had dried it was time to test it out. I went to lone dale skatepark and skated the shoes for 2 hours straight. The product help of impressively well and it creased with the shoe just like I wanted it to! Once I had tested out my product I interviewed one of my good friends who works at my local skateboard shop The Boardroom.
After I had done the interview I knew what I needed to change. 1. Spray on more coats 2. Provide other sizes of patches and 3. Give my product a name.
Next. I got to work on a new batch of patches. I laid out two big strips of tape, stuck it to the sticker backing, and sprayed 5 coats instead of 2. After the coats had dried I cut out two sizes. small square pieces for small holes and larger rectangles shaped pieces for big holes. Finally I had finished my final product. Weeks of planning, prototyping, and crafting had lead me to the final day. Exhibition day! I had also created a poster board to show off my product, show the steps I took to make it, and explain what it is. The exhibition went more smoothly than I ever could have imagined. It was by far my most favourite exhibition to date! I have learned through this project that planning is everything, If you have no plan you will end up failing! I will definitely be using the steps in the L.A.U.N.C.H cycle more often in my life and I think that it will help me in ways I couldn’t even imagine! Goodbye grade 9, Hello future!