Nate S.

Hi! I’m Nate and I’m in my first year of WISRD. I have always been super interested in science because of my family. My grandfather was a biologist and studied things that still help the world to this day. I hope to do the same. My goal in WISRD is to create jewelry that is as close to 100% recycled as possible. I want to create chains, rings, and bracelets. I want to answer the question of whether or not it’s possible to create 100% recycled jewelry.

9/1/24: I got started researching companies that already do similar things to what I'm looking to do. We only had a few classes so I spent most of my time doing research.

9/17/24: I started looking at possible tools I could use to make my jewelry. I transitioned from focusing on chains to focusing on rings. Maybe eventually I’ll move to chains but at this point rings and maybe even bracelets look to be a better place to start.

9/24/24: I found a tool that looks to turn scrap metal into ring shapes easily. The Basic RIng Expanding Mandrel looks to be a great option for what I’m trying to do. It expands scrap metal into a ring. It’s not super expensive and I believe it’s a top-tier option to create rings.

10/1/24: I started researching other ideas for making rings. We already have a normal mandrel so I will most likely use that. Right now I’m locked into making this jewelry but Viggo and I will make a Tesla coil for dark matter day. I created two rings; one is basic, and the other has a piece of class acting as a gem at the top.

10/15/24: Viggo and I finished the Tesla coil and it works great. we had a few minor problems but we solved them. We are working on making a poster right now and it’s looking good. We are well prepared for Dark Matter Day next Wednesday.

10/22/24: We are prepared for DMD and are just putting the final touches on the Tesla Coils. We spent a lot of time working on the poster and Tesla Coils this past week.

10/29/24: Last Wednesday we had Dark Matter Day. Viggo and I did great on our Tesla Coil and everyone that saw it loved it. We did a great job explaining how everything works while working together the whole time.

11/5/24: I’ve been working on writing and how to approach what I’m going to do next. I think I’m going to keep trying to make rings until I make one I’m 100% happy with. After that I’ll most likely move on to bracelets. Eventually, I want to make chains/necklaces but at this point I think I’m a long ways away from doing that.

11/12/24: Over the past week I’ve done research and created another ring, which I believe to be my best one yet. Over this next week, I plan to look into different recycled materials we could purchase to create more jewelry.

November-December:

I’m adjusting and polishing my ring project. Next semester the plan is to adjust my project into a more 3d printing/scientific project.

January:

I am looking into ordering the PET machine, which I would build. This machine is able to turn useless plastic bottles into 3d printer filament. This helps me learn and is able to help students in the future in WISRD.

February:

I’ve started building the PET machine. So far, steps 1-5 are completed. I’ve done the push button, housing, filament runout sensor, and the power supply. This is teaching me to be disciplined. I plan to keep working on this until the end of the year and going into next year.

March:

Steps 6-13 are completed. That’s the power socket, gear motor, PWM motor, electrical wiring, cooling fan, hotend, filament tensioner and runout sensor, and the spool base and unit. The building is going super well. Viggo has been helping at times, and I’m improving every day with my building skills.

https://www.wisrd.org/s/IMG_0824.jpeg

https://www.wisrd.org/s/IMG_0702.jpeg