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PERSONAL PROJECTS

Grills

Silver
Metal files
Rotary tool

In collaboration with my bother Benjamin Tong we created custom grills based on impressions taken of my teeth which were cast into plaster, scanned into a high resolution STL file then printed in both PLA (white) and resin (green). Initial prototypes used wax roughly melted onto the modelled and lost wax cast by my brother and post processing done by myself to refine the shape of the caps and create and appropriately fit the desired silhouettes with the desired finishes.

The second iteration used 20 gauge wax sheets which were moulded directly onto the teeth, with appliques added to the design also moulded in from wax to be cast into the final product. Once cast and cut from the tree, the attachment point needed to be filed, this was done using metal files and a rotary tool.

Studio Assistant to Benjamin Tong

MA Degree Show

Gingerbread Cathedral

Hand Casting and Modelling

Misc.

I occasionally consult and assist my brother on sculptures he creates. Most recently I helped him with small tasks surrounding his MA final degree show at the Royal College of Art London, doing small assistive tasks such as starting resin prints, painting small figures and helping move sculptures and plan workflow.

Included is the gingerbread cathedral he designed for which I rendered in Solid Edge to collect dimensions for cookie sheet pieces. I also built an internal carboard structure to support the weight of the layers.

I additionally helped cast my hands and model body dimensions for another sculpture of his. The mould was made out of silicone and cast in jesmonite.

Knitting

Cotton Yarn
Cotton dye + dye fixative
3.5mm + 4mm knitting needles

Insipred by Storymfg’s Weaver Knit Jumper, I set out to replicate this jumper using my own colour pallete based on product pictures avaiable on their website.

This project took place June 2024 - July 2024 and was my most ambitious knit project I have undertaken using a version of a basketweave cabled stitch that did not require double point needles and a folded collar. Within this project I was also able to apply colour theory to dye the dark green the shade I wanted from a bright green with yellow undertones into this deep, neutral, green using a more blue toned dye. I also applied the basketweave stitch in a round for both the body piece and the sleeve pieces as the motif of the pattern allowed it to tesselate and become seamless.

In the planning stages of this project, the length of yarn required for a single diamond of colour was tested and measured in a sample of the same yarn to be used, with different tensions and gauges investigated to find which created the desired effect. This was then applied to the template made, with the number of squares needed in each colour tallied to find how many grams of each colour was needed, adding 10% to ensure there was a sufficient amount of yarn.

Zero waste coffee table

Cardboard
PVA glue
Tape

When I moved to New York my apartment was in desperate need of some furniture, I had a lot of cardboard from the packaging of the futon I got, among other things. Driven by the need to furnish my temporary space, I used the waste and my engineering knowledge of how strong cardboard can be to create a small table.

Knitting

Silk Mohair Yarn
10mm + 7mm knitting needles

Inspired by Heaven by Marc Jacob’s loose knit star jumper and previous, smaller scale, experiments using knitting and crochet as a medium to create fabric, this was my first completed garment, following the pattern created by BibiButten.

This was my first experience with knit colourwork and I added an additional star design to the sleeve after testing stitch tension. Due to the open gauge of this knit, it was quick to produce the pieces. Minor adjustments were made to the pattern including knitting the sleeves in a round rather than flat to avoid having a seam running up the sleeve which would contrast with the loose pattern and become very obvious.

Silver nails

Silver
Metal files
Rotary tool

Continuing with the metalworking theme, while I still had access to silver casting facilities through my brother, I made two sets of silver nails through the lost wax casting technique. This was inspired by similar products commercially available, however, at a price point inaccessible to me, from £200 for aluminium and $3,000 for silver, subsequently my goal was to make them as cheaply as possible. Since the casting was priced based on the weight, this meant minimising the volume of wax model and through using 20 gauge wax sheets, this made it much easier to make a thin and even models. I had a model of my left hand cast in jesmonite from a project my brother was working on, so I used that to model the nail beds, then for my right hand I did them against my hands, using the model was slightly easier but both created similar outcomes.

The cost of casting two sets in 925 silver was £20, so I succeeded in making them for a fraction of the price. Once cast I needed to post process them, and this meant removing the leftover stems with files and the oxidised layer on the surface. I made two sets so at a later date I can engrave some filigree onto the surface to create more complex and interesting designs.

Victoria Tong