AztecWarrior

@aztecwarrior

3D Design & Printing

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Project Summary

Through Time is a tribute to memory, resilience, and the quiet permanence of love across generations. The project was born from the desire to bring back a moment that would otherwise slowly disappear with time, and to transform it into something physical, lasting, and deeply human. At the center of this work are the late grandparents of my wife, two people whose lives reflected the turbulent story of an entire century. As children, they survived the Second World War. They later lived through the realities of a socialist society, witnessed its liberation, and experienced the birth of independence and a new era. Their lives were not extraordinary because of status or recognition, but because of their strength, dignity, sacrifice, and perseverance. They belonged to a generation that carried history within them quietly and without complaint. This project exists to honor people like them. The intention behind Through Time is not simply to recreate a likeness, but to preserve emotion. The goal is to capture the feeling of one deeply meaningful moment and give it a form that can survive beyond photographs, beyond memory, and hopefully beyond the next two generations. The piece is envisioned as a future heirloom, something that may one day be held by family members who never had the chance to meet them, yet will still feel connected to their story. The process combines modern technology with traditional artistic craftsmanship. The sculpture begins through detailed 3D modeling, followed by high resolution SLA 3D printing to achieve delicate precision and realism. From there, the work becomes intensely manual and personal. Hours of sanding, refining, detailing, and post processing are used to remove the feeling of machinery and replace it with the presence of the artist’s hand. The final stage applies a real copper finish with a subtle patination, allowing the surface to carry warmth, depth, and the feeling of age. The intention is for the final piece to possess the emotional and visual weight of a true statue. Material choice plays an important role in the symbolism of the work. Copper changes with time. It evolves, darkens, and develops character, much like memory itself. The sculpture is meant to age gracefully, becoming richer and more meaningful as years pass. In a world increasingly temporary and digital, Through Time is an attempt to create something permanent. It is about remembrance, about giving presence to those who are no longer here, and about preserving the humanity of ordinary people whose lives shaped the generations that followed. More than anything, this work is an act of gratitude. A way of saying that these lives mattered, that they deserve to be remembered, and that through time, their story will continue to exist.

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Electroplating = The Most Stressful Four Hours of This Project 2

Electroplating = The Most Stressful Four Hours of This Project 3

3D Design & Printing

88 days ago

AztecWarrior

@aztecwarrior | 3D Design & Printing

Electroplating = The Most Stressful Four Hours of This Project

This was, without a doubt, the most stressful part of the entire project.

After several layers of conductive copper paint, it was finally time to find out whether all the preparation had paid off. The print was submerged in an acidic copper sulfate bath and connected to a power supply for electroplating.

Simple in theory. Less so in practice.

For the next four hours, I had to carefully monitor the current as it changed throughout the process. Too little, and the copper takes forever to build. Too much, and you burn the surface, potentially ruining the entire piece.

Naturally, all of this happened during the final 24 hours before my flight.

I started early that morning knowing I only had one acceptable print and one chance to get it right. Thankfully, by midday, the process was complete, and the results were exactly what I had hoped for.

For the first time since this project began, Jozef and Veronika were no longer just resin and paint. They had finally become metal.

I'll share the polishing process in the next update.

#thanks

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antampatz42 days ago
Hats off to you! Well done!
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STUDIO93544 days ago
That’s a great electric painting process :p
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Bughunter86 days ago
As I like to work with original materials may be one day I could use this? I have an idea now: Is it possible to apply this special paint on wax? Then it would be possible to plate a copper on top of that and remove the wax with little heat. I used once exhausts on a Sopwith Dolphin. This was an addon in the first special edition of a kit and it looks like they were created this way.
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  AztecWarrior85 days ago
  Replying to Bughunter
  @bughunter Hiya, yes its a known method. But you need to apply at least 200 micron layer minimum. Though the higher the thickness the more prone it is to uneven deposits.
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Fire Lily 02287 days ago
Wow, I've seen this process, so complez. Kudos to you.
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  AztecWarrior87 days ago
  Replying to Fire Lily 022
  @firelily022 Thank you Lily!
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Make_3d_print88 days ago
llevo tiempo para hacer ese proceso pero nunca me he animado
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  AztecWarrior87 days ago
  Replying to Make_3d_print
  @make3dprint Animate! si es muy complejo y lleva tiempo; me llevó dos años reunir todo el equipo necesario y perfeccionar todo el proceso. xD
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AztecWarrior87 days ago
@danieleguerrini Thank you!
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AztecWarrior87 days ago
@faulk Next update is the polishing and after that will be my final submission :)

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