The Heavier (12/10/2023)

The Heavier is what I could best call a "Physical pun". Get it? Because a lighter is light, and now it's heavy! Despite how rediculous this is to most people on initial inspection (I wont deny the good reason most people have to gawk at it), the current state of this project is the end result of about half a year of iterative design improvements, and is an amazing case study of what Taylor Industries Design and Fabrication is capable of. The story of how this came to be is a litle long winded, but I dont mind telling it. Through this story I'll also go through the effort of showing the pictures I've taken of this current iteration's design and development.

It began some time around 3-ish years ago. Me and a couple of my friends, on our Discord server, were presented with an image of a lighter encased in concrete. The friend that showed us it called it The Heavier. I have no clue if the person who took the pic initially named it that, but, hearing the name and seeing that image made me laugh until I cried. The same happened with all of my friends, and it's stayed with us since by making it a sticker.

After about 2 and a half years or so, while playing around with my 3d printer, I became possessed by a thought of bringing the heavier into the real world. I began by getting a rough dimension of a standard bic lighter, making a hollowed out cube the size of the lighter body, buying some rockite, and pouring it into a 3d print of that hollowed out cube with the lighter held in the center. This gave birth to what I'll call V1 of the heavier. Considering the mold was a 3d print, it was painful to try and remove it using a pair of plyers and a tiny saw. Once revealed to the world, my friends and family immediately expressed interest. I had to come up with the next step then; How do I get as many heaviers as I can into the hands of anyone who delighted in the whimsy of this image of a lighter encased in concrete?

The answer was simple; Make a mold. Specifically, a silicone mold. While that was relatively simple, in and of itself, I decided some mdoifications must be made to V1 to at least make it a little better. Firstly, it would've been extremely wasteful to make a single use, concrete lighter. As such, the heavier now has an internal sleeve that allows for the replacement of a spent lighter. I've actually been shamed for this decision by some, as economically it'd mean that people would be forced to buy more. However, I think that's stupid for the end user, and I really don't think I need to explain why. Next, the design of the volume required to minimize the amount of rockite had to be optimized, as it was kinda expensive for a student to batch make these things. Finally, I tinkered around with putting in a custom design of a logo/text, and a very small storage space (No bigger than a couple of cigarettes) at the bottom of the heavier. Only the custom designs side of that panned, out. Even then, it was very hard to edit, or make new designs, as a silicone mold would have to be created for it. Despite that, it was incorporated into V2, and was to be used as something resembling a "Business card" of sorts. This version proved to be very successful, and managed to actually get me some beer money. Despite this, some poor timing on my end, with regards to life conditions, caused me to put the project on hold.

Not wanting to rest, I decided this Summer to re-engage with The Heavier. The planned changes came in-line with me acquiring a new machine for my workshop: A resin 3d printer. This afforded me a great oppurtunity in finally allowing higher resolution silicone molds that can imprint text alot easier. However, making new molds was expensive, especially for any one-offs I figured I might make. This cost is heavily amplified for any mistakes made in the design. As such, a drastic change was made: The base of the heavier would be one single piece of plastic. This included the base with the engraved logo and text, the lighter sleeve, and even a new feature: A hole for a key ring. This also reduces complexity during the casting process, as a "Sleeve holder" would be used to keep V2's lighter sleeve perfectly center with the cast. Another opportunity opened itself up for me: Using mini Bic lighters instead of normal lighters. This achieves alot, as it decreases the total amount of rockite needed while also being easier for people to use with just one hand. After a little testing with various types of silicone, V3, the heavier shown throughout this post was finally born.

So whats the big fuss?

Alot of people I've ran into like the idea of TI, and by extension, TIDF, but dont actually have a need for a design and fabrication service. That being said, they still want to help. Im not one to normally take donations from strangers, but, I am one to brith whimsy into the world. So, I've decided to square the circle by releasing V3 of The Heavier as official Taylor Industries merchandise. An ebay listing has been made (Accessable via the link at the top of the page) I implore anyone that wants a silly little knicknack, the physical pun, a simple thingamabob, and also wants to support Taylor Industries, to please buy a Heavier. Each Heavier sold allows me to re-invest in industrial capital that will be used to take on new, and exciting projects for future TIDF clientel. I thank you all, anyone just seeing this story for the first time, and those that got to live it with me. Thank you.

What's next?

As with any project that's structured using iterative design, this is not done. Despite how mature of a design The Heavier is right now, there's still a a couple of improvements I could make to it.

• Draft molds. Right now I feel like Im about to tear the damn things apart whenever I remove the finished heavier and silicone mold from the mold frame.