Open and ready for use!
The fondue pot in the 'closed' position.
I'm on the left in these pictures, pouring molten bronze into the finished mold.
My original design (designed in Solidworks) and the sand after being packed and opened.
Fondue, in essence, is an earthy creation – from the earthy-tasting aged cheeses to the wine – so I chose to design this product to make it more “earthy” than other fondue kits on the market. The bowl is cast bronze, and it is set upon a rough piece of slate. Besides designing the whole project, I fabricated everything except the slate pieces (which I had waterjet cut) and the nickel plating on the inside of the bowls.
The design is such that the fondue pot can be stored in the "closed" position (see second photo), and, when ready to be used, can be flipped into the "open" position. In the "open" position, the bottom bowl holds water to evenly distribute the heat of the flame underneath the slate to the fondue in the top bowl.
Originally, the design was more egg-shaped, and I was planning on either turning a wood form on the lathe or creating a form using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Due to difficulties on the wood lathe and with the FDM, I eventually found a form already on the market that I modified to suit my design.