Get a Grip!
Clay molded eraser grip to be cast in silicone
There are little objects in life, that although frequently used, are often not thought of. As I have progressed through engineering school and moved into the digital age, I sometimes find myself trying to use my iPad stylus as a traditional pen. I too have begun to forget the little objects -- pencils and erasers.
​
Once I began to sketch again I was reintroduced to drawing utensils in the light of control and intent. Art has given me the desire for using utensils that provide exactitude and ease of use. The Staedtler Eraser is a quintessential, affordable and effective eraser that can be seen throughout the art world. Although this eraser is great at removing pencil lines, it is not comfortable to hold and the hard sides of the rectangle harshly press into my fingers joints. This is my eraser of choice while drawing, so creating a grip that gives me comfort and control is greatly valuable.
Initial Brainstorm sketches
Rough idea sketches to brainstorm potential grips and the design style for my eraser
Ergonomic Hand Study
These drawings are artistic renditions of my grip on an eraser. From this drawing, I mapped my finger placement on a square and circular grip shape. Creating a prior sketch ensured that I had the proper number of contact points and on the right faces. The top left picture is my hand-modeled as joints to better express contact points.
Design Flow (seen above)
Iterative Design and Fabrication
 Three prototypes in various materials with different amounts and locations of clay |  Final design in process of being smoothed with warm, wet sponge |  Close up of three designs and good view of surface finish differences |
|---|---|---|
 Final design after being smoothed with sponge |  Scoop and various rakes used to smooth and sculpt the eraser grip |
Final Design
The marker rendition of final eraser grip design using Copic markers. Emphasis is placed on the shading of the finger indents. The black is representative of the machined plastic used in place of the eraser to mold around.
The previous iterations were made from the actual object (eraser) wrapped with tape and a machined piece of 6061 aluminum, which both don't remove well from the mold. The aluminum is a heat sink that distorts the heat molding process and the tape is not smooth enough to give a good finish. When making the final piece to mold around there was a sanding step to provide a smooth surface that releases well when molded. The final clay model is smoothed well with a wet sponge as well as various rakes and flexible cards. The smooth finish is imperative to avoid imperfections when the silicone is cast. Below are photos of the final piece.
