By Ron Alexander Ph.D.
The photograph presents an object many observers will recognize. Often named a Chalice Box, this agency attends more as a movable display case to enhance the substance and effectively set apart the Chalice, the Paten, and the Crucifix. The design for the case needed to have a frame that gave 360° of observation. Similar to a vitrine, it will allow both aesthetics and quality to support the grouping. An industrial appearance encloses the shell with mesh wire on three sides, with each side attached to the foundation.
The base donates to the rectangular shape with four pieces of wood having ends cut to forty-five degrees. This group presses against the wires, freezing the mesh to the frame. The front side provides an acrylic portal that slides vertically. An acrylic handle allows access to the Chalice and Paten. The Paten rest in a rough cut-out behind the Chalice. To secure the Paten, part of a clothespin leans forward to maintain the Paten’s balance and prevent it from falling backward.
To connect the covering, or roof, to the shell required drilling holes at the top of each post with a 3/4 inch boring tool. The openings afforded the insertion of four magnets glued into each cavity’s space. Then, by using an adhesive, four circular wooden discs and four magnets validated the magnetic distribution. Finally, these items joined the bottom of the cover. The magnetic force of each of the eight ferromagnets developed its property and pulled the shell’s envelope into form.
At the central point of the cover stands a Crucifix, set inside a wooden finial. When using a metal grinder to cut two pieces from a metal wire, each piece required reshaping, giving an asymmetrical form of a shepherd’s cross. The vertical, centerpiece of the crucifix offers a radial balance, with a circular movement at the apex. The wires that wrap the curved, horizontal part of the cross to the body intervene in movement from the apex to the Chalice and Paten. Wood putty and a sander helped cover metal fasteners and smooth the body for painting. Mahagony paint colored the entire shell. Gold hammered spray paint covered the mesh and staples. Sonoma red paint covered the four-round discs and the wooden finial. Gold leaf metallic spray paint covered the Crucifix. Under the base, four 3/8 inch self-adhesive round rubber-like bumpers prevent movement and slippage.
I must thank my wife Elizabeth and our grandchildren, Olivia and Jocelyn, for their contributions in choosing materials, handling tools, painting, and other aspects of completing this project.
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