making the skin 

1.choose the right thickness of the metal sheet.

as the different thickness of the metal sheet has different ductility, we should choose the appropriate thickness of aluminium due to the curvature of the shape. after testing, my own choice is the 1mm thick aluminium.

2.cut the rough outline of the aluminium skin

tips: 
a: again! be careful of the cut edge since the edge may be really sharp. accordingly, it is better to wear a pair of gloves and rasp the edge before next step.

3. bend the edge to form the approximate shape by English wheel and hammer 

i checked Gilbert Huang's blog and noticed that he used barely hammer in this stage. For my own point of view. the English wheel makes the bending more efficient and easier to control. 

tips: 
a: use the marker to draw the base line. next, use the hammer to create the initial bending. then, roll the aluminium sheet following the base line.

b: the small pit created by the hammer should be perfectly fixed by the roller. remember the roller could be used in different directions.

4. shrink the upper of the shoes skin

after the initial bending, a problem emerges -- there are too much material in the upper of the shoes. thus, shrink is need for that part.

the process of Huang's blog did not contain the shrink part. thus, it would be extremely difficult(actually, impossible) for the metal skin to perfectly fit the waffle shape. 
i recommend to do this as earlier as possible since shrink may destroy the finished shape. 

tips: 

a: the tool above is appropriate to shrink the metal skin. use the hammer carefully in order to avoid overlapping.

b: after the shrink, the upper of the shoes may be extremely uneven and rough. the English wheel can be used to fix the problem.  

5. according to the curvature of the shape, use hammer and different base to adjust the shape of the aluminium skin. 

tips: 

a: be patient! put great strength make no good for this part. what we have to do is to use hammer to knock it with appropriate strength and frequency on the right point again and again and again......and again. lol

the main difference between Gilbert and I on making the aluminium skin is the attitude about entirety and portion. 

For me, as an architecture student, the first thing for me to do is to create a basic feeling of the entirety. I used the English wheel and hammer to shape the outline and then adjust the details within it. 

However, for Gilbert, as an interior architecture student, he keenly catches the main curve of the metal skin and develops and expands that portion to create the whole object. 

furthermore, for my own point of view, those are the two ways of thinking -- from entirety to portion and from portion to entirety which suggest the discipline specificity between architecture and interior.