Coupling

Power Couplers arrived from Russ in England. Russ's parts have been of exceptional quality. These are even designed for easier painting. Hopefully he will be running the coveted Aluminum Radar Eye next, and possibly the new JAG Octagon Port design. I wouldn't mind trading the Octo Ports I got off the junkyard for the newer design. He also sells other prop replicas not associated with Artoo building. Check out his website for more info. You may find something you have to have.

Skater Boy

UPS just dropped off the caster wheels I ordered a week ago. After reading through a dedicated Center Caster Wheels thread on astromech.net, I decided to go with 2.5 inch skate style wheels from Rockler. These aren't as soft as I'd imagined them to be, but I'll give them a shot. It looks like these are one of the parts that people try different options as they wear out over time. But these also look better to me than a standard Lowe's or Ace caster. And of course I went with the blue option.

Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Pocket Vents arrived from Guy in Burbank, CA. I've realized lately how many different areas of the world R2 parts come from. I wish I'd have paid more attention when they arrived. My little astro droid will have parts from all over the U.S. - Texas, Arizona, California, Rhode Island and several more states. Not to mention a few international parts from China, Australia, and England.

Spin Doctor

My first video!

Like some other builders, I replaced the bearings in the Rockler with Acetal ones from McMaster-Carr. This was the 3rd time I'd taken a Rockler apart. Cleaning it and replacing the stock lube didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I cleaned the grease from the track, used the dremel to clean up the little bit of slag in there, then sanded it with 400 grit paper and wiped both pieces down as best I could. Then I sprayed a little Teflon Lubricant in the track, replaced the bearings leaving about 2 inches of empty space in the track just as the original bearings did, and finally sprayed a little more lubricant into the open gap in the top.

You can see the difference. It was only getting about 3/4 a turn per spin before. Now its going a full 3-4 rotations. I added the Dome Base Plate and Dome afterwards and still get 3 full rotations with a modest hand spin. It quieted down too. Almost totally gone is that annoying bearing knocking that came from the stock balls. It always sounded like a Newton's Cradle to me. Although not completely silent, it should be loads better and sound a little more like the Artoo in the movies.

Three Legged Race

The day has come. R2 can stand on his own. Pretty freaking cool. Looks like I'll have to use the Center Ankle Adapter for the Com8-B frame. These were made after someone with the same frame noticed the Center Foot didn't sit level on their droid. Mine isn't as extreme as theirs was, but its still not quite level. Before I cut anything I'll see what some of the other builders have to say. It may be best to wait till I have the Foot Drives and center casters in. See below.

Center Justified

Center Ankle has arrived. Now I can put R2 on all feet. Will try to do that in the next week or so. Foot drives should be in fairly soon as well. Looks like I better start getting some electronic guts.

No Longer Feeling Blue

Not much on the blog front lately. I've mainly been getting all the blue paint as finished as I can before the cold weather finally set in a couple weeks ago. All but about 3-4 pieces will need some clear coat touchup next spring when the weather abides again.

Had some success with masking the Booster Covers with Elmer's Glue. The bottom four masked areas on each didn't turn out to well though. Masking Tape on the coin slots didn't fair very good as well. I posted a thread about masking tips on the forums, and the best advice I think I gathered from responses is that masking should be removed fairly quickly - within 2 hours. That way the paint is still pliable enough not to chip. Looks like these 3 parts will be stripped and attempted again this Spring with the remaining blue pieces I've yet to receive.

Not sure yet, but I'd like to attempt the Dome Lighting Kit sometime in the next couple months while its too dang cold to do much else.

I've ordered a few more parts, there's only a handfull left to go and most are electronics. The HP servo mounts came in yesterday. These allow a servo hookup to the HPs to add movement. Some assembly required.

Mad as Hell

Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Well today has been one of those.

I've re-sanded several blue pieces and applied a new clear coat, only to find about a third of them have lint, or hair, or bubble imperfections and will need to be stripped and clear coated yet again.

I also dropped a utility arm on the concrete and put a nice, albeit small dent in a corner. Luckily it could have been much worse. A little sanding and some steal stick should fix it - hopefully. But I did have to strip all the paint off it and will have to start over on it when I do the Booster Covers. Speaking of, I looked again on the forums and have decided to try good old white Elmers glue to mask them. I hope it works better than clay. I'm really frustrated because I know theres only a week or so left of weather that will permit painting. Trying not to rush, but I really don't want to have to wait to Spring either.

Strip Searched

Couple of minor setbacks this week. First, after priming the Radar Eye with a couple coats of plastic primer, I went ahead and shot a coat of self etching on it. I only did this because I read it was still good for resin on the boards, and I wanted the same undercoat as all the other pieces so there wouldn't be any color variation. They were wrong. It cracked in several places and I had to do some major sanding to get it back into painting shape. My can of plastic primer sucked and the nozzle didn't work after the first round. So I used some clean metal primer on it. Its taken a few days to completely dry, but I think it just needs a little light sanding to smooth it and I can move ahead.

Thanks to someone else on the astromech.net boards, I tried clay as a masking agent in the booster covers. After over a week, the paint surrounding the clay still hadn't dried. I tried carefully to remove the clay, but it was pretty evident immediately that I would have to repaint. Acetone does a fairly good job of getting the paint off, at first it wasn't removing the primer. But I had to scrub a lot to gett all the paint off and the primer came off too in certain areas. I'll probably just give it a good sanding now and then reprime. One down one to go.

I tried rubber cement before the clay. It wasn't very exact, and shrank after drying. So I'll try good old masking tape this time around, it'll just be hard to get into the nook and crannies. I think I will spray the Radar Eye silver first, then mask off and spray the blue. Luckily weather here is showing in the 60s for the next week or so. Once all this painting is done I'll get started on the Dome Lighting Kit and getting the dome panels all cut out and hinged.

Spaced Out

*EDIT: Just ordered a new part that will replace these, are BC approved and should be the accurate dimensions. A cool new total PSI Housing system will hold the lenses a diffuser and the PCB boards in an aluminum and rubber gasket shell. I doubt I'll be able to unload these, luckily they weren't too expensive. But still, any waste of money is a little irritating.*

PSI Spacers arrived from Taiwan. These are a new part that haven't been run before and are still prototypes. I went ahead and got some because I thought, "how much better can an aluminum ring get?" The sizes are off a little on 300mm Domes, so I guess they can get better. The front (smaller) PSI spacer is just slightly too small, but a little elbow grease and sand paper will correct this. The back (larger) PSI spacer is too small by quite a bit, at least 1/8th an inch. Fortunately though, if you don't use the Outer Dome piece for this PSI panel, and paint the Inner Dome blue here like the real droids, then it really doesn't matter. I have yet to make any additional cuts to my Inner Dome other than the 3 Holoprojector cuts that were already there when I purchased it. So all I have to do is use the spacer for measuring the back PSI hole instead of the Outer Dome panel that already had it cut out. Problem solved.

Slot Machine

Coin slots arrived. Only two sets of body parts left, and one is on order.

Blue Period

Spent the last week painting a few blue pieces a night. Even had to get three more cans of the base blue. A couple pieces have some runs on them, so I'm going to sand everything down a little with some fine grit and re-coat the gloss. I tried it on one of the ankle detail pieces and it seemed to make it quite a bit smoother. I really like how it looks flat until you get it in the right angle of sunlight, then the metal flake pops and it looks a totally different shade of blue.

Optimus Primed

Sanding and priming have taken longer than anticipated. Therefore I didn't get to the blue this weekend after all. A cold front is coming in this week, but it looks like it will warm back up by next weekend. Now I plan on a little light sanding of these pieces over the course of the week and then I'll blue them next Sunday.

Balls of Real Steel

My Acetal Bearings from McMaster-Carr arrived today. A few other builders have found that replacing the steel bearings that come with Rockler with these is helping cut down on the noise. I tried the polishing and White Lightning lube, but I don't like the newton's cradle noise that still comes from the bearings hitting each other in the track. I just need to get some teflon lube and I can switch them out maybe this weekend.

I've been working on getting a final 400 grit sanding on all the dome panels today. Utility Arms and Large Data Port have been removed from the frame and need a light sanding before priming.

I decided not to file my Utility Arms down so they can clear the skins. I may someday down the road get them hooked up to servos, but until then, keeping them locked behind the skins keeps little fingers out better.

I've been using SteelStik to help fill in some of the small holes on panel edges and one particular dent in a dome pie panel. Its been working fairly well. It sands quite easily. I found it in the glue area on the paint aisle at Lowe's. Sets up fast, real fast!

What's your Vector Victor?

Resin Radar Eye from Azman. I broke down and got a resin one after a few failed runs for an aluminum version never manifested. I may get an aluminum one if a run ever happens. This way though I'll be able to paint all the dome pieces at once. Which may happen Friday, the weather is too nice so I'm taking the next couple days off. Couple runs started yesterday. Ordered Pocket Vents and Coin Slots. That leaves only a set of Side Vents to complete the body. The last 10 months have gone by fast.

Feeling Blue

I've been priming some of the blue parts I have over the past week. I plan on getting at least all the Dome pieces that need painting primed this weekend. There's a small chance of rain so not sure if I will actually get them all to final paint.

The so called "Krider Method" of painting is no longer quite the color I'm looking for since one of the colors in the formula is no longer available. Some people have substituted a different blue for the purple that was used in the original, but I'm not pleased with those results. Someone found what is called "Sonic Pearl Blue", which is the equivalent of Ford blue that is used on my Mustang. This was closer to what I was going for so I picked up a couple cans awhile back. A few people have been experimenting with using this as a base coat and the Anodized Blue from the Krider Method. I tried a couple different recipes and have come to a decision for what I'm going to use.

Although there is almost no discernable difference in the above photo, in person there is subtle variance. None of mine actually match the Ford as close as it looks. I guess human eyes are better than a 10 megapixel camera. I'm going with the far right method. Its a little more purple than the original Ford blue, but its the smoothest finish. In the right angle of sunlight it has a considerable amount metal flake.

So here are the cans if anyone out there wants to duplicate this method or try their own recipe. Primer and Gloss were from Home Depot/Lowes, and the Sonic Pearl Blue and Anodized Blue are from Advance Auto Parts.

Be sure and let the Primer dry 24 hours or so and wet sand any imperfections. Then only wait 15 minutes between all the coats of blues and gloss.

Playing Footsy

Steel JAG feet arrived today. These things feel pretty hefty. Definitely the heaviest part so far. UPS tracking showed 22 pounds. Since these are made of steel they have to be primed right away. The bags they are in now contain some grease to keep them from rusting. To bad I don't have my Center Ankle yet or I'd be able to get R2 to stand on his own. I guess I could always put him in two legged mode till then.

Also received the Periscope Housing and Riser Parts today. This is one of a couple optional parts that you can get. I always liked this feature of R2, so I had to get one. I haven't decided what all I will add to him yet, but may eventually get some things like a LifeFrom Scanner and Computer Interface Arm.

Can I Holo at ya?

Holoprojectors came in today. First part arrival in awhile. Should also be getting the three feet and foot drives soon.

I broke down and bought a Mouse Sander a week ago to aid in the sanding of the dome. I had to get some 80 grit paper, and it still took a good hour or more to get all the spin lines out. Now I have to sand all the dome panels separately since they were already punched out when I bought my dome used. Then I'll work my way through a couple finer grits on the mouse sander, but I'll have to do the last few rounds by hand. Still hoping to get at least some painting done this fall.

Struttin'

Worked on getting the Leg Struts installed yesterday. The problem was that the bottom piece of the struts were too long, and the builder who ran the piece had intended for them to extend into the ankles. I however,  followed LoLo080's method of cutting about an 1 & 1/4 inch off the end so they could be screwed in from under the Ankle Bracelet. I felt this was a better, more solid solution.

I enlisted my Dad and his plethora of power tools. I bought a metal cutting blade for his miter saw. It worked quite well and made a nice straight cut. Then we pulled his drill press out from the archives and used my drill and tap set for the first time. Neither of us had ever tapped something before, and it went fine except I think we didn't drill the first one deep enough. The second one we drilled out a smidgen more and it tapped much easier. Aside from sweating in the 100º humidity it went off without a major hitch.

So now I can debut my completed Legs assemblies. Just need a little sanding and then they will be ready for some blue and white paint. Now back to working on the skins.

Up Up and Away

Booster Covers arrived today. These were the last attached to the legs parts I needed. I also think these are one of the cooler parts on R2, not that all parts aren't cool, but these are really cool. Should get the drive system and maybe the feet next month. Then lastly the center ankle shortly after and R2 will be able to stand on his own.

Been working on the skins the last week or so. Ran into my first major obstacle/screwup and am coming up with some creative ways to fix it. More on that later.

Skirting the issue

Parts Junkyard mega-score. Got an Aluminum JAG skirt today from local Tulsa builder Jeff Barnes. Just happened to be on the boards at the right time to snatch it up. Bonus for only having to drive a few miles and pick it up instead of waiting a few days for it to ship. Extra bonus that he'd already done some Bondo work and primed it.

Also got to see some resin parts in person when I went to his house. He's starting his droid no. 2 and is planning a more lightweight build.

Been working on mounting the skins to the frame this weekend. Have the inner front skins mounted, and almost have the inner back ones on as well. Its a lot of fine tuning to get it all to line up right. Also realized for the first time this weekend that a few pieces of the frame will need to be painted, mainly the bottom ring & utility arm carriers.

I'll take door #4 Monty

Been working on the front doors. Used the tried and true Office Depot binder clips for clamping the pieces together while they bond. I used the same Loctite 5 minute epoxy that I used on the Center Vents. Had some seepage in a few areas, but its cleaning up easily with an exacto knife and light sanding.

The heat wave here is crazy. Its been above 110 everyday the last week or more. So it looks like painting will be out of the picture until late September/October. That gives me a good amount of time to get all the prep done.

Also, the Ankle Details just came in today. These may be the first parts that are actually larger than I had foreseen.

Junkyard Dog

Another junkyard parts score. You got to be quick! Octagon Ports, Knurled Hose Fittings, and Center Foot Castor Bracket.

Done Venting

I've been working on the Center Vents for some time. The bottom internals needed a good bit of filing to fit in the surrounds. I laid the surround on top of the loosely assembled internals and marked them with a pencil so how much needed to come off would be visible. I used the trusty dremel tool sanding attachments and took my time. The bottom ended up with a small gap but its on par with what I've seen on other assembled units. There was a little larger gap on the right, so I evened up the left to match and it looks fine.

I used Bombs Away polish on them once I had sanded them smooth. That stuff makes metal super shiny. Can't wait to get the dome all polished like Lasse. I'm shooting for a weathered droid at some point. But I think I'll keep him sparkly for a little while.

I used Loctite 5 minute epoxy on the Vents. I've read that little kid fingers are murder on these particular parts. The epoxy feels pretty strong, so hopefully they will last without needing re-gluing down the road. There's not a whole lot of grip area, so I added as much support as I could in the unseen areas.

They slid right into place, but I'll need to grab some screws to keep  them there. Also, finished punching out the front outer skins as can be seen below. 

Next step is to glue the skins together. Although I'm still debating on getting some skin snaps or just using the mounts that I got with the frame. I did a test of the VHB tape with a some of the scraps. It seems to hold together pretty good. I could feel the two pieces barely start to come apart when pulled, but it took a great deal to even get that, so I think the tape will work out well.

Holy metal arms Batman!

Second group of international parts arrived today. Utility Arms from the UK. These turned out very well, and are really lightweight. I feel like I got into building at the right time. A lot of problem solving has been done and aluminum parts are being made lighter than ever. That of course doesn't mean I won't have any troubles at all...

Pop & Lock

Started removing the panels on the skins. Using the chisel and hammer method and its working fairly well. Its hard in the small areas like the coin slot strips. Put a couple small dents in a few places, but they'll bend easily back into place.

Also decided to go the AHB tape route on adhering the skins to each other. Ordered from RH Hughes and paid an exorbitant amount for shipping: $14.41 for UPS ground. After posting on the forums, I found out it would have been about half that from if I'd ordered from Amazon. Also, the UPS man "couldn't locate my house".  The street sign in my neighborhood blew down awhile back, but I've never had any delivery issues until now. Must have been a new guy. So looks like I'll be calling the builder and/or the city to remedy the situation.

Magnetic Personality

Put in a little Leg work over the last week or so (Wa, Wa, Waaa). First up was the need to grind a little off the JAG legs to be able to mount the Horseshoes. I screwed the shim into place then used a red sharpie to mark the area that needed to come off, like so:

I went ahead and used the dremmel with the coarsest sanding tool. It burnt through 3 of them, but did the job fast and easy. I also ran into a problem with mounting the Hydraulics and Under Shoulder Details. These pieces were drilled for a much smaller screw than the Legs or Horseshoes were made for. I thought about drilling these pieces out, but instead I just grabbed some #6 washers and lock washers which worked out great. They are all held in place very well, and it even clears the shims on the Hydraulics with just a lock washer. 

Finally, I decided to go ahead and mount the Shoulder Hubs. These are held in place by magnets: a set glued to the inside of the legs, and a pair to the back of the Hubs themselves. I used some Locktight Epoxy, which worked very well, almost too well. It was the quickset type, and it does in fact set quick. Luckily I didn't have an issue with needing to reset any of the magnets, but the epoxy itself set up inside the plastic nozzle within a minute rendering it unusable. Fortunately two nozzles came with the pack, and it took both to do the job.

One neat little trick I thought of was to use some paint to mark the placement of the magnets in the legs. I had one set glued to a hub and doubled up the magnets, then put a good amount of paint on the top magnet, and then placed it in the legs. When its lifted out you have a nice swab of paint to mark where to glue the magnets to the inside.

I did, however, forget to check the polarity of the magnets before mounting them to the first Hub. It turned out to be a happy mistake though. Because they are opposite I was able to make it so the Hubs will only go in one way. I even marked one magnet red and one blue on the back of the hubs and inside the legs. That way its real easy to tell just by looking. It turned out good as you can see below.

Now just awaiting Booster Covers and Ankle Details to finish out the legs before painting. Both of wich are ordered!

He knows how to use them

JAG Legs and Outer Ankles finally arrived today. Been waiting on these suckers for 5 months. Also got a tap and die set this week that will be needed on a few things.

Also about to delve into soldering PCB boards. Theres a great and fairly cheap solution to the Logic Displays that requires assembly. But it looks fairly straight forward, and with a little practice I'm hoping I only screw up a little.

Haven't been doing much in terms of building the last few weeks. Need to get going now that Celebration 6 has been announced.