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...