Today started out with less packages in the mail than I have received in a few months. This is a good thing - it means I am closing in on having all of the parts to complete the build. (Although that is a ways off at this point).
Worked on sanding and filling the legs, no photos, as that is a really boring, and tedious, topic. I believe after the two part wonder-clay called Magic Sculpt dries and gets sanded after this application, it will be time to prime the legs and find out how much I really missed. I have always filled and sanded parts to a point that I believe they are ready for paint, then I lay a coat of primer on them. That is when I realize that I will have at least three or four more sessions of filling and sanding ahead on me. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will have a chance to get the primer coat on.
Worked on the scooter motor mounts and the scooter wheel assembly after filling the legs. The axle that came with the wheel was WAY too long - over 6 inches. Fortunately, Dad had some perfect sized hex bolts - the right diameter and length for the wheels. YEAH DAD ! He found these in record time. It would have taken me three trips to Lowes or Home Depot to get the correct length.
We had to cut down the spacers that ride against the bushings as well. Inserted the scooter motor next and test fitted the chain. Got really excited - the drive system is actually coming together !
One thing to note - there is a lot going on in the motor holder assembly. A LOT going on with little room.
After grinding down the heads of several bolts and inserting a couple of Tee nuts to make the motor holder fit into the foot shell - finally got the motor holders to fit inside. This was a real chore, the tolerances are so tight that even a bead of glue on the inside of the foot shell will cause the motor mount to not seat properly. This is the kind of work that has no value for the casual observer, it is all internal, and no-one will ever see these parts, but it takes a long time to get the fit correct.
Once the motors were mounted, and the wheels in place, it was time to cut out a little access door to fit the back side of the motor that overhangs the motor mount. I have held off final finish on the feet because of this. Since they were going to be cut up anyways - no need finishing something that won't be seen, or will be cut off later. Marked the spot for the cut - took a very deep breath and used the Dremel Multi-Max tool shown here:
This is a great little tool - albeit rather pricey. It oscillates a blade or a sanding pad. Invaluable for tough cuts, and it sands like a dream. The cutting blade is really handy for plunge cuts like the one needed here.
Another angle before I cut - so I can see what it looked like before I pull the trigger....
Here we are - access window cut. I purposely cut this shy of the actual size, as I did not want to have too large a hole. The battery box will cover this hole and the butt end of the motor, but I was horribly aware of the fact that I could have cut the hole too far forward.
After completing the first cut, I needed to label the feet, as I was getting confused about what direction they needed to face. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out what foot was left, and what foot was right. You will also see the battery box cut to accept the back end of the motor as well in this photo.
A little test fit with the motor removed. Looking good....
Motor mounted and inserted in the foot. Needed to cut an additional access window for the tee nut above the motor. Again, this will be covered by the battery box, so it is no big deal.
Flash forward a couple of hours, and you see the motor mount sitting pretty within the foot shell. Picked up some metric nuts for use with the OmniCasters. As stated before, there is a lot going on in this little area.
Another angle of the complete assembly. You can see the aluminum spacers on the left hand side of the motor. Some of you may be asking... where is the chain ? As I am sure the motor mounts will be assembled and disassembled 15 times before now and completion, I have not put the chains on yet. They were test fitted earlier, and fit perfectly.
Big thanks to Ted (with the unpronounceable screen name buhatkj) and his posts on the Atromech board. #25 chain with 66 links ordered from electricscooterparts.com fit the bill without a hitch. I must put a HUGE shout out there to Ted. His posts on the boards have been spot-on, and his wisdom has been invaluable during the course of this build. THANK YOU TED !
Here is a shot of the foot sitting pretty. Hmmmmm... mouse droid anybody ?
Higher angle, because it looks so darn pretty - even with the wonky door. The doors can now have their magnets installed. I waited (thankfully) to put the magnets on, because I was not sure where they would fit once the motor mounts were installed. The PVC battery boxes look really nice. They still need to be mounted with screws from the inside.
One of the pleasures of building something like this is the exposure to new items and vocabulary. Today's word : Cabochon (from Wikipedia) from the Middle French caboche (head), is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. (Now to find out what "faceted" means....)
The cabochons are used as the lenses in the holo-projectors. Shown below is one of three holo-projectors made with great skill by Wayne Orr. I honestly had no idea or recollection that R2 had three holo-projectors on his dome. We all know there was at least one - it projected Leia's "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope" speech so many moons ago. These are the cold-cast resin style. The resin has aluminum powder included in the molding process which gives a great metallic looking finish at a fraction of the cost of the real deal.
So there we have it - another day of toil and trouble on the little guy. So much of the work is uneventful - satisfying, but not much to show. Soon - the externals will all start coming together, and it will start to look more complete.
I can't tell you how excited I am, albeit nervous, for next week to arrive. My fiberglass dome from Crash is set to arrive. It was the first part I actually ordered when I set out on this journey. I feel that the dome is the most iconic part of the droid, and I can't wait to get my mitts on it !
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