R2 Progress and the new project

Completely tore down R2 this week and cut out squares in the skins to accomodate the new power couplers. Also removed dome bumps from dome and drilled out holes to insert the bumps in correctly. The fix to the bumps will work out fine with no visible "scars" to the dome. Vents are being prepared for correct blue paint and remounting to the skins. The mounting screws I had for the coin slots were cut off and cleaned up. Now I will permanently attach the coin slots with epoxy. Will look better and be more efficient. If I need to repaint the skins, I'll just mask the coin slots.

Since our vacation, I can't stop thinking about a very cool art gallery we went to that had giant metal sculptures. The sculptures were of animals and we fell in love with a couple of them. Especially the giant giraffe. So for the last couple weeks I've been thinking how I could create my own sculptures. First I needed to learn to weld and in the past all my welding attempts have been pathetic. So after a few more pathetic attempts I got on the phone with my friend Brad and picked up a couple excellent tips. Sure enough, I was doing it all wrong and now my welds are strong and effective. Now all I need to do is to pick up a few more metal working tools and I'll be on my way. I'm out of room in the house for robots but there is a bit of room in the yard for a couple robots that can handle the weather. We'll see what develops in the next 6 months and if I can convince my wife .... another challenge.

Clearing spider webs out of the workshop

As much as I like taking a break from building, it's equally as fun to get back into it after some time off. It keeps it fun. I've been thinking about the million things I still need to do on R2 and all the shortcuts I took to get him ready for MegaCon last March. Tape is holding the doors, Power couplers are temp, dome bumps completely screwed up, vents need correct paint and fixing, periscope needs mounting, and all the hinges need to be installed. Oh and the feet need a lot of fiberglass repair so I can take the duct tape off. So there's no shortage of projects.

As hot as it was yesterday, I went out and tore down R2 and started prepping the parts that needed work. I just received some parts from David Shaw (Power couplers and coin slots). I may not use the coin slots but couldn't resist getting a set from him. His parts are the best and he wraps them like a Christmas present complete with cool R2 sticker holding the colored tissue. I feel like a kid at Christmas when I get parts from David.

When I started working I noticed a big spider web around my band saw between the saw and the window. That kind of shows how long it's been since I was working in the garage.