R5-D4's Head 4.7 - clear spray coat

Tuesday night, I stripped R5 of all his eye 'sensors', Dome rods & motivator brackets. This was in preperation for clear coat spraying.

I was planning on doing this Wednesday, but remembered i wasn't going to be in work. Then Thursday I needed to finish off some silver detial work & remove parts from R5's body, ready it also to be clear sprayed up.

So today's the day. I applied masking tape to the inside of the Domes holes and using works spray booth, got to clear coat the Dome.

Photos to follow.......

Rear Dome Rod - fitted

Just a small update, as forgot......oooops.

Rear Dome Rod fitted.

Rear Dome Rod - fitting

R5's rear Dome Rod was one of the first pieces I made, machined up.

Because of it's length and available scrap material also available time

as it was machined up on my lunchtime. I made it in two pieces.

This came in handy as now when trying to fit it into R5's recessed Dome boxes, it's a little snug. So a little bit of machining later and it will fit alot better.

Space inside R5's Dome is limited, a bit more than I had anticipated. My original idea was to bolt the Rod in place, top and bottom. See pic below.

Threaded the bottom and screwed a stud into it. Left piece, this will slot into the lower hole.

The top piece was going to be located with the M6 hex socket bolt.

But on installing the recessed box, I knew that the lower screw was not going to be available due to the framework inside. This wasn't to much to worry about as the lower piece of the rod has a location pin. Now for the top securing of it......?

The two piece Rod, allowed me to fit a washer and a soft spring inside to allow the top pieces location pin, to locate and hold the Rod in place.

R5-D4 Head & Body fitting with all components

As I had all the recessed boxes bonded into place, I wanted to test fit them all :)

I had found a Hex socket counter sunk screw for the single lower dome eye. I fitted the screw through an old 'thingy', that i've had in a tin for years lol. This is all then held with a nut inside the dome. i also fitted all the other components. inside the dome as well.

I need to make up three spacer pads for the main Eyes. As theres not much holding them on the inside if someone accidently 'grabbed' or' leaned' on them, worse case synario. So that's my lunchtime job for today.

And I had to then test fit everything.......again :)

I also started on painting the grooves silver. A very steady hand! Lol.

And then I test fitted everything together......

Forgot to 'test fit' his Antenna tho lol.

Then It all came off and I finished off a can of primer on the Dome.

.......and then started touching up with wood filler.

R5-D4's Head 3.1 - Recessed Boxes

Used dremel with sanding drum to cut/sand out a section on the [internal] lower dome ring, to allow clearance for the recessed box to fit up against the inside of the dome. Then started on cutting out the other two box recess.

I also started applying P40 resin into the joins between the angled skin pieces to strengthen them. So that lifting the dome is able to be done withought worry of cracking of joins & paint etc.

Then got to apply resin to bond the rear recess box to the inside of the dome. Also applied some to cover up the wrong holes. Then finished off by filling in more to the joins etc.

These are not pretty, but here's inside of the dome, side recessed box bonded in place

inside of the dome, rear recess box bonded in place

Dome Rod's issues.......???
How to fix the side rods in their recessed boxes = upgrade. Originally I had the lower section of the side Dome Rods, tapped with M5 threads. These would secure them in place, while the top section would slide up through a hole and then be lowered down to fit onto the lower section. But due to the internal frame now being in the way of locking the Rods in place, Something I hadn't originaly planned on, so it's onto 'Plan B'.

Plan B:
I drilled out the lower hole to be the same size as the lower section, so it will slid into it. I then cut a small piece of wood and glued it to the underside of the box. This acts as a stop for the lower section. This, along with the sides, was covered with resin to bond it all together.

Loads of sanding & top-up areas with more wood filler. Then sprayed all over with primer. This helps to find areas that still need work & also start to build up some undercoat layers.

Then applied MORE filler were it showed it was needed.

R5-D4's Head 2.4 - marking/cutting/fitting

So last Friday, I started on bonded the rear dome box pieces together with p40 resin. Cut side pieces for side box no1. Whilst this was setting I did some sanding of the wood filler on the dome rim.

I then decided to take off the upper curve, to be replaced with a longer piece. Then I realised that I had used the lower curve template! The upper curve is larger because the dome has a different angle.

The dome boxes being prepped for bonding

Saturday evening, I marked out on hardboard, using 1:1 scale paper templates, the correct upper curve in two pieces, [not four as before] for the dome itself. Worked out & Marked recess boxes & 'eyes' positions etc.

I positioned the dome top plate onto the hardboard and also the second upper curve. Managed to fit it all onto the one sheet. Then started to cut all the pieces out.

And then fitted the new upper curves into place.....

The curve still wouldn't keep it's shape, so I had to add the extra 'support' pieces.

Pictures below, show the two upper curved pieces fitted and the new upper 'support' pieces fitted where needed to help keep the curve [circled in red]. What I should of done was made up 8 [eight] main support unit's spaced around the main ring, that way I wouldn't of had to bodge these in. Never mind, a lesson to anyone reading and following :).

Before fitting the 'upper' supports, the gaps show the curve is not keeping it's shape 

Wood filler also applied

After reading and following this post over on the Astromech.net forum R5-D4 option for my R2.0 build, I went looking for 'spy holes' for doors. Most were quiet expensive, well the larger ones were, i.e. 180 degree vision x3 off = nearly £15. But eventually I found some on Ebay, total £4.79.

R5's Dome Eyes

R5-D4's Head 2.3 - curve problem and Dome boxes

Lunchtime yesterday, I only had time to cut out three of the four curve pieces I needed for the Upper section of the Dome. Available material, meant I had to reduced the length of curve, hence four instead of just two. But, I had problems with fixing the first one and restraining it in a curve, whilst the bonding resin set.

This was the result. Not happy with this, so am going to have to get some more board to cut curve to original length and re-do it. I needed to get some more anyway as I don't have enough for the rest of the dome. In the meantime, I started sanding the wood filler I'd applied.

Dome recess boxes:

I have been looking into how I am going to fix my Dome Rods that I made, years ago. These fit into three recessed areas, one either side and one at the dome rear. The side rods are the same the rear is different.

What I've done for the two 'side' rods is drill a hole through the top plate so the rod slides up thro, then they will be secured in place with M5 socket head screws. The centre rod, which goes at the rear of the dome, will have a pin in the top plate, and a screw up from the bottom. Well, that's the plan, watch this space lol.

All three rods were machined in two pieces.This was due to the amount of material protruding out of the Lathe's chuck. Especially when producing the straight knurl, as the material is not cut, but deformed. 

R5-D4's Head 3.0 - Eyes' test fitting

Eyes - The two Lower ones
I machined up the two lower Eyes/sensors. These have a M5 securing thread & a backing washer in the rear and I have added a 'hammer drive' screw into the front recess. This gives the dome effect.

Drilled the rest of the holes for eyes & fitted them.

Holes drilled and then watered down PVA glue applied [the staining on the wood]

Dome Eyes starting to be fitted. The lower one is an LED.

R5-D4 inside the dome, securing his Eyes

And here's R5 with all his Eyes fitted.

R5-D4

R5-D4

That is one VERY bright L.E.D. hahaha. Shout out to bighappydude for this ;) It is being powered by a rechargable 9.6V RC battery I found from my Son's old toy car.

Applied wood filler in holes etc and did some sanding of the join & previously filled holes.

The started on cutting out the rear recess box hole. Filed & used my dremel with sander attachment to shape edges square.

But now have another issue with access to the bottom bolt that will hold the rod in place, due to the lower dome ring....... ????

R5's Rear Dome Rod

Not been able to get on the Milling machine, so started on machined up the rear Dome Rod, in two parts.

Only have the Shoulder Hydraulics & Stabilisers left to machine up.

Rear Dome Rod

Started machining up the rear dome rod, or I will do once I can find some more material that's not three times the diameter I need!!