The best thing about this work, is that I am finally making actual Dalek parts! The trouble with fabricating a TV monster out of thin air is that many of the pieces require special tools that you can't walk into Lowe's or Home Depot and buy. And so, first you have to make the tools. But wait! In order to make that tool, first you have to make the tool to make the tool! This is a common 'making' process. And so, I've been working on the plug, to make the mold, to make the dome. And I poured the mold, to make the surrounds and neck blocks. Fortunately, the examples provided to me by a generous builder have saved me a great deal of sculpting and crafting. I have already posted a picture of the poured silicone, but here is a shot of the RP-40 liquid plastic as it is curing in the now finished molds.
I needed to make 56 surrounds and 24 neck blocks. The plastic I ordered was precisely enough to make that, plus 1 extra of each. I was pleasantly surprised to find that RP-40 has a very quick curing time. 15 minutes! And so, I was able to cast all of these parts in about 2 days time. The process was fairly dull, as you might imagine, but fascinating as the plastic hardened right in front of me and it was cool to watch. All I did was level my molds, mix the two parts of the plastic together, pour, and wait a couple of minutes for the reaction to start. It was during that window of time that I inserted my bolts for the surrounds. I was even able to video the curing plastic once. Here's a video that will show you exactly how fast this stuff sets up:
I'll be using quite a bit more of the RP-40, carried by Dascar Plastics, by the way. The same guy who sent me the parts, also turned me on to them. If it's alright with him, I'll link over to a video or two of his Dalek, which is quite impressive.
So, after all of that leveling, mixing, pouring and waiting, here is the result:
You can see all of the surrounds, the blocks, and my two panels and gun bosses in this shot. I decided, for cost reasons, not to mold the panels and bosses. I have to save where I can, because I had to buy way too many hole saws just the other day so I could complete another part of Gan. I am currently working on finding acceptable parts for the eyeball, but I do have this so far...
That isn't the actual eye I'm going to use. Just a piece I was playing with using a toilet float. Not too shabby for $3, but I can do better. Anyway, the part I wanted to show is the rest of the stalk with the rings finished. I cut them from a sheet of plexiglass with the hole saws and thermoformed them around a bowling ball to get the curvature, then sanded them to a frosted appearance. I'm quite pleased with them, even if I did have to buy some fairly specialized and expensive tools to make them happen.
So, what's coming up? I have ordered my gelcoat, having exhaused all of my local options. No shops I could find actually carry it. I checked marine, auto body, and pool. No dice. So I ordered a gallon and bought my resin and a chemical mask, which I will later turn into the housing for my microphone while piloting. (That sounds way cooler than driving, or puttering) I hope to be able to lay up my dome mold this weekend. If the gelcoat arrives in time, that's my plan. And so, maybe we'll see a dome by the end of next week? Along with the dome, I'll be working on finishing the surrounds, and beginning to plan the neck. The project is really moving and shaking now. My confidence is high, and my productivity is good. It's looking like a GenCon premiere for Gan! Just remember, you knew him when he was a pile of wood, metal and plastic in my utility room and my friend's garage.
-Scionic
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