I've been unable to do much construction on RoBob in 2022 (and 2021 for that matter!) because of terrible weather. If it isn't raining, it blistering hot or freezing cold.

Instead I've been working on some of the models for RoBob's fictional premier film appearance "Deadly Planet".  This is the large model spaceship BR-549.  I had worked out the design years ago, then as I was working on sculpting two small models of it, I re-discovered a plastic dinner plate I had bought should I ever want to make a flying saucer :)

Here's the fiberglass casting I made for the top of the ship...

The "mold" for it is a heavy, flexible, plastic plate used for picnics. Anything made from polyethylene, the same kind of plastic as Tupperware can be used as a mold as long as it doesn't have undercuts or anything that would prevent easy removal of a casting.

I typically never need mold release for casting in this kind of plastic, so I made a "poor man's Gel-coat" and got started building up layers of resin and glass matting until I felt it was thick enough... 

And NO, I am not that good at fiber-glassing, the photo shows the casting laying back inside the plate after I removed and trimmed the outer edges. I know, I am a total fraud ;)

 

 The casting after removal, trimming and priming... 

For the bottom, I used a 1/4" sheet of MDF and used my router and circle-cutting jig to cut a 9.5" disk...

Then I ran the disk over the table saw with the blade lowered, so I could cut two trenches in the surface...

...so I could glue in two aluminum tubes for wires to pass through for flying the model :)

 

More later....
 

Well...

...I think we all know how 2020 and 2021 went :/  But I did make a surprising amount of progress on RoBob-related works; more on that as I have time...

New Year, New Possibilities

01/02/2019

After the disappointment with the 18" dome I had ordered, and the lack of response from larger plastics fabricators (who apparently don't want new business; looking at you Crossman Mfg. and California Quality Plastics), I assumed the project would stall indefinitely (again) since the dome is pretty crucial to the project. Fortunately, I stumbled on a possible alternative that was not at all on my radar as an option: a dome cover for food trays.

I had no idea that they made really large dome covers, so was pleasantly surprised when I discovered them. I resisted the idea at first since I originally wanted a whole hemispherical dome without a seam, but the covers are injection molded, which eliminates the distortion inevitable in vac-formed domes and gives a consistent thickness. I was not crazy about the fact that the front half is larger and rolls back over the back half, but when I though about it, I decided that by turning it around, the front could actually roll back into the larger (now) back half and allow easy access to the internal head details, either for maintenance or for "business" if I should be able to do any film projects with the robot. It also added an extra detail that hearkened back to the head design of Maria from "Metropolis"; which can't be a bad thing, right? :)

This change also "forced" me to do some redesigning of the head to accommodate the change and ended up opening up more design ideas. I also lucked into an exceptionally good deal price-wise and decided that it was fated to be, so I grabbed one quickly and started modifying the dimensions of the head details (slightly) to fit the new size and shape.

Although constantly having to change things can be frustrating, when I started this project I deliberately left many details vague or completely out since I was anticipating these kinds of potential setbacks. I still started with some basic design elements and ideas, but knew if I stayed "fluid" with the design, I'd likely have an easier time completing the robot than I would if I stuck to a rigid idea or blueprint. As long as the aesthetic and spirit are right, it should still turn out like I want.

Originally posted on 12/11/2018

I've been making some changes to the design of RoBob, both structural and detail-wise.

I just got the clear 18" acrylic dome I ordered from Granite Earth and I am very disappointed with it. It is unusable (for my intended purpose) due to dimpling in the surface. It also isn't anywhere near the approximately 1/8" thick as I was told, it's closer to 1/16", making it very flexible and a bit flimsy. Overall it has a very amateurish look to it. But the good news is that Granite Earth refunded the entire purchase price including shipping!  Three cheers for great customer service!  They also told me to keep the dome rather than spend the money on return shipping!  Not sure what, if anything, I could use it for but I'll put it in storage and see if something else comes up down-the-road.

This does, however, create a major set-back on getting anything done.  Especially since it seems that most dome manufacturers aren't interested in answering inquiries via their own "contact us" forms on their websites or by having woefully out-of-date price lists.

On the positive side I got some pinball machine parts in from Macro Specialties and they are great! They will definitely make the inner head details more colorful and "spacey" looking while giving me a break on having to fabricate everything by hand. Sometimes insomnia-fueled internet research pays off!

Originally posted on 12/11/2017

As the vision for the RoBob project is finally starting to gel, it has grown into a desire to create an entire world or back-story.  A call-back to the sci-fi films and TV shows of the 50s and 60s.  Though before my time, it seems to have been, perhaps, a more innocent time when kids could still tune in for a sense of wonder and to fire their imaginations.  As the Arts and creative thinking are increasingly marginalized in favor of what I feel is social or societal programming, most modern entertainment strikes me as overly market-researched and inspires little to no thinking or imagination; just consumption.  I hope to try to overcome that to some degree with this project.  So I will be developing a fictional back-story for the RoBob character (https://atomicrobotbob.blogspot.com/) alongside the factual one.

Originally posted on 11/23/2017

After eight years of constant delays and near total RoBob inactivity (and a job loss in 2016), I am hoping that 2018 will finally see some actual progress on RoBob.

Sadly, vac-forming the larger components is likely out of the question.  The person who was supposed to help build the large vac-form machine frame turned out to be unreliable, so I will likely have to do fiberglass, which I HATE doing but that's about my only other option.

I also pretty much wasted two years working with a local "Makers" group that said they could help me with the robot's electronics.  They turned out, in the end, to be all talk and no action, so as unreliable and untrustworthy as everyone else I've tried to work with in Pensahola thus far.

Oh well, live and learn, I guess.

Originally posted on 07/13/2009

I've talked to a local man who is willing to trade my sculpting skills for his welding skills and so, at some point after his impending wedding, we will build a vac-former large enough to do the pieces for RoBob. Now the engineering/drawings can begin...