The Challenges of Building a Dalek: Part 13
Be sure to read the previous parts of The Challenges of Building a Dalek. Picking up from where I last left off, we are still working on the hemispheres as we still have a lot to do. We are also still working on the negative of the dome mold, we are almost complete with the mold. Not a lot of progress has been made, but it is some progress as we are fine-tuning everything to make it just right.
Hemispheres
As I mentioned in the previous part, we have been having some issues with certain types of resin that have left us with some defective balls. We have found a way to use those defective balls. After experimenting with about four of them, dad has found a way to fill in the holes/gaps then proceeds to spray-paint them black; putting them beside our perfect set it is very hard to see the difference between them. With the defective ball molds we kept making, we have also figured out a way to use them as well, as a place to hold the hemispheres so that we can drill a hole at the bottom so that we can later secure it to the dalek. We have also successfully made the set balls for the gun mounts and the arm, as they are the joints to hold the guns.
Dome Mold
We are now on the final layer of plaster in order to finish making the dome mold. We currently have about four and a half layers of plaster and as of right now there have been no cracks in the plaster. The technique we have discovered while making the mold is using drywall plaster and drywall tape, using the combination of these two as well as doing thin layers of plaster is giving us control over how it dries. Once we complete the fifth layer, we believe that we should be done with the plaster; from there we will be smoothing it down so that we have a completely smooth surface to make our fiberglass dome.
Current Design
Currently, the neck is about 10 inches in height; and about 16 inches in diameter. When you add it to the base it stands at 62.5 inches, 1587.5 millimeters, including the wheels. Derek the Dalek is currently a bright hunter green and will be having soul-sucking black hemispheres around the base. We are in the process of looking for another electronic scooter/wheelchair to make the next dalek to make more of today’s version of the dalek.
