Model Making

ze plans

So this is what I've been working on for about 2-3 months. At university, I was required to undertake this Model Making Class (IDE1502) where we were to build a aesthetic model of a drill (or equivalent) with the university workshop equipment and learned skills.

I had decided to make a Nail Gun.

So, there it was, every spare moment throughout my week, I would hop over to Caulfield to utilise their facilities until they close. It's amazingly fun, but utterly time consuming. On any given week I would spent around 21hrs in the workshop machining each piece, and making sure that they are to the level of required perfection.

The process starts with some initial concept drawings, working out appropriate dimensions (given a bit of room for error), drafting sketches before we head into the machining process. In laymen's terms, we get blocks of wood and shape them with band-saws, sanders, mills and lathes.

Safety Prongs, Front Guard, Barrel (13 pieces)

Central stock and Front Housing (8 pieces)

Handle and Trigger (14 pieces)

Back and Vents (19 pieces)

After everything has been machined and sanded, we prepare for the painting stage. Oh exciting. Priming each piece and applying automotive paints. Then polish till it's as reflective as a coloured mirror.

I share an interesting love/hate relationship with this stage. Priming and Painting makes all your pieces of wood look absolutely presentable. But paint is less forgiving then wood. If you ruin the paintwork, you have sand off the entire layer and start again.

Every time I accidentally dent the paintwork with my fingernail, I have to sand everything back and repaint it. Every time I place it down on a piece of soft cloth, without the previous knowledge that it will leaves marks; I have to sand everything back and repaint it.

Since this week, I have been up to my painting stage. If we factor out all the mishaps and muck-ups, I would of been done by Wednesday. Why Wednesday? Well, because I was putting my last coat of paint on Tuesday in the spray booth at Caulfield. I left it to dry in there, and went off to work on other things. There were plenty of people in the workshop at the time, a lot of third years rushing to finish off their final products. One person came in to prime their work piece. His spray bottle splattered, and I got drops of primer on my drying paint. What to do? Sand everything back, repaint.

In order to avoid accidents that cannot be blamed on others, I decided to set up a workshop complete with spray booth at home, in the garage.

The workshop at home, complete with spray booth, old ruined table tennis table, and absolutely no ventilation!

The spray booth: gotta love the paint fumes.

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It was Saturday when I wrote the majority of this. But I had sanded and repainted that night.

It's Sunday evening now, and apart from cleaning up bits and pieces, polishing it up a bit more. I think I'm finished.

In my boredom and procrastinating from studying for my other exams, I had decided to make a carry case out of cardboard and masking tape. I don't know why, I love masking tape.

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shhhiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyy