The Build: Materials

The last few weeks, this week, and next week, I am preparing for Winter Break. Over Winter Break is when I will start building the mechanism and the arm itself. Last week I was getting organized with what I would need, including figuring out how much metal I will need, and how thick the metal should be. This week, I have purchased some of the materials that I need and I know where I can purchase the other materials and am ready to buy them as soon as I can.  Currently I have purchased the design that I will use for the shell, and a pair of gloves needed for the shell as well. The materials I have not purchased yet are the metal sheets for the shell, and other metal parts, an electric vacuum, and a battery all for the actual mechanism. These parts, however, I know where I can purchase them, and will likely do it this weekend.

*The picture is of the specific gloves that I purchased, and can be found at the following link: http://www.copsplus.com/1215_hatch_sg20p.html?gclid=CIGgyOfW-7oCFUMV7AodB18AMg

The Build: Organization

This week, and the next couple weeks I will be setting myself up for Winter Break. During Winter Break I will start building my mechanism and the shell. This week I have been organizing what tools I need to build my arm, what tools I do and do not have so that I can buy the ones I don't have, what and how much of the materials I need, and how much it will all cost. During the week I have found that a lot of the tools that I need I have access to through my mother. She is an artist and has many basic tools in her studio that I will be able to use. Her studio, however, does not have all the tools that I need. For shaping the metal I need an anvil, but anvils are very expensive so I searched for an alternative. I found that I do not need an anvil if I have a flat topped hammer and a ball peen hammer, I can use them as replacements for the rounded and flattened sides of a forging anvil.


*The picture was taken by me during a YouTube video by David Guyton explaining the different tools that he uses while shaping metal.