HPR X Wing - T70

Aquaman33 · Postby **Aquaman33** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:35 pm

How's the build going Matt?

Any update?

SpaceManMat · Postby **SpaceManMat** » Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:18 pm

Aquaman33 wrote:How's the build going Matt?

Any update?

It’s been a bit painful I’m afraid. Got knocked over and busted a wing, which I then botched the repair (mixed the epoxy wrong so it would never set). I have removed the broken wing and cut a new one, need to bevel it which is a major pain and then put it back together including the 2 body panels I had to remove. I have also have a special purpose stand mostly built. Unfortunately other things have been a priority so have not got further. :roll:

Aquaman33 · Postby **Aquaman33** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:11 am

SpaceManMat wrote:
Aquaman33 wrote:How's the build going Matt?

Any update?

It’s been a bit painful I’m afraid. Got knocked over and busted a wing, which I then botched the repair (mixed the epoxy wrong so it would never set). I have removed the broken wing and cut a new one, need to bevel it which is a major pain and then put it back together including the 2 body panels I had to remove. I have also have a special purpose stand mostly built. Unfortunately other things have been a priority so have not got further.

I know your pain. I have so many half finished projects. Its hard when you hit a hurdle and then other stuff gets in the way.

Best of luck with the rest of the build.

SpaceManMat · Postby **SpaceManMat** » Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:05 pm

I’ve finally got this build back on track am now back to working on the nose weight.
I started out moulding clay around the 3D printed model of the weight.

Nose Weight Mould on Flickr

I then removed the 3D printed shape and let the clay air dry on top of the fridge for about a week.

Next I made up a smelting container out of a fruit salad tin, complete with spout and handle.

Nose Weight Mould and Smelting Container on Flickr

I then placed a bag of lead sinkers in the smelting container and used the BBQ to melt it.

Melting the Nose Weight on Flickr

Once the lead was fully melted, I waited a few extra minutes to make sure I had plenty of heat so the lead would not solidify too quickly as I poured it. I also added about 30% more lead than I thought was required, again to make sure I had extra heat and to account for any lead that solidified during the pour. I decided to get a little video of the pour as it’s not something I had seen documented on the forum. I did noticed some bubbling occurred in the molten lead, I believe it was caused by boil off of the small amount of water left in the clay. I had thought was a possibility, what I really wanted to avoid was having lots of water and getting violent boil off sending lead everywhere, hence leaving the clay to dry for a week and also using a full face mask. You can see the shimmer of the molten lead in the video as the boil off occurs.

As the lead solidified it formed a nice little dip in the middle, it should not be of any consequence as I filled it with more lead than required.

Nose Weight Pour Completed on Flickr

Once it all cooled off I split the mould open to reveal the cast nose weight. Really happy with the result, the spiky ridges are where cracks formed during the drying. It should be easy enough to tidy the cast up with a file, then I can weigh it and fit it to the sled.

Nose Weight Cast Result on Flickr

kopius · Postby **kopius** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:20 pm

That's awesome work Mat!!

This is such a great build thread

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drew · Postby **drew** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:07 pm

Excellent work Mat! I'm having flashbacks to my childhood when my father would melt lead in a process virtually identical to this to pour lead weights for duck decoys.