JB Welded Pivot Rods for R5-D4 Utility Arms

Today I worked on getting the pivot rods installed in R5-D4's utility arms.

I decided I wanted to widen the hole for the pivot rod in the top utility arm a little more. I had widened it 3/1000" earlier, and I went back and added another 8/1000", for a diameter of 0.136". This gives me the wiggle room I want/need to make sure the rod is straight up-and-down when I JB Weld it in place, and fit it into the frame (as you'll see shortly).




And now time for the JB Weld. I used a toothpick to apply it to the inside of the hole in the arm.





And finally, in goes the rod.



The next step is to take this to the droid, and install it before the JB Weld starts to set. I used quarters to prop up the arm to the right height, so that it won't bump into the skins when it opens and closes.



I repeated the process for the top arm.



I'll let this dry overnight and then I can work on installing the rods that go onto the end of the arms for the servo motors to pull on.