Attached Last Dome Panel

Tonight I was able to attach the dome panel that goes in front of the front logics.

The panel has several coats of primer and paint on it, so I needed to lightly file the inside perimeter where the aluminum logic surrounds go, in order for them to fit.



Once that was done, I dabbed six drops of silicone on the back of the panel.



Then I placed the panel on the dome. I'll let the silicone dry at least 24 hours before handling the dome.

Dome v1.1

Today was the big day, the day to attach my repainted dome panels!



Like the last time I did this, I photographed the location of the tape as I attached each panel, so I'll have a good idea of where I need to lift the panels should they need to come off again in the future. (Hopefully no time soon.)




Again, I used 3M Very High Bond 5-mil tape to attach most of the panels. I placed two layers of tape on the upper half of each location where the pie panels go, to help raise them. My inner and outer domes don't quite meet up toward the top, so this helps to keep the pie panels even with the surface of the outer dome.




I went through quite a bit of tape by the time I was done, but I still have plenty left.



I taped down all the panels except for the panel that goes around the front logics, the "window frame" panel on the side, and the tiny round piece at the very top. For those, I used/will use silicone. I haven't installed the front logic panel yet, it looks like I will need to lightly file it, in order to get it to fit around the aluminum logic surrounds. I'll deal with that shortly.

Next, it was time to get the electronics back in the dome.



What a mess, but I managed to get it all cleaned up and working on the first try.

The dome looks so much better with the new paint job. The old paint job was dull and inconsistent. This turned out much better.




R2 in his favorite pose, sporting dome version 1.1, which includes the new red LED for the front PSI. He's happy to have his head back.

Upgraded Red LED for Front PSI

Happy New Year!

Time to break out the soldering iron again, in an attempt to get a brighter red LED in the front PSI.



First, I unsoldered the old LED and its associated resistor.



Then, I soldered in a new 3000mcd LED, and a 470-Ohm resistor. I tested with a 9-volt battery, and although it's impossible to tell with flash photography, the results looked pretty good.



I even tried this out in the dome, and again, things looked good.

Tomorrow is my last day of vacation, and I plan to reattach the dome panels.

Repainted Dome Panels

At long last, the day arrived to repaint the dome panels!

Following one of Kelly Krider's color formulas, and Mike Senna's methodology, I applied each coat until the surface looked wet and shiny.

First up, some of the smaller panels got their coat of Rustoleum Metallic Purple.



I placed the scrap wood with the pieces on it into my gas oven for ten minutes. The oven is turned off of course, with the pilot light keeping the temperature somewhere around 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit. This helps the paint to dry a little, before applying the next coat. (The high temperature today in Southern California was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Next, the Duplicolor Anodized Blue.



Again, everything is placed in the oven for ten minutes, and then the Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel clearcoat is applied.

Next up, the pie panels.


Purple...



...then the blue...



... and finally, the clearcoat.



The pieces keep coming.





There are a few small bits of crud that managed to get into the paint, but they are few and far between, and overall I'm very happy with how the paint job turned out.




Now I cross my fingers and hope that the paint will be fully dry by week's end.

I need to tape the panels back onto the dome in time for an event coming up on Saturday. I'll leave the panels in the oven (again, turned off), to help the paint to dry. If the panels aren't dry in time, I'll have to pass on the event.

Finished Dome Primer, LED Testing

Today I finished applying primer to the dome panels. A couple of heavy coats conceals the gray primer beneath. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can start the actual painting very soon.



On another note, the red LED in the front PSI isn't as bright as I'd like it to be. I experimented with a 3000mcd red LED. If I can figure out the resistor needed for my current PSI circuit, I will probably go with this one.

Dome Panel Primer

Today I applied the first coats of white primer to the dome panels for the repaint job.



I applied two heavy coats within an hour of each other.



I need to apply another coat or two tomorrow, to get solid coverage. I can still see a hint of gray primer underneath.

Finished Wet-Sanding Dome Panels

Today I finished wet-sanding the remaining 12 dome panels.



I took a sheet of 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, and divided it into four pieces. To wet-sand, I simply dunk the paper and the panel piece into the bucket of water, and lightly sand across the grain of the aluminum.



There is a layer of white primer beneath the gray primer. As I sand, the spin lines start to materialize. The gray primer stays in the valleys, while the white primer appears at the peaks. The longer I sand, the more the peaks and valleys emerge, resulting in a smooth surface.



After a couple of hours and a handful of freezing fingers, I had finished wet-sanding.



Next up, a final coat of white primer, in preparation for painting.

Started Wet-Sanding Dome Panels

The march toward repainting my dome panels for dome #1 continues. Today, it was time to start wet-sanding some of the panels. I got a late start, so I didn't get too far.



About an hour later the sun had set, the temperature had dropped, and I had a bucket of filthy water, along with some smooth dome panels. I hope to finish wet-sanding the rest of the panels tomorrow.

Removed Paint from Dome Panels, Applied Primer

Today I used acetone to remove the paint from the panels on dome #1.



I left the original white primer on. It's not worth removing, and will actually help with the wet-sanding process.



Removing the paint involves soaking a paper towel in acetone, and scrubbing the piece until each layer of paint and clearcoat is removed. I use rubber gloves, but the acetone eventually dissolves them and I have to replace them. I also wear a mask to avoid breathing in fumes when using acetone, or applying spray paint.



More before/after:




After removing the paint from all of the panels, I waited a little while for the acetone to completely evaporate, and then I applied gray primer to all of the panels.



I also finished removing the tape from the dome where the pie panels sit.

Tomorrow I plan to start (and with any luck, finish) wet-sanding the panels, in preparation for final painting.

Removed Dome Panels

Today I removed the dome panels. The plan has been to replace them with the newly painted panels from dome #2. More on that in a moment.

First up, I gutted the dome electronics.



The dome sure is a lot lighter now.



Back on April 7, 2006, I took extensive pictures of where I placed the 3M Very High Bond tape that I used to affix the dome panels, and I relied on these pictures to know exactly where the panels were being secured to the dome.



I used a few different sizes of wooden dowels to poke the panels out from behind. The tape puts up a pretty good fight, but in the end I was able to remove each panel.




The worst part is removing all the old tape. The tape is only 5/1000" thick , so it does not peel off, it needs to be rolled and picked off little by little. I still need to remove the tape for the locations of where a few of the pie panels used to rest.



Once all the panels were off, I test-fitted the newly painted panels from dome #2. Unfortunately, not all of them fit perfectly. The larger panels are more problematic, I guess the dome profiles for each of my R&J domes are slightly different.

The new plan is to repaint the panels I removed today. If the painting results are as good as those for the panels of dome #2, I'll just use the repainted panels from dome #1. In the meantime, I have some old paint to remove and some primer and wet-sanding to do.