Recognizing when I’m in over my head……

Yesterday, I boxed up the hilt and the electronics and overnighted them to Rhode Island.  I have been a stupid hamster on a wheel for days and days and days.  I decided to contract my friend Deanna at Vader’s Vault to do a pro install for this time.  I hate to admit defeat but I simply don’t have ability to figure out the electronics and I don’t have anyone onsite who can help me there.  Some of them tried and they were ALL wrong.  I am feeling frustrated, to say the least.

The silver lining is that Deanna will be adding Flash on Clash functionality to my soundboard, which has only become available for the Petit Cruton in the last couple of weeks.  She will be constructing a custom inner chassis for the the electronics as well.  I believe, actually, that seeing how the pros do it will be very beneficial to me in the long run.

Just a few Odds and Ends left….

I haven’t quite decided which option I will use to fix the one messed up setting.  I think I would rather just plug the hole and camouflage it rather then trying to jury rig a new setting.

I went yesterday to the local hardware store and bought a length of PVC to fashion the inner chassis that holds the electronics.  I also got a small can of paint for the touch up work which ultimately proved to be the WRONG kind (latex).  I did a test run with one of the kill keys and sure enough, this morning the paint scratched right off with my fingernail.  Missy said I could try model paint or rustoleum.  I looked on the web and a set of 8 colors of model enamel paint is like 12 bucks after shipping.  I will probably try that route first.  I did manage to get a color match at the hardware store so it wasn’t a complete waste.   I probably will have to mix the enamel paint with black to make it a little darker but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

I did receive good news this morning from Micheal about the soundboard.  He said he moved the resistor leg to the correct location and the board now works just fine.  He said he was going to fix it and ship it back at no charge to me because he overlooked the issue on my diagram.  That is a very generous thing for him to do.  He said it should get put in the mail tomorrow.

I am continuing the quest of tying up all the little loose ends……

4 good days in a row!!!

I have spent the last 3 days setting stone after stone after stone.  I am pleased to report that I have successfully set 45 stones out of a total of 54 required.  Only one decided to act completely contrary.  However, Bill and Glenn have already come up with multiple ways to fix that one, so I am not freaking out about it at all.  If all goes well, I should be completely done with the fabrication part of the hilt TOMORROW!!!!!!!  That, I must say, brings a smile to my face.  There are a few touching up sort of things to be done, but I am nearly to the “install the electronics and I am finished” phase!

Let the setting fun begin…….

I spent most of Friday cleaning up my bench and condensing my two benches down into one.  That took most of the day.  I included before and after pics for both benches.  Of course, now I am having trouble finding things because they are not in the place I am used to looking for them.

I did one more practice setting today, just to be sure of myself.  Then I started on the hilt itself.  I am delighted to report that I got 10 stones set today, out of 56 total (I think that is right….I have the scrollwork set up for the next stone and I don’t want to take it out of the vise).  The 10th stone got a little cranky but I managed to keep my composure and figure out a way to take care of it.  It’s still not quite as pretty as I would like, but it is in there.  That is a situation where a laser welder would have been worth its weight in solid gold!

I think I might be able to get 12 to 14 stones set a day.  That means I am looking at between 4 and 5 days of setting.  Also, I heard back from the guy about the soundboard and he said I had, in fact, soldered one of the legs of the resistor to the wrong pad.  He said he would test it to be sure and ship it back to me.  I’m not sure how much money it will be yet.  I think he charges a fee of some sort just to look at a board on his bench.  We will see.

A new student named Ian started today.  He seems to be off to a good start, from what I can tell…..