Vespula takes flight - Toyguy's Build Log

[Toyguy]

I love the color combination of black and yellow, so that's what I'll be doing to my Max when it arrives. The edges will all get a coat of bright yellow to complement the black frame. Hence the name Vespula, for the bees known as wasps, one species of which is the Yellow Jacket. Vespula just sounds cooler though. "Count Vespula, at your service!"

After ordering last night I just got the good word from UPS That's some fast service from the SeeMeCNC folks!

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 6c34df.png[/img]

[Eaglezsoar]

Lookout, anxiety is setting in! That's okay, we all know how it feels. Then the big day arrives and you start digging through all of the peanuts with a big smile on your face!
Just a small piece of advise, do not discard anything until you know that you have all the parts. Those little buggers have a nasty habit of hiding in the peanuts.
Have a great time with your new printer and make sure you have a copy of the build guide created by user Geneb. It is here: http://www.geneb.org/rostock-max/Rostoc ... -Guide.pdf

[Lochemage]

The package I got was pretty much wrapped all together in cellophane, there shouldn't be any little bits hiding in there. However, it's still never a good idea to throw things away until you are sure you're not missing anything.

Good luck building your MAX! I'm very close to finishing mine, and so far the instructions have been detailed enough that I haven't needed to ask anyone for help yet.

[Eaglezsoar]

The package I got was pretty much wrapped all together in cellophane, there shouldn't be any little bits hiding in there. However, it's still never a good idea to throw things away until you are sure you're not missing anything.

Good luck building your MAX! I'm very close to finishing mine, and so far the instructions have been detailed enough that I haven't needed to ask anyone for help yet.

Ya mean they got rid of the peanuts! I am horrified! I was finding those darned things for a week afterwards. My dang cat thought they were her special toys.

[Lochemage]

The package I got was pretty much wrapped all together in cellophane, there shouldn't be any little bits hiding in there. However, it's still never a good idea to throw things away until you are sure you're not missing anything.

Good luck building your MAX! I'm very close to finishing mine, and so far the instructions have been detailed enough that I haven't needed to ask anyone for help yet.

Ya mean they got rid of the peanuts! I am horrified! I was finding those darned things for a week afterwards. My dang cat thought they were her special toys.

No, they had peanuts, but the contents inside was all wrapped up in large bundles inside. There weren't any little pieces (of the printer) hiding among them.

[Toyguy]

As advertised, UPS dropped this off at my door today

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 60b297.jpg[/img]

After dinner, I sat down to open the box and take an inventory. Have I mentioned how much I hate packing peanuts? That debris gets all over the place! I eventually got it scooped out and unpacked the box. Very nice job of packing: one box of non-structural parts, a cellophane-wrapped package of melamine and the towers and the ATX supply in its own box. Everything looks to be in good shape though I haven't opened up the other box yet.

Inventorying the melamine parts has revealed a potential first problem. The Top Support Plate seems to be badly cut. Here's one of the notches:

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 2f1179.jpg[/img]

Notice how out of square the legs are. Here are the other two notches on that Plate:

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... f92ec1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 738aaf.jpg[/img]

Those two look pretty good. I'll be emailing SeeMeCNC later tonight to see if this needs to be replaced. Now on to inventorying that box of parts!

Dave

[Lochemage]

That sucks You may be able to get by with it like that though, since I think nothing actually relies on that particular part to be angled perfectly. Just don't butt the tower up against it as it might give it a little unwanted twist. On the other hand, if you're willing to wait on shipping for a replacement, I'm sure SMC will replace it.

[Toyguy]

Yeah, had an email from John already and they'll send out another plate. He checked the ones they had in the shop and they looked OK, so it's just a one-off glitch. As Gene says in the manual, the laser sometimes goes off on its own.

Plenty to do, so I probably won't even get to the top plate before it arrives. Just finished getting all the other pieces out of the melamine sheets, while trying to keep the mask intact so I can paint the edges. That took an hour or two of careful cutting and peeling. I've done a test paint on one of the parts just to see if I like it. If so, I'll paint the others tomorrow and should be able to commence the base assembly Sunday.

[Toyguy]

Got my inventory done today and everything sorted into labeled organizer bins. Everything I was supposed to get was present, though there was a moment of anxiety when I got down to the glass plate. Sitting alone in the box, it just looked too small Fortunately, just an optical illusion and it fits just right.

I did a quick test painting of one of the idler mounts to see how it was going to go. It looks good, but sadly my plan to airbrush them didn't work out. The paints are just too thin and the wood seems to just absorb them. The yellow would not cover at all, and even priming with white was very spotty. I ended up priming with white with the airbrush, which dries very fast, then using a rattle can for the final yellow. It looks much better but is taking a dog's age to dry. I'm actually thinking about acquiring a small toaster oven to speed drying of the smaller parts.

Anyway, here's the test piece. I like it, so this is how the rest of them will get done.

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... be5480.jpg[/img]

[ccavanaugh]

An option prior to paint is to seal the edges with a dewaxed shellac. It won't swell the MDF and helps keep the moisture out. The quick way to apply it is to immerse the whole part and quickly wipe it off the melamine. Old cotton rags work best. This completely saturates the edges quickly. Any remaining drips can be cleanup with denatured alcohol.

I did this on my build (in-progress) without any ill-effects.

[Eaglezsoar]

I see you have a cat in one of the pictures. They just love batting those peanuts around.
You should save a few so the cat can have it's own special toys.

[Toyguy]

I see you have a cat in one of the pictures. They just love batting those peanuts around.
You should save a few so the cat can have it's own special toys.

That's a pretty good idea. I'll just have to watch they don't try to eat them I suppose. The static cling could lead to some amusement!

[geneb]

When I did Blue Max, I primed the edges with an oil-based Killz primer. Works great.

g.

[Toyguy]

Got a little more done today. The paint around the edges and lettering is taking forever to dry. I did go buy a cheap toaster oven and baking the small parts at low temperature seems to be helping. The plates will just have to dry on their own time but I can at least work on them carefully. Got the countersink rings popped from the bottom plate and got the feet on.

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... a52304.jpg[/img]

I also started working on the first Tri-Support, deviating slightly from the manual by putting the idler bearings in first, as seen below, before attaching the stepper motor. I like this approach better as the Motor Support has no locating tabs and just rotates around its attachment screw. Installing the bearings first squares up that assembly and holds it in place.

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... a21c86.jpg[/img]

[bubbasnow]

now im sad i didnt paint mine

[Toyguy]

now im sad i didnt paint mine

Just an excuse to buy another one if you ask me

[Toyguy]

Busy day today! Got two of the Tri-Supports finished and the last one is baking in the oven. I should have them all mounted and the base plate on by tomorrow night. Here's what she looks like at the moment:

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 7bf55d.jpg[/img]

Had a brief moment of anxiety when I was looking at how the doors go on. I couldn't find a small hole for the door keeper. It finally hit me that the door just covers up the large hole on the side most of the way and the keeper slips in there. Clever!

[Eaglezsoar]

Busy day today! Got two of the Tri-Supports finished and the last one is baking in the oven. I should have them all mounted and the base plate on by tomorrow night. Here's what she looks like at the moment:

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 7bf55d.jpg[/img]

Had a brief moment of anxiety when I was looking at how the doors go on. I couldn't find a small hole for the door keeper. It finally hit me that the door just covers up the large hole on the side most of the way and the keeper slips in there. Clever!

Baking in the oven? Is that how you get the paint to dry faster?
Must not be a very pleasant smell. Unique though, you are the first to dry the paint in an oven.

[Toyguy]

Yes, it's a bother. The basement is so humid the stuff just won't dry. I picked up a cheap toaster oven to bake the small parts. I do it at a very low temperature, about 100 degrees F. I don't get them too hot in case they melt. It helps but it's not the full answer. They'll just dry over time. My goal is to get them dry enough to work with as soon as I can, then let them finish on their own schedule. In hindsight, I probably would not have bothered to paint it. Looks nice, but too much hassle and it slows things down too much

[Eaglezsoar]

Yes, it's a bother. The basement is so humid the stuff just won't dry. I picked up a cheap toaster oven to bake the small parts. I do it at a very low temperature, about 100 degrees F. I don't get them too hot in case they melt. It helps but it's not the full answer. They'll just dry over time. My goal is to get them dry enough to work with as soon as I can, then let them finish on their own schedule. In hindsight, I probably would not have bothered to paint it. Looks nice, but too much hassle and it slows things down too much

I think the looks make the hassle worth it. It looks much better with paint then without.
Once the whole printer is finished, you will see the value you added by painting it, right now
you are impatient because you want to be building, not painting.

[Toyguy]

[quote="Eaglezsoar]I think the looks make the hassle worth it. It looks much better with paint then without.
Once the whole printer is finished, you will see the value you added by painting it, right now
you are impatient because you want to be building, not painting. [/quote]

You are an insightful man

I was able to finish what I had hoped to finish today, and it's still early! I might get even more done. Here's the completed base unit. The lettering looks white from the flash, but it's bright yellow like the rest of the paintwork.

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 530538.jpg[/img]

Hopefully the rest of my supplies come in tomorrow. I need the lacing cord, in particular. Oh well, back to more painting

[cope413]

I'm only saying to be mean , but I think your machine would look even better if you had painted the heads of your hardware too... they have it in the skate world http://www.mudgehardware.com/...

You know, just in case you like the idea before you get your whole machine built

[Toyguy]

I'm only saying to be mean , but I think your machine would look even better if you had painted the heads of your hardware too... they have it in the skate world http://www.mudgehardware.com/...

You know, just in case you like the idea before you get your whole machine built

LOL - no way! Heck, I'm trying to think of ways to avoid painting the rest of it. Tamiya makes a nice yellow trim tape for RC cars - I may try a roll of that on the carriages and see what it looks like. I can seal it in with clear coat before I take the mask off. It is a good idea though, for someone else

[Eaglezsoar]

I'm only saying to be mean , but I think your machine would look even better if you had painted the heads of your hardware too... they have it in the skate world http://www.mudgehardware.com/...

You know, just in case you like the idea before you get your whole machine built

LOL - no way! Heck, I'm trying to think of ways to avoid painting the rest of it. Tamiya makes a nice yellow trim tape for RC cars - I may try a roll of that on the carriages and see what it looks like. I can seal it in with clear coat before I take the mask off. It is a good idea though, for someone else

I did mine with the paint pens, got them on Amazon, dries in just minutes. http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Max-27014-Mar ... +paint+pen

[Toyguy]

While waiting for some in-transit stuff to arrive, I've been working on tidying up wiring. Gene's suggestion of the waxed lacing cord is an excellent one. I knew about this stuff from my time in the service, but had forgotten about it. Much nicer than those plastic ties with the snagging heads. What a difference after tying up the stepper leads - from rat's nest to neat, easily routable bundle. Tomorrow I'll go get some adhesive wire mount plates and route everything neatly into the Rambo bay. Here's an example of what a nice job that cord makes of wire management.

[img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff27 ... 654dd6.jpg[/img]

I've also gotten some other small tasks done, like getting all the bearing covers installed, prepping the end-stop switches, etc. This weekend I'm planning to work on the Cheapskates and maybe get the power supply prepped and installed in its bay.