Preparing the Dome

From the outset I had decided to go the aluminium route for my droid.  While the cost is a multiple of the styrene or wooden options, my mind wasn't for changing.... R2-DK would be all aluminium.... In hindsight, maybe I should have had a chat with my bank manager first !!!

The Daren Murrer dome arrived in January.  Excitement to open the box and see R2's head for the first time is an understatement.  The quality of the dome is excellent and well worth the cost.

A few hours of sanding (200grit - 500grit - 1500grit) deburring and a bath with washing up liquid and the dome was ready to go. 

Inner Dome - Before

Inner Dome - After 

Outer Dome - Before

Splash Splash

 Outer Dome - After

The Inner Dome came out fine, but I wasn't 100% happy with the finish on the outer dome.  I prefer the brushed look rather than shiny, so I'll do some more work on that later.  The large DIY stores in Ireland don't appear to stock the Scotch Brite pads popular with the american builders for creating the brushed look.  I may need to resort to ebay or amazon if I can't find a supplier in Ireland.