Model Workshop 1

So the second to last of the workshops I am doing this year, model making. This is, like the plastic workshop, only a short workshop, and so it will be finished, one way or another, by Wednesday afternoon. The aim of the workshop is to test our abilities in working with the material and creating a good finish on the model.

So the item I am making is a non-working model of a computer mouse, out of Polyurethane Modelling Board (Uriel) and is a type of very dense plastic foam. At the start of the day were were given the above block which will form the majority of the model.

The first job was, using a pre-drawn orthographic drawing of the model, cut out the main parts of the model, this being the top piece, forming the buttons and the top, and the base. To do this the drawing was stuck to the model and used as a guide on the band saw before cleaning on a disk sander.

With the parts cut out, a layer of wax was applied to the top of the base and a layer of filler to the bottom of the top piece. This creates a perfect fit and neutralises the jagged edges from the cutting (the wax is to stop the filler fixing to the bottom layer).

While the filler was drying I cut out a piece of plastic to go on the bottom of the base to hold the model slightly off the ground. This was cut on a bench saw out of black ABS.

With the filler dry and the excess sanded off, the two pieces now form a perfect fit.

The final stage I got to today was to sand it down to a smooth finish on top, exactly copying the design. This was done first on the disk sander, then with different grade sandpaper from shaping with 120 to finishing with 1200. So at the end of today what I have is effectively a brown version of the Apple Magic mouse as the photos below show.

And finally the photo below is of the area where I was working. As you can see I used lots of sandpaper (getting through 4 sheets of the 120 grade alone) and it was very dusty.

So more work on it tomorrow where hopefully I will get the buttons and clicker wheel made and begin painting it.