New plankton project

[chunkolini]

I sold my favourite piece of work a few weeks back, the Diatom plnkton thingy.
So it is time to make another.
I love the drawings of Ernst Haeckel, the 19c artist/scientist/philospher.
Especially the ones he did of plankton.
I was browsing google images and found this.

And liked the outline.
Two days later I have got this far.

The main ribs are 30x5mm strip, damn near killed me on Friday bending all of these up. As usual I have used steel balls to finish the ends off and at the top.
Fitting the diagonal bits was a major headache because of the taper, but I seem to be getting there. Stands about 1.5m tall.
I am planning on making a nose cone to add another 50cm or so.
Plan A is to mount it on a pivot near the point of balance so it can roll about in the wind.
Lets see how it goes.

 

[echosierra3]

Make all those bends on your Metalcraft tool? Beautiful work, as always. Saving for my MC tools.

 

[pondman]

Looking great! That power bending is keeping you young I look forward to seeing the fillin design.

 

[chunkolini]

Powerbending is the biz, but does give stiff shoulders.
Had a big think about the infill last night, got to work this morning and had a fiddle before realising that angles and tapering curves are a royal pain.
So I chopped the bottom rails off and replaced them with 12mm bar.
And started the first layer of the rest of it.



Looks a lot better and is loads stiffer and a whole heap less hassle, I can adjust angles and make the line of the body follow the line of the uprights.
So the next stage is now a simple process of bending and fitting the loops.

 

[chunkolini]

Powerbending is the biz, but does give stiff shoulders.
Had a big think about the infill last night, got to work this morning and had a fiddle before realising that angles and tapering curves are a royal pain.
So I chopped the bottom rails off and replaced them with 12mm bar.
And started the first layer of the rest of it.


Looks a lot better and is loads stiffer and a whole heap less hassle, I can adjust angles and make the line of the body follow the line of the uprights.
So the next stage is now a simple process of bending and fitting the loops.
I am going to keep it simple and use simple curves to make a series of shrinking oval/lense shapes up to the top.

 

[pondman]

Powerbending is the biz, but does give stiff shoulders.
Had a big think about the infill last night, got to work this morning and had a fiddle before realising that angles and tapering curves are a royal pain.
So I chopped the bottom rails off and replaced them with 12mm bar.
And started the first layer of the rest of it.
View attachment 29516

Looks a lot better and is loads stiffer and a whole heap less hassle, I can adjust angles and make the line of the body follow the line of the uprights.
So the next stage is now a simple process of bending and fitting the loops.
I am going to keep it simple and use simple curves to make a series of shrinking oval/lense shapes up to the top.

It looks better with the 12mm bar!

 

[Seano]

What you going to use for the covering chunko ? something like perforated sheet...looking excellent so far.

 

[troppo]

Cant wait to see the finished result

 

[pedrobedro]

What you going to use for the covering chunko ? something like perforated sheet...looking excellent so far.

That would be too easy, I reckon he'll weld washers in individually

 

[Seano]

That would be too easy, I reckon he'll weld washers in individually

Wouldn't surprise me actually.....

 

[chunkolini]

I was tempted to fill the whole thing in with tiny rings, get them made up by spinning a big bar on a lathe with the 6mm bar wrapped around it.
But figured I would go mad, hexagons crossed my mine for about 30 seconds. but I have decided to keep it simple and unfussy and use simple ellipses.

I was at it today. This is the fun part of the build, the structure almost designs itself, once a layer I make a decision ie how tall to make the next set then I am off. Music cranked up and stuck in.


Second pic shows the bottom layer of curves being rolled up out of 13mm mild steel bar. A four metre length in one hit.

 

[the snooper]

chunko you could have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble and just copied plankton from sponge bob square pants

 

[chunkolini]

I was very disciplined yesterday, I was making progress on the infill so I had to finish it or face coming to work on Monday and not knowing what I was doing.

So far quite pleased with it, at the top I noticed that as it tapers the small errors in the spacing were resulting in more and more hassles in hetting the small ovals fitted so I went for a circle at the top.
Next stage is the warhead, I plan a shape echoing the main body about 700mm long, this I will play by ear as I go.

Then I have to play about with the mounting idea. I love the idea of it being only just stable and able to wobble as the wind blows or look like it is falling over as people touch it. I have a back up plan if this is not workable.

Then decisions; galvanize or leave it alone.

 

[mike os]

galvanize? you?..... i cant believe it

looks good mate

got to get a proper look at thet metalcraft toy...

 

[pedrobedro]

A pendant weight in the centre would stabilise it.

 

[chunkolini]

Well got the main body finished today complete with detonator thingy on top.

This is the older version later on I chopped it off again and added a short leg and another ball and made it removeable. Total about 2.6m.
I made the spinner mechanism and it works a treat, sways all over the place making a massive set of arcs. Chuffed to bits and it does not fall off even if you boot it really hard. Sadly cant upload the video clip off my new fancy pants phone.

Finally managed to upload the video from fancy pants phone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCAFa5Z1ZX4

 

[drum]

I like that. Reminds me of something from a Buck Rogers set.

 

[chunkolini]

Definitely a 1950's sci fi movie look to it.
Since getting this far I have been look pictures of old spaceships and thinking hmmmmmm.

 

[Robotstar5]

Definitely a 1950's sci fi movie look to it.
Since getting this far I have been look pictures of old spaceships and thinking hmmmmmm.

I used to love the spaceships on their not quite invisible wire spurting sparks and smoke from the rear

 

[chunkolini]

The top end also reminds me off the early Soviet rockets by Sergie Koralev.
All swooping lines and curves.
Plankton to space rockets in one piece of work?