BB-8 want-to-build thread (apparently I'm calling him BB-8)

[kresty]

That. Was. The. Most. Terrifying. Thing. I've. Done. All. Week.

Whew.  Glad I used gloves as instructed.

We got some dome magnets in the mail yesterday.  I figured that if I could put the top on the Dome Magnet Mount (DMM), then the casters would be in and I could see how well it might roll, and how to attach the skirt/dome to the DMM.  Of course it's if I put the magnets in first I won't have to tear it back apart.

First I wanted to know the polarity, so I used a little test magnet.  Actually the 2nd one because the first test magnet vanished when I unpacked the big magnets.

This 2nd magnet flew the last inch and smashed itself into the small 1" magnet.  Part of it flew past my head 'cause I heard it hit the wall!



To get the magnets into place we slide this board over them.  There are 3 of the little magnets (above, 1"x1/2") and a center magnet that is 2"x1/2".  Getting them separated from shipping, even with the spacers they were shipped with, was very tricky.  I found the first tiny test magnet in the packing, apparently I'd gotten too close when unpacking the first magnet.

I also heard a "popping" noise of the bubble wrap.  The first small 1" magnet had lept from a foot away and smashed into the remaining magnets.  I didn't see it and could not even figure out what had popped the bubble wrap for a few moments.  After that I call Lara for help and we stored them in different corners of the room awaiting assembly.

After placing the first outer small magnet, we slid the board over that and placed the middle big magnet.  That tried to attack the first magnet.  Then we slid the board over the middle magnet as well, and placed the 2nd outer small magnet.  That managed to knock the board about an inch and actually connected to the middle magnet.  At this point all four of our hands were trying to keep the board in place and the thing together.  The last small magnet went better.  Practice?

Now we had 4 magnets trying to shove the top away from the bottom and our hands were cramping trying to hold it in place, but we had to find the blind holes for the screw on the bottom, which took 3 or 4 years.  Eventually we found the first hole and got it screwed in.  After that it was easier but still pretty tough.

Most screws had to be let back out and tightened again as it managed to shove us apart from 1/6" to 1/4" in places.



We decided to stick the BMM (Body Magnet Mount) onto the bottom so the magnets would pull away from the board.  We felt that would be much safer, though I am a tad concerned about the strength of the printed mounts.  I'd done some math on the numbers, but this feels really strong in practice!



Here is another view, you can see 3 of the smaller magnets, we left the middle big one out for now.  No clue how I'm going to test the rollers on the outer shell as that would mean separating these, and that means dealing with these three magnets.



Really glad that I used gloves. A few times the magnets pinched some of the fabric, and one time it was difficult to pull the glove fingertip out (and that was just between the DMM and the BMM).

They'll be a little further apart in use, so hopefully this will be better.

No clue how I'm going to safely ship him.