Dome work

So the dome is going OK... The bends are pretty much a distant memory thanks to people on the Astromech forum. A few hours here and there while I move are all I'm putting into it at the moment.

The cutting wheel wasn't really something I wanted to fool with so I used the "tried and true" small hacksaw blade...

I used the dremel sanding wheel on pretty much every piece and opening so far. Still have a little more to do on the outer dome before I start on the inner one.

I did use a different bit for this top dome piece. The scariest dremel bit I have, since the hacksaw blade didn't fit in there.

From the top, this one probably was not such a good idea. From the inside area, it did fine.

Halted, excited, worried. Crud.

I got laid off yesterday, so this endeavor will probably come to a rather screeching halt.

I got my dome and frame today and am very excited.

I got my dome out of the box and am a little concerned.

A bit of bending around the main HP hole.  F the USPS. It was insured, but what does that mean for damage like this?

The little nephew person needed all of a ONE SECOND glimpse of HALF of what can be seen in the upper left picture. The MOMENT he saw those pie plate panel cuts he said, "Are you building an R2-D2??!?!?!?!"

Rockler upgraded.

That worked. Acetal bearings and Teflon spray. Sweet.

Bearing replacement or not?

I'm wondering if this bearing is bad. It doesn't seem to be anywhere near as loose as the other videos I've seen.
I was about to start the replacement but didn't have gloves, sandpaper or the right bits for my dremel handy.

Oh boy...

Here we go... First part to arrive. Heavier than I expected. Already have the plastic bearings on order to reduce noise and aid in easier movement.