Electromechanical Sunglasses VIII

Got the restraining clips mounted this weekend. They got a bit marred as I bent them to shape with pliers, but I was able to clean them up quite nicely using 600 and 1000 grit sandpaper. Very satisfying. I think I might remake them, cutting them all out at once from a stack of sheet metal, instead of each independantly. I'm very happy with using the jeweler's saw to cut sheet metal, though. Goes fast, and much more precise with less collateral damage than tinsnips.


(Borrowed a proper digital camera, yay!)

The gears were sticking slightly, so I spent some time rounding off the edge of the frame so they can't snag as easily, and polishing the face of the frame up to be as smooth as possible. They run much better now. I'll probably take a tube of graphite lubricant with me just in case (nothing grease based! not with the playa dust!) but I'm not too worried. The servo should be able to handle this just fine.

I'm going down to Seattle this weekend, and there should be 3 packages waiting for me with just about everything I'll need to finish this project off. Driveshaft tubing, polarized plastic sheet, #1-64 taps and screws, and some nicer looking hex-cap screws for the gear mounts. I'm still unsure on how I'll mount the earpieces to the frame, and the servo to the earpieces, but I'm sure I can figure something out. I always have the fallback plan-b option of mounting it on a stick like a fancy masquerade mask.

I also got word today that the lasers have arrived at my parents' place, so my plans to make a LASER MEDUSA HELMET are go. Need to order some tilt sensors to have those ready. I even have some ideas for a surprisingly simple adjustment system so I can easily tweak at which angle the tilt sensors turn the thing off.

(no subject)

Anyone who wants to see what is (as far as I can tell from my POV in Vancouver) a representative view of how Canadians view their healthcare compared to the US can read through the comments on this story.

And the really funny thing is, most Canadians have no idea how bad it can be in the States. They just don't quite get what it means to not have insurance, having grown up in a civilized country and thus never having faced that particular horror. Or, for that matter, the lesser-but-still-quite-nasty horror of being insured but not being sure how much it will cover until the surprise bill shows up a month later. Or knowing that they'll look for any excuse to drop you if you should ever really need the coverage. Or... blah. Pisses me off all over again just to think about it. I'm going to miss my BC MSP coverage.