iron mole 14

I used 1/16 steel rod to make supports. The rod went through holes drilled in the wood base, holes through the center of the brass pedestals, and into holes drilled in the resin hull of the Iron Mole. The resin is brittle, though, and thin, so I was not comfortable with the idea of it supporting the model on the pedestals. To provide solid support, I cut wood blocks to fit inside the printed resin sections. Holes for the steel rods were drilled into the blocks and the blocks were cemented into the resin cylinders (so the holes drilled in the resin parts aligned with the holes in the wood blocks) using E6000 adhesive. E6000 is not compatible with all plastics, so I tested it by gluing a wood tooth pick to a scrap bit of resin before I used it on the model. It worked fine, making a strong bond with no damage to the resin. After I glued in the wood blocks and let the cement cure (48 hours, minimum) I added some braces cut from heavy plastic strip to lock the blocks in place. I wanted them to be very secure since I'd have no access to them once the model was assembled.