Thanks Martin, Michael, Pilou,

Danny, I didn't use zsurf, What I did was create a grid of free form lines that were in relief in the shape of the bear that was (height wise) in a rectangle and then networked them as a surface. then I made an extruded shape of bear to get the out line. I then cut the extruded solid of the bear with the surface. I used this method as I needed to then cut out the features and this way made it easy to do so (I added the nose after the fact). plus if I needed to I could redo the surface by just adjusting the points of the curves and re-network it. Once I had built all of the parts and connected them together I then used the flow command.

I'm not all together sure what process they used as I sent it off to the client and they dealt with the manufacturer. Some kind of silicone I guess.

Mike, I too love it when things i do get on the shelf.

Val

Hi Mike,
Nice web site. I became W4TBB circa 1949. I was in W. KY. CW operator. RM-2 Navy CW operator. I didn't know anyone made their own stuff these days. I built several Xmitters back in those days, 807's, 813s, Ha.

What's your QTH? I think I remember some of the Q sigs.

Kent

Hi Kent,

QTH is Tallahassee, FL. I'm VP of our city's ham radio club as well as club newsletter editor and Field Day coordinator... so it seems my free time to model in Moi has been challenged more lately. http://k4tlh.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/TARS_Newsletter_2013_February.pdf
The hobby is still bustling with activity with 700,000 licensees in the US. Although most hams are 'appliance users' these days with readily available modern-tech transceivers, there has been a resurgence in QRP (low power operation), kit building and 'home-brewing' in the last decade.
The introduction of Arduino microprocessor boards and smart-app software has allowed younger people to find their nitch in the hobby. There's a new "hacker-space" in development at a local university and a few students have been worked hand in hand with the club.

CW (Morse code) happens to still be a sought-after skill despite the dropping of the requirement by the FCC in '07. Digital modes such as PSK31 and D-STAR have become the hot attractions.

When I built my small-powered CW transceiver last year, Moi was a real big help in helping me to build very compact with a high-degree of accuracy.
Usually with home-made stuff it is advisable to build with leg-room and future alterations in mind.

http://www.k4icy.com/cw_qrp_sw40.html

I'm in the process now of constructing a small RF amplifier from scratch to get me 15-watts of power.
I also plan on building a tube-based transmitter down the line.

And again, Moi will allow me to make sure all the bulky parts fit before I end up wasting parts and drilling misplaced holes!
If only I knew someone locally that could cut and form metal parts from CAD files I would be in 'hog heaven'.

So Kent, if you've been out of the ham radio hobby, it's always worth looking back in to!

73!, Mike, K4ICY

Mike,

You can pick up a hand punch from grizzly.com for around $30.00 and a punch you can mount to your work table for around 60.00. I wouldn't use a drill on sheet metal. A mini shear and brake are around 150.00. You will save money in the end by not sending things out to a shop.

Val

Thanks Val, In high school, our punches were huge floor versions, one was hydraulic and one had a large lever.
I miss the corner punch/nipper. And the sheet metal edge bender was fun to use.

With my infrequent creation process, I haven't run into too many items needing commercial shop work. Not since I worked next to a hydraulics repair shop.
My trusty tools include a plug-in hand-drill with various bits, and not even a keyless chuck, and metal files.
Since my late father was a hobbyist woodworker (TV repair/electronics, photography, etc...) I had access to a variety of tools at too young of an age:
I developed all kinds of bad and dangerous shop habits that have taken me years to ween myself from, such as stripping wire with my teeth, refusing to wear safety goggles, using the stove to melt things, and working over a soldering iron in an enclosed space inhaling the lead-oxide enriched fumes as if it was second-hand cigarette smoke... ahhhh.

Of course, I'm beyond a many of those shop-iniquities at this age... eh..
No scratch all that, I do use wire-strippers now, at least. ;-)

I know what you mean by missing tools. I loved having a large shop. I miss having a mill and a lathe. sometimes what should take a minute or two to make a part takes a lot longer setting up jigs to use hand tools to do the same thing. I too have some pretty terrible habits. I still have all my fingers so they can't be too bad.

Mike,

If you are making holes in sheet metal and don't have access to a press, a step drill is a really cheap alternative. I use mine a lot but watch your fingers!!