Since my design uses paper tubes with bolts through them connecting at a block at the nodes, I decided to try using wire with something covering it to represent the tubes. The something similar for the bamboo on the roof. I went to reverse garbage yesterday expecting to find something hollow and tube like but didn't find anything I could use. Instead today I decided to try to just roll paper to the correct scaled size and use that over the wire. This looked OK. I tried a few ways of sticking the tube together. Tape worked better than glue.
The problem with the paper rolls were joining them together at the right angles. Then I thought of using one piece of wire instead of three. The only problem was rolling the paper over it, so I decided to just wrap tape around it after I got the wire right.
In the end I couldn't get the wire to join together rigidly at the joints, the model just doesn't sit right. It wants to pop up in the corners and when I get one part right another parts pops out. I was going to make the roof in the same way but with the curves in the roof it will be even worse than this.
I think it's back to the drawing board for the model. I don't know how I can make them now. I was going to use bamboo skewers originally but I know I won't be able to get the joints right. Maybe skewers and clay but then it will just fall down. I won't be able to get them done in time for tomorrow, but hopefully I can still some done this week. It's frustrating that it's not working and taking so long. I need the last couple of nights I have left to finalise the presentation and to get other subjects done.
Perhaps I need to think of why I'm making the model. At the moment I'm not really sure. It is already giving me a better sense of scale then the computer model, but I am not using the correct materials, so the model is not useful for testing materials. I don't see any difference between this and the computer model. If it is just about getting a sense of the scale and the form then my broken model has already given me that.
I have learnt a few things from making the model.
1. I need to think more carefully about how the components are joined and how that can make the design easier to manufacture.
2. Even in this broken model I can see that the real design should support itself pretty well. The paper tube though will just be like a covering over the structural metal beneath. The bamboo roof may be another matter though and I need to think more about how that will work.
3. Even though the base is a hexagonal shape I'm happy the model didn't end up just looking like a hexagon. I was very conscious of not making it look too hexagonal while I was designing. I never want to see another hexagon again.
4. Small gauge wire will poke a hole in your skin if you push it too hard.
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