Teletran inspired sonic screwdriver

[tailgunner30uk]

Hi all.

Ready for a new update?  Well whether or not, here one comes.  Although I injured myself last week and have suffered another birthday in the meantime.  I have managed to do some work on the screwdriver.  Last weekend was a complete bust in regards to the workshop.  I finally got out on Wednesday to move the project along.  The new support is taking far longer than I had hoped, but I suppose this shouldn't be surprising as there are five parts to make and they need to be reasonably accurately made.  This meant several goes as reasonably accurate is not something I manage often.  All of the struts have had to be remade as well as the base of the assembly.  And I think I might have to re-do the top.

There is still a lot to do with this part including polishing, then assembly and some adjustment of the parts.  But still I hope you'll agree that it is looking at least interesting.

Without any further prevarication a couple of new pictures.






Have a great weekend....
See you all soon.

[tailgunner30uk]

Hi all, it's Sunday evening so back to work in the morning

I have spent most of the last few days in the workshop much to the consternation of my better half.  The surgeon is also going to   have conniptions when he sees the state of the bandage on my finger. . Anyway the work has mostly been completing the parts for the new head support and finishing the anti-rotation and slider parts.  After trial assembly of the new head parts, I wasn't entirely happy.  The top part seems to have gone a bit awry.  So the first job today was to make new one.  This new part is made of steel as I have run out of suitable Aluminium stock.  I do however think it looks better, and it is definitely better made.  After this I moved on to finishing the slider and anti-rotation parts.  There wasn't much to do, mostly tidy-up work and cutting the spring to the correct length.  This being done I proceeded with the first trial assembly of the sliding parts.  There was some binding so disassembly followed by some judicious filing for fit and more trials, things finally came together.  Unfortunately there is some scoring on the slider but I might put this to some advantage by adding some graduations to the slider.  The anti-rotation works well . The slider retaining and anti-rotation pins were ground to length and slotted.  After assembly they are completely hidden by the plastic handle, and with luck the mechanism should prove robust.

So now the main body is more or less complete, just some final tidying and polishing to do.  The final assembly of the new support top is left to do as is the transparent support tube.  This has been causing me some level of dread as well as anticipation. The dread is the fact that things could go horribly wrong, the anticipation is the completion of the project.  If all goes well the transparent tube will set off the rest of the screwdriver really well.

There is only one picture tonight, unfortunately not very good, but it shows the new screwdriver with along with my other drivers to give some idea of scale.  The new screwdriver still has the old support top and is only shown in it's retracted mode.  This is as the support tube is not done and I am trying to build some anticipation for the final unveiling.  So without any further ado.

[tailgunner30uk]

Back in the workshop.

Hello everybody.  I thought I would do an update today before I headed out into the freezing cold of the workshop to work on some more of the parts for the screwdriver.  So, I have finally completed and assembled the new emitter support, there is a little polishing to do , and have installed it on the screwdriver.  There are pictures to follow.  From today I will be working on the rings for the transparent part of the column.
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Sorry about that had to pop out and refill the coffee cup.  Anyway, where was I.  Oh yes, the new disks for the screwdriver.  These will still be made of brass, but I have been looking at some small changes to the design.  These haven't fully gelled so today I will be making the blanks ready for detailing.  The finger is getting better,  although I still cannot use it and the bandages often get in the way.  I really want the ring of bars on each disk but I haven't worked out how to do this and keep everything aligned.  Making them all in one would keep the alignment but with such small detail the gaps between the bars would be little more than holes.  I am thinking of using this to my advantage by redesigning the barred rings.  I am not sure yet though of the final details.

So finally some more pictures for your consideration.  They show the newly assembled support in position on the screwdriver and a picture of the sonic screwdriver in half extended mode.

[tailgunner30uk]

Good evening all.

Well things have moved along now.  A long weekend spent in the workshop making the new support disks means that the new screwdriver is close to completion.  It was a trial, with mishaps along the way but at last the end is in sight.

Anyway,   it all started with the loss of the original disks.  I still have no idea where they have gone. I have a sneaking suspicion of the culprit.  The original disks always nagged at me.  The demon of 'is that all' perched on my shoulder again and whispered in my ear.  There needs to be more, this isn't enough, try harder.  I protested.  It's cold, there are too many parts to make, I'll be happy when it is together.  But no the nagging grew, the persistent suggestion that it should be better, the best that I can do with the tools I have.  So at last, when presented with the loss of the original disks I was compelled to make new ones.  So off to the drawing board.  I had a theme going for the top.  A modern Matt Smith/David Tennant theme drawing inspiration from the ideas of Teletran and the old Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker original Sonic Screwdriver.  An almost skeletal design removing material from parts of the top.

The new disks have slots machined in them, these are symmetrical around the periphery but are not aligned with the cutouts in each disk.  The disks are offset to each other and to the other disks in the support.  The cutouts on the periphery of each disk are slightly offset from the centre, in part this was accidental but I feel that it gives them a slightly more alien feel.  Making these disks took most of two days with my wife complaining about the time spent in the workshop.  The new disk are much more to my liking and I think that I might have settled the demon's ire for now.  I have some pictures to upload, I hope you like them.

So finally, this might be the last update before the final unveiling of the new Sonic Screwdriver.  It has been a long journey, with mishaps and misadventures along the way.  Almost 4 months from the beginning.  Starting with nothing more than an amazing drawing from Teletran providing inspiration and seeing the custom screwdriver made for and by Greatwazoo42 that showed me how I might go about making my own.  Now that I have the end in sight and I approach the end of this build diary, in the wrong part of the site! Oops, Sorry. My excuse is that originally it was just an idea that got out of hand. ...  where was I, oh yes nearing the end of this diary I find myself a little down. I don't want it to end but it must.  The screwdriver will be done and there are new projects to start, more insanity, more cuts and scars to garner, more frustrations and aggravations to be endured.

Could it be better? Yes.  Will I make another? Possibly, if I do I promise to make two so that Teletran can have his own.  Would I sell it, no!  I doubt that anyone would ask... but it is mine, my own there isn't another one like it anywhere in the world and in that respect at least to me it is priceless.

Please comment, even if you hate it.  I do enjoy reading the comments, well, maybe not the the "I don't like it ones"

So without any further ado, some pictures of the new disks on the central support column.  What do you think?  Too much?  I like them. But then I should, I made them .

[Mark]

I do like these new disks. The old ones were great but these do add that certain something.

The cut outs kinda remind me of the collars Time Lords wear.

Absolutely brilliant workmanship and the level of detail is astounding. Looking forward to the big reveal 

[Teletran]

I like it!
The new discs are cool but I'm a little unsure about the emitter supports, I'll have to wait for the final reveal to see how it all hangs together.

[tailgunner30uk]

Hi Teletran,

I know what you mean with regards to the new top.  I would have liked them to be thinner but there needed to be a certain amount of material for strength and for the glue to grip to.  If I were to make them again i might either thin them in the centre or mill slots along their length.  That however will definitely be an idea for the Mk. 2.

[Teletran]

It's certainly a lot more detailed than I could have hoped for from a physical model.

[tailgunner30uk]

Thank you for that Teletran, there are still aspects that I think that I could improve, but there has to come a point where it stops, and I think I am almost there.  

For the most part it has been fun making this, it is something I have wanted to do for a while.  There have been times when I have wanted to tear my hair out, when a tool broke at a critical moment, the workpiece worked loose when machining it.  Those times make you stop and think.  But in the end I am happy with it, and like to feel that it has given a little pleasure to those who have followed its construction.

I still haven't decided what will be next.  I harbour the desire to have a K9 of my own.  And yet, part of me is being pulled towards the Matt Smith Sonic screwdriver.  Probably a reasonably accurate representation with a few personal touches (well, maybe more than a few )  But before that, the lathe and mill need to be stripped down, cleaned and adjusted.  The lathe in particular needs new headstock bearings, which is a job in itself.

Suggestions on a post card to:
I really wouldn't do that..
Care of: Arcane Asylum...

[tailgunner30uk]

Hi all,

Not so much of an update, more a work in progress.  I am in my favorite cafe with a mug of coffee at the moment and thought I would put down a few thoughts.

  I have started the final assembly of the sonic, which basically involved taking it apart, cleaning and polishing, then reassembling with parts that needed it, glued together.  I also took this opportunity to take some pictures of the main assemblies, as well as the sliding mechanism, before it was hidden within the screwdriver.  So all was going well, polishing improved some of the parts, the slider has a more brushed effect to cover up to a certain extent the inevitable scratching that will occur with use.  I then started the assembly of the clear tube and head assembly, this is where things started to go wrong.  It is always w wonder that everything fits and works well until the point when it is to be permanently joined together.  At this point the telescoping section would not fully retract, the slider would jam and no amount of adjustment would cure the problems.  In the end some filing and cutting has the tube and slider working well, with the help of a little molycote lubricant.  I have tested it a few times and all seems to be well at present, but I will probably remake the tube which has the anti-rotation guide slots in it from aluminium and put some ptfe sliders in slots to reduce friction in the mechanism.  Another problem that I have encountered is the clear outer tube.  No matter how I tried, the inner surface was marred by scratches during assembly.  Deburring and polishing helped a little but as I wanted a close fit the marks were inevitable so I will accept them.

I know there are things I would like to change or improve, but I have the look I wanted, a modern interpretation of the classic sonic screwdriver.

The pictures have been taken for the unveiling, and I think a short movie might also be in order, unfortunately I do not have access to the wet-suit and scuba gear so you may have to put up with a more mundane me

What next?  I have thought about this and after browsing this site and the RPF site I think it will be the Matt Smith sonic screwdriver, providing my wife doesn't hide the keys to the workshop, to protect me from myself

So thanks for reading this and feel free to comment, I read and enjoy  them all.  I also promise that the next build will be in the proper section of the site

My personal motto in this has been,  "Not knowing what you are doing shouldn't prevent you from trying, just try (unsuccessfully in my case) to be careful!"

[tailgunner30uk]

So here it is, the screwdriver is finished.



Four months, several cuts, broken tools, rejected parts.  It has been fun.  There have been times when I didn't think it would get done.  Parts wouldn't line up, mistakes in machining that meant remaking parts that I thought were done.  Redesigns, new ideas, rejected plans and finally the finished item.

This all started with an idea.  While browsing the web I came upon this site.  Now I am a gadget freak and I enjoy making things.  I have built models in plastic and metal, starting early with Airfix kits.  I progressed to radio controlled boats, designing a range of hydroplanes, electric powered some capable of upto 30 miles per hour.  So while browsing this site and marvelling at the ingenuity of people building TARDISes and consoles.  I came across Teletran's concept for an update to the classic screwdriver.  Well I fell in love.  I thought 'I've got to have one of those' but, how do you translate a picture into reality.  Another had trodden that path, and I decided to follow.  GreatWazoo42 worked with a fabricator from the Replica Props Forum AKA the RPF.  I studied these diaries and made the plans, adapting them and adjusting them to make the sonic screwdriver I wanted.

From design to reality.


With a clear plan, I started ordering materials, I already had aluminium stock but not all of the sizes needed. I had threaded bar although a diameter and pitch that meant a compromise.  And down to work.  The first parts made were prototype parts for the top of the driver to get an idea of what the main feature would look like.  In my original design the support tube was the signature, so a significant amount of time and effort was to be expended in getting it to look the way I wanted.

Early ideas.


Work progressed, new parts were made, new materials ordered. assembly after assembly to test fit and look. Finally a random collection of parts started to look like a sonic screwdriver.  Then finally with fabrication of the new support top and the replacement of the lost rings the screwdriver is finished.  So here and in the next post are some pictures of the screwdriver prior to final assembly as well as a picture of my hand  sporting a fetching bandage on my finger, oh, also holding the screwdriver.

[tailgunner30uk]

As promised, some more pictures of the finished screwdriver.

The main parts prior to assembly.


The sonic screwdriver partially assembled.


The Sonic screwdriver in contracted, partly extended and fully extended positions.




And finally my hand sporting a fetching bandage on  my injured finger, oh, and the sonic screwdrivert in all its fully extended glory.

[Mark]

An awe inspiring piece of work. It really looks fantastic.

[tailgunner30uk]

Thank you  Mark, it is everything I hoped for and works as well as I could have wished.

[Mark]

Not sure if you have mentioned it in this thread before (my memory is shocking!) but how does the spring part work or rather, how do you stop the mechanism simply keep springing out?